Thursday was hammer time for the Gators.
On the opening day of the 2013 Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships in Columbia, Mo., Florida scored 20 points in the only scored event of the day – the men’s hammer throw.
Sophomore Kyle Strawn won the event with a personal best distance of 66.90m, earning the Gators 10 points.
“Obviously it’s really exciting to win SECs,” Strawn said. “I had a goal for myself and I wanted to throw 65 meters and I surpassed that. It’s awesome to compete against these guys every day and it’s really important for us to get these points early.”
Senior Jeremy Postin followed Strawn in the hammer throw with a distance of 66.83m. With an additional two points coming from sophomore David Levin, Florida is currently atop the standings, up 14 points over second-place Alabama.
“I can’t begin to say how proud I am of the hammer throwers as a group and the work they’ve done with [associate coach Steve Lemke],” coach Mike Holloway said. “For Kyle to win the hammer throw, that’s an unbelievable accomplishment for him. He beat Jeremy today, which is a great achievement for him considering Jeremy was the NCAA runner-up last year.”
The Gators’ only other athlete that competed on Thursday was junior Lorraine Graham in the women’s heptathlon. Graham set personal bests in every event she competed in – 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put, and 200m dash.
“I’m extremely proud of Lorraine and the work she’s put in today and all season,” Holloway said. “For her to get four PRs and score as many points today as she did, it says a lot about all the hard work she’s doing with Coach Lemke, [assistant coach Erin Tucker] and [assistant coach Mellanee Welty].”
Graham currently sits third in the women’s heptathlon, with the final events – long jump, javelin, and 800m – concluding tomorrow.
Along with the women’s heptathlon, Florida is set to compete in three more scored events on Friday.
Sophomore Jayla Bostic is set to compete in the women’s hammer throw, looking for her fourth consecutive victory this season and potential fifth victory in six meets.
The men’s and women’s 10,000m races are also being scored tomorrow. Jimmy Clark, JL Hines, and Josh Izewski are competing for the men, while Florence Ngetich and Callie Cooper are competing for the women.
“I’m looking forward to tomorrow and seeing how Lorraine finishes the heptathlon,” said Holloway. “I’m also excited about the other athletes we have starting the meet tomorrow and seeing how they perform.”
Throwers coach Steve Lemke (left) and coach Mike Holloway walk across the field at Percy Beard Track at Pressly Stadium during the 2012 Florida Relays. Seventeen Gators qualified Sunday for the NCAA Outdoor Championships, which are set to begin June 5.
