Most of the men on the track and field team say that they prefer the outdoor season over the indoor season.
However, the men have earned three national titles in the indoor season, and they had yet to win an outdoor championship.
That changed on Saturday.
Florida became the first team since 2003 to win both the indoor and outdoor NCAA titles in the same year.
The men started the day eight points ahead of the field, but only had two more events to compete in Saturday.
Sophomore Eddie Lovett started things off for the men in the 110 meter hurdles. In his first NCAA Outdoor Championships final, the hurdler finished fifth place to give the Gators four points.
"That was huge for Eddie to come in, entered possibly one of the best high-hurdle fields in history and to be able to man up and get fifth place in that race,” coach Mike Holloway said. “That was huge for us. That got us within striking distance and gave us a chance to win this championship."
Although Lovett had a huge performance for Florida, it was the 4x400 meter relay team that really clinched the win. Dedric Dukes, Hugh Graham, Leonardo Seymore and Tony McQuay won the first 4x400 title in Florida history to give the Gators 10 points and secure the win.
In addition to the victory, the four set a new school record with a time of 3:00.02. Their time also makes them the current 2012 world leaders for the event.
“We knew what the team standings were and we came together like a family, as a team,” McQuay said. “I trusted my first, second and third legs to get us here. We have a young team and to have them step up really means a lot to the program.”
With the NCAA Outdoor Championships behind them, many Gators will now turn their focus to the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, which begin June 21.
Contact Katie Agostin at kagostin@alligator.org.
