Coming off their first meet of the season, the top-ranked Gators track and field teams have already experienced how events in this sport can come down to mere centimeters.
While Florida was able to win the championship in two of its four events, one-one hundredths of a second made the difference for the Gators in each of their two losing events.
Junior sprinter Antwan Wright finished runner-up to Kennesaw State’s Drew Duggans in the 60-meter dash final, a race that would be near-impossible for the naked eye to judge. Duggans finished in 6.73 seconds, while Wright finished in 6.74.
Sophomore hurdler Yanick Hart also finished in second place in the men’s 60-meter hurdle final. In a neck-in-neck race, unattached hurdler Eric Keddo finished in 7.92 seconds, while Hart finished in 7.93.
Although Hart was not victorious, he and junior hurdler Moriel Pitt (8.09 seconds) set their season-best marks for the 60 hurdles.
While victory was only a hair’s length away for the Gators in both of the men’s events, the same could not be said about Florida’s female competitors.
Senior hurdler Bridgette Owens, who broke the school and meet records for the 60-meter hurdle during the first day of the meet, won the finals in 8.11 seconds.
This is the second consecutive year that Owens has won the event at the Birmingham Crossplex Arena.
Sophomore hurdler Ryann McEnany was disqualified from the hurdles final, as she ran around the hurdle in mid-race.
Junior sprinter Shayla Sanders took the cake in the 60-meter dash, finishing the race in 7.45 second, matching her result from last year’s UAB Blazer Invitational.
The Gators will be well rested for their next meet, as they have two weeks to prepare for the Rod McCravy Memorial Invitational in Lexington, Kentucky.
Follow Kyle Brutman on Twitter @KBrut13
Florida's Hugh Graham Jr., left, hugs Antwan Wright as teammate Dedric Dukes looks on after winning the 4x400-meter race during the NCAA outdoor track and field championships in Eugene, Ore., Saturday, June 8, 2013. Florida tied with Texas A&M for the men's championship.
