Led by Junior Parker Valby’s two individual championships, the Florida women’s track and field team (50 points) secured the silver medal at the National Collegiate Athletics Association Indoor Track and Field National Championships at New Balance Track in Boston, Massachusetts. The men’s team earned the bronze medal with 39 points.
Distance athlete Parker Valby has been a star for the Gators all season. After being crowned Individual SEC Champion, Valby capped off her impressive indoor season with two NCAA individual championships in the women’s 3,000 and 5,000-meter races.
Valby’s time of 14 minutes and 52.79 seconds broke the collegiate, meet, facility and personal record in the 5,000. Valby was named to the Bowerman Watch List earlier this season. Twenty of the Gator women’s team’s 50 points were scored by Valby.
The senior? won her second NCAA Individual Championship and set another meet record with her time of 8:41.50 in the women’s 3000.
Junior Malcolm Clemons lit the lamp for the Gators with a third-place finish in the men’s long jump of 8.11 meters. This bronze medal earned Florida six points.
Senior and 2024 SEC Individual Champion Grace Stark earned the Gators three points with her sixth-place finish in the women’s 60-meter run with a time of 7.192.
Stark put up a season-best performance in the women’s 60-meter hurdles. Her time of 7.81 seconds earned her second place and Florida eight points.
Sophomore and 2024 SEC Indoor Champion Wanya McCoy placed fourth in the men’s 60, earning five points for his team.
Senior Robert Gregory earned third place and six points in the men’s 200-meter run. Gregory put up a time of 20.37.
Senior JeVaughn Powell placed fourth in the men’s 40. His time of 45.59 earned Florida five points.
After winning the SEC with his performance in the men’s 1 mile on Feb. 23, freshman Parvej Kahan placed seventh in Boston with a time of 4:03.05.
SEC women’s 1 mile Champion, senior Flomena Asekol, earned the Gators two points with her eighth-place finish and time of 4:25:34.
The women’s Distance Medley Relay team ran a combined 10:54.40 to secure third place and six points for the Gators.
UF will kick off its 2024 Outdoor Season at the FSU Relays in Tallahassee, Florida, on March 21-22.
Contact Emma DiNicola at edinicola@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @emdinicolaUF
