Although it was the men’s team that came into this weekend’s meet as defending champions, it was the women who added yet another Southeastern Conference title to the school’s history books Sunday.
“(The women) sat down in the fall and they talked about what we were capable of doing and how we were going to get it done,” coach Mike Holloway said. “What you saw this weekend was a byproduct of that.”
The win brings the women’s program total to seven.
Florida entered the final day in second place with 40 points, but Ciarra Brewer’s second-place finish in the triple jump (12.99m/42-7.50) earned eight more points for UF, putting it in a first-place tie with Arkansas.
The 5,000 meter and the mile run were both huge events for the women, as the Gators earned 43 points thanks to a 1-2-5 finish in the 5,000 meter and a 2-3-5-6 finish in the mile.
“I just knew I had to push hard and start strong,” said Florence Ngetich, winner of the 5,000 meter. “In this race, we wanted to push to be in front together so we could score more points and feed off each other.”
The women’s first-place performance would not have been possible without Lanie Whittaker’s second- and Ebony Eutsey’s fifth-place finish in the 400 meter, and Eutsey’s second-place finish in the 4x400m.
Although the men were unable to defend their title, they still came through with a second-place finish, and a few individuals were able to repeat last year’s performance. Sophomore Eddie Lovett ran 7.78 in the 60m hurdles to take the title and Kemal Mesic won his third consecutive SEC shot put championship. Junior Omar Craddock also contributed 10 points to the men Sunday after winning the triple jump.
“It’s a big accomplishment to win three in a row,” Mesic said. “Just winning one is a big deal.”
Jeff Demps, after setting the national best in the 60m in the prelims on Saturday with a 6.54, finished in third with a 6.64. Demps’ mark is .09 seconds slower than his winning time (6.55) from last season’s SEC indoor meet.
After Sunday’s performance, Holloway has gained more confidence in both his teams as they start to focus on the NCAA Indoor Championships.
UF athletes who have yet to achieve automatic-qualifying marks have two more opportunities to advance to the NCAA meet.
“Overall, I’m just so pleased with how we did,” Holloway said.
Distance runner Florence Ngetich won the SEC individual title in the 5000m, putting up a time of 16:12.64.
