While Hunter Joyer might be the Florida football team’s future at the fullback position, on Sunday the freshman put his throwing skills on display.
In his debut for the UF men’s indoor track and field team, Joyer finished fifth in the shot put with a throw of 14.67m/48-01.75 at the Gator Invite.
Joyer, who won state championships at Tampa Catholic High his junior and senior year in the shot put, said that competing in track will help improve his strength and all-around athleticism.
“Track kind of helps out with football with explosion,” Joyer said. “They are really not too far apart.”
The invitational, which was held in the O’Connell Center, showcased 26 men and 13 women from Florida and a host of athletes from other in-state schools like FAU, UNF, UCF, Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman.
Though a limited number of UF upperclassmen competed in their respective events, the meet’s main purpose was to acclimate some of the younger athletes, like Joyer, to the atmosphere of NCAA-sanctioned events.
“I just got settled in this year and I’m just trying to get a feel for everything,” Joyer said. “Next year I think I can really cut loose.”
One older field athlete who rose beyond the competition was junior thrower Jeremy Postin, who set a personal best and a new school record in the men’s weight throw with a distance of 21.31m/69-11.0.
Overall, the No. 1 men’s team and unranked women notched six individual wins, including three on throwing events, at the single-day meet.
“I think [Sunday] begins with Jeremy,” coach Mike Holloway said. “Talking with coach (Steve) Lemke, we kind of expected (that performance). Coach Lemke thinks there’s even more in the tank.”
Postin’s success in the weight throw would be matched in the men’s shot put by teammate Stipe Zunic. A sophomore from Zadar, Croatia, Zunic sent his winning toss 16.40m/53-9.75 to claim first.
On the women’s side, Keely Medeiros also won a shot put title in the meet. Fellow senior Fidela James followed closely behind with a second-place toss, also taking a victory in the weight throw behind a toss of 19.11m/62-8.50.
“The big thing for me is I want to see a continual effort and keep building on what we’ve done so far,” Holloway said. “If you look at what we’ve done every year in the past, we get just a little bit better each week. Because of that, we always have great performances at conference and nationals and we don’t want to change that at all.”
With football season over, Gators freshman fullback Hunter Joyer made his debut for the track and field team Sunday, taking home fifth in the shot put at the Gator Invite.
