2021 Florida Gators Track & Field
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2021 FLORIDA GATORS TRACK & FIELD 10 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS | 115 INDIVIDUAL NATIONAL TITLES | 28 SEC CHAMPIONSHIPS Gators Look to Reclaim SEC Dominance • Florida’s men finished second in 2019, claiming their sixth top-2 outdoors finish since 2010. • Florida’s six top-2 finishes since 2010 is tied with Arkansas for the most in that span. • Florida and Arkansas are also tied for most top-2 outdoor combined finishes (men and women) since 2010 with 11. • In 2018, Florida’s men and women swept the SEC Outdoor Champion- ships for the first time in program history. • Although it was the 11th sweep in meet history, the Gators’ sweep was just 2019 SEC OUTDOORS RECAP the fourth at SEC Outdoors since 1991. SEC CHAMPIONS • The titles were the sixth SEC Outdoor crowns in program history for both MEN the men and women. Athlete Event Time / Mark NCAA Indoor Champions Hakim Sani Brown 100m 9.99 [+1.8] • Florida’s men finished fourth in March at the 2021 NCAA Indoor Track and Thomas Mardal Hammer Throw 73m (239-6) Field Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas. • The Gators have finished in the top 4 13 times since 2003, when Head WOMEN Coach Mike Holloway took over the men’s program. Athlete Event Time / Mark • Florida’s 13 top-4 finishes since 2003 is the most in Divison. The next three Imogen Barrett 1,500m 4:17.29 programs following the Gators are LSU (11), Arkansas (9) and Oregon (7). Jessica Pascoe 10,000m 34:08.41 • In 2019, Florida’s men claimed their Division I-leading ninth national title Yanis David Triple Jump 14.35m (47-1) [+1.8] since 2010, finishing 11 points clear of runner-up Houston at the NCAA Yanis David Long Jump 6.65m (21-10) [+1.8] Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Ala. Amanda Froeynes Heptathlon 5,801 points • The indoor national title was Florida’s fifth in program history - which ties with Oregon for the third-most indoor crowns in Division I history. Only ALL-SEC SECOND TEAM Arkansas (20) and UTEP (7) have more. • Florida’s five indoor titles in the 2010s put them in elite company among all MEN Division I sports. Here are the only Division I teams (FBS for football) to win Athlete Event Finish five national titles from the start of the 2009-10 athletics season to the end of 2019: Raymond Ekevwo 100m 2nd (9.99 [+1.8]) Grant Holloway 110mH 2nd (13.07 [+0.8]) » Penn State Wrestling - 8 Raymond Ekevwo 4x100 Relay 2nd (39.12) » Oregon Women’s Indoor Track & Field - 7 Sani Brown, Grant Holloway, Ryan Clark » Southern California Water Polo - 6 Clayton Brown Triple Jump 2nd (15.92m/52-7.75 [+1.5]) » Florida Men’s Indoor Track & Field - 5 AJ McFarland Hammer Throw 70.99m (232-11) » Alabama Football - 5 » Connecticut Women’s Basketball - 5 » Texas Men’s Swimming & Diving - 5 » West Virginia Rifle - 5 WOMEN Athlete Event Finish Gators Women Finish Strong SEC Indoors Doneisha Anderson 4x400 Relay 3rd (3:30.40) • Florida’s women’s finished second at this year’s SEC Indoor Track and Taylor Manson, Nikki Stephens, Sharrika Barnett Field Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas. • The runner-up finish marked the first top-2 finish for the women since 2015, and the fifth since 2010 • The runner-up finish was also the fifth top-2 finish since 2010 for the FOLLOW THE GATORS women, which includes conference titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014. Twitter / Instagram ....................................................@GatorsTF Facebook .........Florida Gators Track & Field and Cross Country • The Gators’ five runner-up finishes since 2010 is the third most in the SEC in that span. Only Arkansas (10) and LSU (6) have more. YouTube .......................................www.YouTube.com/GatorsTF Official Website .............................................. FloridaGators.com • Combined (outdoor and indoors) the Gators have 10 top-2 finishes since 2010, which also ranks third behind Arkansas (15) and LSU (12). COMMUNICATIONS MEET & BROADCAST INFORMATION Track & Field Contact .............................................Rick Hurtado Thursday, May 13 .......................................................6:40 p.m. (SEC Network + ) Cell Phone Number ............................................ (786) 712-1484 Friday, May 14 .............................................................5:30 p.m. (SEC Network +) E-Mail ......................................................RickH@Gators.ufl.edu Saturday, May 15 .................................................................6 p.m. (SEC Network) SEC Outdoor Championships | May 13-15 | Bryan-College Station, Texas | E.B. Cushing Stadium QUICK FACTS Location ...................................................Gainesville, Fla. Nickname................................................................Gators NEWS & NOTES Colors .................................................... Orange and Blue Enrollment ............................................................. 57,841 Historically Consistent Gators Founded ................................................................... 1905 • Florida’s men have won or taken runner-up honors at 23 of 34 NCAA Championships Conference ....................................... Southeastern (SEC) (67.6 percent) with Mike Holloway as head coach. President ............................................. Dr. W. Kent Fuchs Athletics Director........................................Scott Stricklin • That includes victories at the 2018 and 2019 NCAA Indoor Championships, and a runner- up finish at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Website ................................................FloridaGators.com • Florida’s men are one of three programs in Division I history to post seven straight top-3 finishes at both NCAA Indoors and Outdoors (Florida, 2009-15; Arkansas, 1992- NCAA Championships History (10 titles) 2000; UTEP, 1975-82). ......2010, 2011, 2012, 2018, 2019 Men’s Indoor Titles (5) Gators on Top Men’s Outdoor Titles (4) ............ 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017 • Florida currently holds five top-5 spots on this year’s Division I Outdoor Qualifying list, Women’s Indoor Titles (1) ....................................... 1992 including one NCAA-leading mark. Women’s Outdoor Titles (0) .......................................N/A • Senior thrower Thomas Mardal leads the nation in the hammer throw with a school- record mark of 76.18 meters (249 feet, 11 inches), which he posted during this year’s Tom 2021 Men’s Indoor Finish ......................... 4th (34 points) Jones Invitational. 2021 Women’s Indoor Finish ..............................6th (30) • Redshirt freshman Joseph Fahnbulleh ran the third-fastest time in Division I and in the world (20.10 [+0.9]) in the 200 meters at this year’s Pepsi Florida Relays 2020 NCAA Competition Canceled* • Senior Clayton Brown ranks fourth in the nation in the triple jump with a mark of 2019 Men’s Outdoor Finish ................................2nd (50) 16.57 meters (54 feet, 4.5 inches). Brown also ranks eighth nationally in the high jump 2019 Women’s Outdoor Finish ...........................6th (32) with a mark of 2.23 meters (7 feet, 3.75 inches). • Redshirt sophomore Gabrielle Wilkinson ran the fifth-fastest time in the nation in the SEC Championships History (28 titles) 800 meters after crossing in 2:01.45 at this year’s Tom Jones Invitational. Men’s Indoor Titles (8) .... 1975, 1976, 1987, 1988, 2004, • Florida’s women 4x400m Relay, formed by Taylor Manson, Sterling Lester, Donei- 2011, 2015, 2019 sha Anderson and Talitha Diggs, ranks fourth in the nation and in the world with Men’s Outdoor Titles (6) . 1953, 1956, 1987, 2010, 2015, a time of 3:27.50. 2018 Mardal Headlines Historic Season Women’s Indoor Titles (8) ........ 1990, 1992, 1997, 2002, • Senior thrower Thomas Mardal, who leads the nation in the Hammer throw with a 2004, 2010, 2012, 2014 mark of 76.18 meters (249 feet, 11 inches), has broken five combined school records in Women’s Outdoor Titles (6) ..... 1992, 1997, 1998, 2003, the weight and hammer throws this year. 2009, 2018 • Crowned the 2021 SEC and NCAA champion in the weight throw, Mardal broke the school record and an SEC Indoor Championships 11-year-old record, before setting 2021 Men’s Indoor Finish ....................................5th (57) a new program record at nationals. He also became the fifth-best performer in collegiate 2021 Women’s Indoor Finish .............................2nd (81) history. 2020 SEC Outdoor Competition Canceled* • Mardal logged a weight throw mark of 24.46 meters (80 feet, 3.75 inches) at nationals to become the first person in NCAA Indoor Championships history, and the second in 2019 Men’s Outdoor Finish ................................2nd (95) collegiate history, to have at least two throws of 80 feet or further in the same meet. 2019 Women’s Outdoor Finish ...........................5th (69) • Outdoors, Mardal broke the school record in the hammer throw in back-to-back meets and has maintained the lead in Division I throughout the season. 2021 Indoor Team Information • Mardal was crowned SEC champion in 2019 in the hammer throw and will look to repeat 2020 NCAA Competition Canceled* in College Station. Men’s Returning 2019 NCAA Outdoors Scorers: Chantz Sawyers - 400 meters (2nd place / 2 pts.) Fahnbulleh’s Breakout Season • Redshirt freshman Joseph Fahnbulleh, who finished second at SEC indoors and third at Thomas Mardal - Hammer Throw (4th place / 5 pts.) nationals, ranks third in the nation and in the world in the 200 meters outdoors. Raymond Ekevwo - 4x100 Relay (1st place / 10 pts.) Denzel Villaman - 4x400 Relay (2nd place / 8 pts.) • In addition to ranking third in the nation and