Two weekends ago, senior hurdler Bridgette Owens took the 60-meter hurdle at the UAB Blazer Invitational by the horns and shattered the event record for both the meet and UF’s program history.
Despite breaking her personal record, by one-tenth of a second, Owens insists that she is only getting started.
Owens said she has a set of goals that she writes down for herself both before and throughout the season, and her performance in Birmingham, Alabama, has only raised the ceiling for those goals.
"I want to at least go down on my times every track meet," she said.
Owens has shown much improvement in the 60 hurdles since last year, as she missed out on being named to either the All-American or All-Southeastern Conference teams in the event.
Owens, who was named the SEC Athlete of the Week on Jan. 13, credits her off-season development to her mental adjustments.
"I’m more motivated than anything," Owens said. "My whole mentality has changed and it makes me eager to practice. I’m not letting anything come in between what I am here for."
Fall training is key to any athlete in collegiate track and field, and although only one meet has passed, the Gators have shown that they have taken advantage of their offseason thus far.
Coach Mike Holloway uses this time to shore up the techniques of each of his athletes on the team.
During the offseason, Holloway worked with sprinter Najee Glass on his technique in the 400-meter sprint, in which Holloway placed great emphasis on the last quarter of the race.
"That’s where usually people break down and lose their form," Glass said. "Whoever breaks down the slowest will be the one that’ll come out on top,"
Junior sprinter and hurdler Robin Reynolds used her fall training period to work on her long jump, an event that she does not always participate in, but will have the chance to do so this weekend at the Rod McCrary Memorial Invitational in Lexington, Kentucky.
Reynolds said she aims to compete at the same level as former UF athlete Christian Taylor — an Olympic triple jumper who also competed in the long jump and 4x400-meter relay during his time at Florida.
"He’s able to do the long jump and the 400," Reynolds said. "I want to be able to do the long jump at the same caliber that I do my 400 race."
Follow Kyle Brutman on Twitter @KBrut13
Bridgette Owens competes during the Tom Jones Memorial Invite on April 19 at the Percy Beard Track. Owens, who clocked a 12.80-second 100-meter hurdles on Saturday, was one of 25 UF athletes to advance to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore.
