With the running events over for the regular season, the Gators officially closed out the regular season at the Seminole Twilight meet in Tallahassee with a handful of field-only events.
With only nine athletes competing, Florida put on a strong showing.
The Gators won three of the seven events they competed in.
Sophomore Jayla Bostic won her third consecutive women’s hammer throw and her fourth in five of the events this outdoor season. With a distance of 58.33 meters, Bostic was a hair over a half meter shy of her personal best of 58.74 meters set at this year’s Florida Relays.
In the men’s hammer throw, senior Jeremy Postin also won his third consecutive event. Postin threw a distance of 66.08 meters and was followed by fellow Gators Kyle Strawn and David Levin, who finished second and third, respectively.
Reigning Southeastern Conference and NCAA Indoor men’s long jump champion Marquis Dendy won the men’s long jump on Friday with a distance of 8.00 meters. This was Dendy’s first victory in the event since the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays earlier this season.
Dendy also competed in the men’s triple jump. Dendy finished second in the event with a distance of 15.49 meters and hasn’t won a triple jump since January at the Florida Gator Invitational during indoor season.
Also of note for the Gators was sophomore thrower Fawn Miller. Miller, the 2011 Southeastern Conference champion in the women’s javelin throw, threw a season best distance of 52.67 meters.
With the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships on the horizon for the following weekend, Florida is poised to have a strong showing considering the strings of strong performances many of its athletes have had heading into the championships. With that, the Gators begin to ease up in regards to practice intensity, at least from a physical standpoint.
“We have a very solid plan–one that’s worked well for us over the years,” coach Mike Holloway said. “During the ‘Championship Tapers,’ as we call it, everything is business out on the track. Even if it’s not an intense day, we still have some specific things we need to get done. There’s no such thing as coming to practice just to be doing stuff. As our strength coach Matt DeLancey loves to say, ‘We work to get better, not just to get done’”.
