Mike Holloway leaned over the slippery metal railing at USF Track and Field Stadium before raising his fist and pointing at the track.
The cascade of rain had subsided just long enough for Florida’s track and field coach to congratulate sophomore Grant Holloway and freshman Cory Poole for locking in their places at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Holloway nabbed a runner-up finish in the men’s 110-meter qualifier, and Poole snuck into the No. 12 spot to move on.
The Gators are now in position to receive championship points from 30 entries as they cruised through the NCAA East Preliminary in Tampa, Florida.
The weather was a nuisance for much of the three-day meet, but on the last day, with raindrops bouncing off their uniforms, 12 more Gators found a way to qualify for nationals.
Sophomore Clayton Brown and junior Jhonny Victor had success in the men’s high jump, despite the downpour. Needing a spot in the top 12 to advance, Brown ended up at 2.16 meters for third while Victor finished at 2.11 meters for eighth.
Senior KeAndre Bates won the men’s triple jump with a personal-best mark of 16.79 meters to automatically qualify for the chance to defend his national title. His jump was the third-best in the nation this year.
Brown will join Bates in the event, as he finished in sixth place. The St. Andrew, Jamaica, native became one of five men in Division 1 since 2010 to qualify in both the high and triple jump, and he has done it twice in his career.
The races began with the 4x100 relay team of Holloway, freshman Chantz Sawyers and juniors Ryan Clark and Michael Timpson Jr. running a season-best time of 38.86 for the win. It was good for the third fastest time in the nation this season and a trip to Eugene.
Clark added a third qualifying time for this year’s national competition when he finished the men’s 200 in seventh to advance.
Holloway later joined UF’s 4x400 relay group, which included Sawyers, Poole and junior Kunle Fasasi. The quartet finished third overall in the qualifier but will head to nationals as the No. 1 4x400 team in the nation.
For the women, junior Sharrika Barnett, senior Taylor Sharpe and freshmen Taylor Manson and Nikki Stephens finished their 4x400 relay race in fourth to secure the championship berth.
Senior Darrielle McQueen will hope to top off her career as a Gator with a successful run at nationals as she and junior Yanis David qualified in the women’s triple jump. David finished third in the event and will make her third-straight appearance in Eugene. While McQueen ended up in seventh to qualify for the second-consecutive year.
You can follow Alanis Thames on Twitter @alanisthames or 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.
