For the last three years, the UF men’s track and field team has been forced to settle for a top-three finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. The Gators are using the regular season to prove that this postseason will end differently.
During Saturday’s performance at the Drake Relays, sprinter Tony McQuay led the men’s 4x400 meter relay team to an impressive win (3:02.41).
Throughout the first three legs of the race, Arkansas and Florida led the pack. However, when Leonardo Seymore handed off the stick to anchor McQuay, Arkansas had already created a huge gap and Ohio State started to close in on Florida.
Not one to give up, McQuay closed the gap between Arkansas on the first turn, created a gap on the back stretch and held on to the lead giving the Gators a win over the Razorbacks, the reigning NCAA Indoor Champions. McQuay did all of this in 44.03 seconds.
“Very proud of the men,” coach Mike Holloway said. “This was a total team effort from our men’s 4x4. Tony certainly ran a great anchor leg and Dedric, Hugh and Leonardo put him in position to get there.”
The four, Dedric Dukes, Hugh Graham, Seymore and McQuay, edged out Arkansas by .06 of a second completing the race in 3:02.41. In addition to being a season best for the men, their time leads the Southeastern Conference and is second in the NCAA this season.
Florida’s 4x400 relay time wasn’t the only one to set a SEC leading time on Saturday.
Thrower Jeremy Postin won the hammer throw with a personal best of 232 feet and 1 inch. In addition to leading the SEC, Postin’s mark is ranked third in the NCAA.
“Very proud of Jeremy today,” Holloway said. “He gets better every week and had a 10-foot PR today.”
The final win of the day for the Gators came from freshman Ciarra Brewer in the triple jump. This was Brewer’s first collegiate win, which she won with a personal best of 43 feet .5 inches.
“Today was about getting better for Ciarra,” Holloway said. “Not that the win isn’t important but it isn’t everything. She went out today, got a new collegiate best and got better.
The Gators have one more meet before they head to Baton Rouge, La., for the start of their postseason at the SEC Outdoor Championships on May 10.
