The No.1 Florida track and field teams experienced success from their newcomers on the first day of the Rod McCravy Memorial Invitational.
In his Florida debut, freshman jumper KeAndre Bates did not succumb to the nerves that some athletes fall victim to in their first collegiate meet.
Instead, he competed in his first long jump for the Gators as if he was a polished veteran and came out victorious.
Bates, who was a standout triple jumper at Burges High School in El Paso, Texas, took the men’s long jump with a 7.54-meter jump.
In the women’s long jump, freshman Darrielle McQueen landed herself on Florida’s all-time top-10 list for the event, as she recorded a 6.21-meter jump — good for sixth-place overall.
McQueen finished as the top Gator in the event, placing in front of three Florida jumpers—all of whom are upperclassmen.
Freshman jumper Jhonny Victor finished in third-place overall in the men’s high jump, rounding out an all-freshman top-three in the event.
“I’m proud of our freshmen, KeAndre, Jhonny and Darrielle, who all had indoor PRs,” coach Mike Holloway said in a release.
While Holloway spoke highly about the success of his freshmen, he acknowledged some concern about the team’s veterans.
“Our challenge to our veterans is to step up. They know what we are capable of and now they need to step up and match the intensity of the freshmen; we’ll be looking for a little better leadership as we move forward,” Holloway said.
Both the men’s and women’s distance medley relay teams recorded runner-up finishes on Friday.
The men’s team — composed of Mark Parrish, Nick Uruburu, Ryan Schnulle and Andres Arroyo — finished in 9:36.44.
The women’s team — featuring Robin Reynolds, Becky Greene, Claudia Francis and Taylor Tubbs — completed their relay in 11:08.19.
Both marks rank second in the NCAA, as of the conclusion of Friday night’s events.
Senior jumper Marquis Dendy—who was voted to The Bowerman Trophy Preseason Watch List on Jan. 7—finished behind Bates in the long jump, as he marked a 7.54 meter leap in his sixth, and final, attempt in the event.
Senior thrower Kyle Strawn broke his own personal record in the weight throw, tossing the weight 19.43 meters on his first toss of the weight throw finals.
Strawn finished in seventh-place out of 25 competitors.
The McCravy Invite continues Saturday at noon, and will be live-streamed on SEC Network+.
Follow Kyle Brutman on Twitter @KBrut13
