ORLANDO – The Florida track and field athletes won 11 events and had several career bests Saturday on the final day of the UCF Invitational at the UCF Track and Field Complex.
The UCF Invitational, the first competition of the outdoor season for many of the Gators, is the final tuneup prior to this weekend’s 66th Pepsi Florida Relays at Percy Beard Track/James G. Pressly Stadium complex.
“I thought we got a lot of good things done this weekend,” Florida head coach Mike Holloway said. “I was really pleased with the effort and focus of our team. Sometimes it’s hard to come out and perform with complete focus after the roller coaster of emotions we were on during the indoor season. I thought we did a great job with that this weekend. I can attribute that to our focus and the hard work of our athletes and staff. We just have to keep working to get better to be at our absolute best at championship time. We have a lot of great teams and individuals coming into Florida Relays and I think it will be a great test for us next weekend.”
Freshman sprinter Tony McQuay won the men’s 100-meter dash (10.57) and the men’s 200-meter dash (20.80). The men’s sprint corps was extremely impressive as five Gators placed among the top six in the 100-meter dash and four were among the top eight in the 200-meter dash.
Senior sprinter Calvin Smith (Lutz, Fla.) was second in the 200-meter dash (20.93) and fourth in the 100-meter dash (10.67). Jeremy Rankin was second in the 100 (10.58), while sophomore Jeff Demps ran his first collegiate 200 and placed fourth in 21.17.
Both Florida 4×100-meter relay teams were victorious. The women’s team of Madison McNary), Alishea Usery, Danielle Williams and Shara Proctor won in a time of 45.39. The men’s team of Rankin, Jeremy Hall, Terrill Wilks and Demps clocked in at 39.37.
Sophomore Keely Medieros won the women’s discus with a personal-record toss of 161 feet, 8 inches, while freshman Kaitlin Davis was fifth with a personal-record throw of 145 feet, 6 inches. Medeiros later won the shot put with a toss of 52 feet, 8¾ inches.
Alishea Usery placed second in the women’s 200 meters in a personal-best time of 23.94. McNary and Williams placed sixth and seventh in that event, respectively.
Junior pole vaulter Daisy Glasser won the women’s pole vault event with a mark of 12 feet, 5½ inches, while sophomore Claire Spurling was second with a mark of 11 feet, 5¾ inches.
Senior Carlos Phillips won the men’s 400 meters in a personal-record time of 47.28, while Preston Wilson also bettered his time in the event with a 47.54 effort.
The men’s 4×400-meter relay team of R.J. Anderson, McQuay, Phillips and Smith won in 3:05.99. The women’s 4×400 team of Michelle Stegall, Ashley Usery, Williams and Ije Iheoma was timed in 3:43.97 to finish third.
Freshman Mandy Perkins won the women’s 1,500 meters in 4:37.09. Junior Jarius Cooper won the men’s 110-meter hurdles in 14.85.