Jumper Marquis Dendy and sprinter Kyra Jefferson were the stars of the Tyson Invitational for Florida’s men’s and women’s track and field teams on Saturday, as they set NCAA and world bests in the men’s triple jump and the women’s 200-meter sprint.
Dendy captured the triple jump invitational, beating the rest of the field by more than half of a meter in his 17.23-meter effort—notching a top-10 result on the NCAA’s all-time list.
Along with earning the ninth-best mark in NCAA history, Dendy moved up two spots on the Gators’ all-time list to land himself at third-best in program history—leapfrogging Shawn Akridge and Omar Craddock in the process.
Jefferson clinched the 200 sprint with a 22.81-second performance, which is two-hundredths of a second slower than her program-leading mark that she set at the 2014 NCAA Indoor Championships.
Jefferson’s run was followed by top-five finishes in the event by teammates Robin Reynolds and Destinee Gause.
Senior jumper Gissell Warner set a personal record in her triple jump victory in Fayetteville, Arkansas, with 12.97-meter leap — good for fifth on UF’s all-time list.
Freshman jumper Darrielle McQueen finished behind Warner in fifth-place with a PR 12.86-meter jump, which sits at seventh in the program’s history.
Senior sprinter Dedric Dukes—who was a Bowerman Trophy Preseason Watch List nominee—made his indoor debut in the 200 sprint, finishing in third-place with a 20.91-second performance.
The Gators were able to find success in Ames, Iowa at the Iowa State Classic on Saturday, as five of six runners set PRs in the meet’s final day.
In the men’s 800-meter invite, sophomore mid-distance runner Andres Arroyo and junior mid-distance runner Ryan Schnulle finished the race in second and fourth, respectively.
Arroyo’s 1:46.78-minute effort places him runner-up on Florida’s all-time list, while Schnulle’s mark (1:47.39) stands as fourth-best in Gators history.
Follow Kyle Brutman on Twitter @KBrut13
Florida's Marquis Dendy reacts after competing in the long jump at the 2014 NCAA track and field championships on Thursday in Eugene, Oregon.
