Cory Poole rounded the corner of the wet track with no one near him.
In his collegiate 400-meter hurdles debut, the freshman established an early lead and didn’t relinquish it as his quick strides carried him over the finish line in 50.35. He now sits at the top in the national rankings for the 400-meter hurdles.
Poole's run at the rain-drenched Percy Beard Track at James G. Pressly Stadium on Friday set the tone as the UF men’s and women’s track and field teams hosted Day 2 of the Pepsi Florida Relays.
Two other Gators posted nation-leading times, with 10 more NCAA leads logged by athletes from other schools.
Sophomore Grant Holloway took the national lead after he won the men’s 110-meter hurdles in 13.45. After his race, he met coach Mike Holloway near the finish line of the track to receive the Percy Beard Award, which is given to the 110-meter hurdles winner every year at the Florida Relays. Holloway’s time also ranks second in the world.
Anders Eriksson leads the country in the men’s hammer throw after his top mark of 73.31 meters broke his school record by 1.55 meters.
In the same event, freshman Thomas Mardal’s season- best mark of 71.88 passed Eriksson’s previously held school record. Mardal’s top mark ranks fourth nationally and No. 2 on UF’s All-Time Top 10 list.
In the women’s 400-meter race, junior Sharrika Barnett finished behind Kentucky freshman Sydney McLaughlin, who ran a collegiate and world-leading time of 50.07 to win the event. Barnett took second place with a time of 50.93. It was the first time this season that Barnett recorded a sub-51-second time, and the finish made her the No. 2 quarter-miler in UF school history.
Additionally, freshman Taylor Manson ran 52.43 in her 400-meter debut for the No.4-ranked spot in the nation.
For the men, junior Kunle Fasasi clocked a time of 45.83 in the first 400-meter heat, good for the No. 3-ranked time in the nation. In the next section, freshmen Chantz Sawyers and Benjamin Lobo Vedel went one and two. Sawyers’ time (45.88) ranks him No. 4 in the country, and Lobo Vedel’s time (46.20) put him at the No. 9 spot.
In the women’s long jump invite, Senior Darrielle McQueen won with her top mark of 6.39 meters, just four centimeters shy of her season best set earlier this season at the FSU Relays.
The Gators will compete in several different relay races on the final day of Pepsi Florida Relays on Saturday. SEC Network + will provide streaming of the meet starting at 2:40 p.m.
Follow Alanis Thames on Twitter @alanisthames and contact her at athames@alligator.org.
Sophomore hurdler Grant Holloway was one of the many UF track and field athletes who were named All-Americans.
