After finishing the indoor season Sunday, the Florida men’s and women’s track and field teams will take their competitions outside.
The Gators will send a reduced squad to the UCF Black and Gold Challenge in Orlando on Saturday, beginning their outdoor schedule.
While many of UF’s athletes who competed in the NCAA Indoor Championships will stay in Gainesville to transition to the outdoor season, this weekend’s meet presents another opportunity for the rest of the roster to compete.
“I want to take this meet as hard as I can and to get ready for the rest of the season,” senior Carlos Phillips said.
Phillips will run the 400 and 4x400 relay in the meet, his first time competing since the 2009 outdoor season. The two-time All-American only competed during the indoor season as a freshman in 2006, allowing him to retain eligibility for his final outdoor season as a fifth-year senior.
Joining him in the relay are Preston Wilson, R.J. Anderson and Jamaal Johnson. The quartet highlights Florida’s deep talent base heading into the outdoor season.
Freshman Jeremy Postin, coming off a strong freshman indoor season in the men’s weight throw, will compete in the hammer throw for the first time.
The UF men’s team will also place competitors in the 1,500-meter run, 110-meter hurdles, 800-meter run and 200-meter sprint.
Phillips said last weekend’s men’s title in the indoor championships has given the entire team more motivation to repeat as champions during the outdoor season.
“We know we’re number one,” Phillips said. “We just have to go out there and prove it.”
The women’s team, coming off a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, will send competitors in several field and sprint events.
Keely Medeiros will compete in the shot put after finishing eighth at the indoor championships. This weekend will also be her first opportunity to compete in the discus.
Alishea Usery will be among six UF athletes in the 200-meter dash, as the group of young sprinters continues to develop. She will also run the second leg of the 4x100 relay ahead of anchor Shara Proctor, who is coming off third-place finishes in the triple jump and long jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
UF will compete against Florida Tech, Kentucky, Bethune-Cookman and the host Knights.
