Category: Men’s Track & Field

Florida’s track stars out on Friday night at Holloway Pro Classic

The event featured many of the top athletes in the world who reside and train in Gainesville — including a handful of current and former Gators.

The Holloway Pro Classic, named for Florida’s legendary head coach [autotag]Mike Holloway[/autotag], took place at Percy Beard Track at James G. Pressley Stadium on Friday night. The event featured many of the top athletes in the world who reside and train in Gainesville — including a handful of current and former Gators.

Stars of the Gators’ 2024 season Grace Stark, Jevaughn Powell, Wanya McCoy, Malcom Clemons and Robert Gregory were among the top finishers in their respective events, with Powell claiming a personal best in the last event of the season at Percy Beard Track.

The night concluded with one final jump for the Gator legend, Christian Taylor. The two-time Olympic gold medalist, four-time Worlds gold medalist, two-time NCAA Outdoor Triple Jump champion, and the holder of the second-best triple jump mark in history sealed his awe-inspiring career where it began, with Coach Holloway the first to greet him at the pit.

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Grant Holloway a USA TODAY Sports winner from U.S. Olympic track & field trials

The pride of Florida’s track and field team appears to still be well in his prime with his recent performance at the U.S. Olympic track & field trials.

The U.S. Olympic track and field trials had a memorable final four days of competition, which included a statement performance from former Florida Gators star runner Grant Holloway.

USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon dropped his winners and losers column to start the month and included Holloway among his former group. He appears to still be in his prime, competing at the level he did the last time the Olympics rolled around.

“Holloway sent a message to the Paris Olympic participants in the men’s 110-meter hurdles. Holloway looked unbeatable at the Olympic trials,” Dragon begins.

“The three-time world champion saved his best for the final. Holloway ran a world-leading time of 12.86 seconds to win gold. It’s the second-fastest time he’s ever run.

“Holloway looks to be on a mission this year for his first Olympic gold. He placed second at the Tokyo Olympics.”

Before the final, Holloway was the only man to run a sub-13-second 110-meter hurdle this year. Freddie Crittenden (12.93) and Daniel Roberts (12.96) both joined that list and are headed to Paris on the Olympic team after medaling in Eugene.

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Florida high jumper Corvell Todd finishes fifth at US Olympic Trials

Former Florida Gators high jumper Corvell Tate placed fifth at the US Olympic Trials on Sunday.

Former Florida Gator Corvell Todd placed fifth in the high jump at the US Olympic Trials on Sunday night.

Todd was one of four jumpers to fail in the third progression at 2.24 meters (7 feet 4 1/4 inches), but he had the edge over the other three after clearing the 2.21-meter bar on his first try.

Alabama alumnus Shelby McEwen won the event as the only jumper to clear the 2.30-meter bar. He’s headed to the Paris Olympics, but the other spot on the national team is in question after a rough performance from JuVaughn Harrison, the only American to have met the Olympic Standard.

Harrison finished fourth after failing all three attempts at 2.27 meters and taking a second jump at 2.24 meters. It simply wasn’t his best day, and now he must wait to find out if he’s an Olympian or not.

Todd only needed one clearance to make it to the event finals. On his first attempt, he cleared the opening bar set at 2.14 meters, placing him in the top 12. Todd’s personal best is .01 meters higher than the 2.21 he jumped.

Corvell Todd at Florida

Todd joined Florida for the 2023 season after attending Southern Mississippi. He holds the No. 8 spot on the UF All-Time Top 10 List for the outdoor high jump with 2.21 meters  — the same height he jumped at Trials — at the Pepsi Florida Relays.

Todd is an excellent example of persistence and resiliency in sports. A Byahlia High (Miss.) graduate in 2018, Todd blossomed at Hinds Community College and began jumping over 7 feet in 2019. He won the 2019 and 2020 NJCAA indoor national titles, while also claiming the and the 2019 outdoor title.

His success continued into Division I competition, winning two CUSA Championships with Southern Mississippi and being named the 2022 Conference USA Men’s Field Athlete of the Year.

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

UF track star Robert Gregory’s ends season in Olympic Trials 200m finals

Florida sprinter Robert Gregory advanced to the 200-meter finals at the Olympic Trials this week, ending his season among the best in the US.

Florida track star [autotag]Robert Gregory[/autotag] made it to the 200m finals at the US Olympic Trials, but a seventh-place finish (20.56 seconds) on Friday ended his season there.

The “fastest man in the United States,” Noah Lyles took first place comfortably with a 19.53-second finish, good for the world lead this season and a meet record. Kenny Bednarek was the only true challenge with a 19.59 finish. Erriyon Knighton also medaled and will join the team in Paris.

Gregory was one of two runners in the final representing a college; Jamarion Stubbs of Alabama State was the other. The other seven participants were signed to Adidas, Nike or were unattached.

Gregory cruised in the opening round with a time of 20.38 seconds, saving some energy to make a deeper push. In the semis, he clocked his first sub-20 second 200m since the 2023 U.S. Championship when he set a personal best of 19.90. This time it was just under the threshold at 19.98 seconds.

The TCU transfer has dominated SEC meets — both indoor and outdoor — for the better part of the last two seasons. A First Team All-American in the 200m and 4x100m outdoor events, a second-place finish at the NCAA Division I Championships last month made him an Olympic hopeful. He was the fastest collegiate American in the event.

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Gators legend Grant Holloway wins US 110m hurdle championship, headed to Paris Olympics

After silver medaling in Tokyo three years ago, Gators legend Grant Holloway is headed back to the Olympics with eyes on gold in the 110-meter hurdle.

Florida track and field legend Grant Holloway punched his ticket to the Paris Olympics on Friday night with a 12.86-second 110-meter hurdle to claim his second national championship.

The number is also good for fourth all-time, giving him two of the top four spots on that list. Holloway’s best performance came in June 2021 at the same event. He won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics and is chasing gold this time around. He is the current world leader for the season.

In the first round of the U.S. Trials on Monday, Holloway clocked a 12.92-second finish, good for first place by .15 seconds. He was a hair slower in the semis on Tuesday with a time of 12.96 seconds, but he still claimed first overall on the day.

Before the final, Holloway was the only man to run a sub-13-second 110-meter hurdle this year. Freddie Crittenden (12.93) and Daniel Roberts (12.96) both joined that list and are headed to Paris on the Olympic team after medaling in Eugene.

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Florida men’s track & field earns 3rd-straight NCAA Outdoor Championship title

All 12 of the men’s titles have come under head coach Mike Holloway.

The Florida men’s track and field team won its third-straight NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship on Friday. The Gators defeated the Auburn Tigers by one point to claim the national title.

This marks the 12th championship earned by the men and 15th overall for the combined Gators track program. All 12 of the men’s titles have come under head coach [autotag]Mike Holloway[/autotag]’s direction.

Last year, the Orange and Blue entered the championships ranked fourth in the nation following a sixth-place finish in the Southeastern Conference, overcoming significant odds to earn the title. This year’s team followed a similar narrative, claiming the title despite entering the season finale ranked No. 3 in the nation and placing fourth at the SEC Outdoor Championships.

The team title came down to one event: the 4x400m relay. Florida held the second-place position in the standings, trailing the Tigers by five points (35 to 40) beforehand. The quartet of Reheem Hayles, Jevaughn Powell, Rios Prude Jr. and Jenoah McKiver proceeded to finish third with a time of 2:58.98 securing the six points necessary to clinch the national title.

Coach Mike Holloway reacts

“It was a tough day, we had some things not go our way,” he begins.

“We built this program with a lot of pride and a lot of passion. When we talk about a standard that we fight to, that’s what you saw today. Every time something went wrong, somebody stepped up and got it done. Very proud of everybody to put the uniform on today.”

As for what made this particular title unique, Holloway offered the following.

“I think the unique thing about it is like I just talked about like we have some adversity throughout the year people get nicked up,” he noted.

“I want to give a shout-out to my strength and conditioning coach Matt DeLancey, Yolanda Lawrence in the training room and our wonderful staff. Them piecing people back together when they got a little dinged up and then my coaching staff has just been phenomenal.

“Again, we’re a team, we’re family. We talk about a standard and we fight to win every single day and that’s what you saw this week.”

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Florida men’s track and field adds 10 more to Outdoor Championships roster

The Gators will have a strong showing in Eugene next month.

The Florida men’s track and field program will send a total of 13 Gators to participate in 11 events at this year’s NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon, after adding 10 on the final day of the final day of the men’s preliminary competition.

The 10 student-athletes who made the final cut were Wanya McCoy (100m, 200m, 4x100m), Robert Gregory (200m, 4x100m), Jevaughn Powell (400m, 4x100m, 4x400m), Reheem Hayles (400m, 4x400m), Parvej Khan (1500m), Malique Smith-Band (4x100m), Rios Prude Jr. (4x400m), Jenoah McKiver (4x400m), Sean Dixon-Bodie (triple jump) and Kai Chang (discus).

Malcolm Clemons (long jump), Will Gross IV (hammer throw) and Abraham Sargent (javelin throw) secured their spots with place finishes of twelfth or higher in each of their events on Wednesday. Dixon-Bodie also qualified for the long jump during that time.

The 2024 NCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships will take place at the University of Oregon on Hayward Field from June 5 to 8.

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Former Florida track and field star to participate in football pro day

A former Florida Gators track national champion will join the football team at their upcoming Pro Day, showcasing their talents in front of NFL scouts, coaches, and executives.

NFL scouts, coaches, and executives will be in Gainesville on March 30 to witness first-hand what former Florida football players have to offer. In addition, one former Florida athlete will also be in attendance.

[autotag]Dedrick Vanover[/autotag], a former member of the Florida Gators track team in 2021 and 2022, will be the only athlete not part of the Gators football team to participate in Pro Day activities. Despite finding success on the track, Vanover is no stranger to playing football. Before stepping foot on campus in Gainesville, Vanover was an all-SIAC defensive back for Moorhouse College in Atlanta. In 2019, he recorded a team-high four interceptions and nine pass breakups, and was third on the team in total tackles with 31.

As a track star for the Orange and Blue, Vanover played a vital role in the Gators’ 2022 national outdoor track national championship, serving in the leadoff position in Florida’s 4×100-meter relay. That team’s 38.52 time won them the title, but it was their 38.47 time earlier in the season that ranks as the fourth-fastest time in Florida track history. He also was the co-SEC champion in the outdoor, individual 100-meter sprint.

The 2022 all-SEC Outdoor and Indoor First Team athlete will join Florida football players [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag], [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag], [autotag]Amari Burney[/autotag], [autotag]Brenton Cox[/autotag], [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag], [autotag]Gervon Dexter[/autotag], [autotag]Trey Dean III[/autotag], [autotag]Rashad Torrence[/autotag], [autotag]Richard Gouraige[/autotag], [autotag]Justin Shorter[/autotag] and [autotag]Jordan Pouncey[/autotag].

Florida’s Pro Day will take place on Thursday, March 30, and will be broadcast at 10 a.m. EDT on the SEC Network and NFL+.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1368]

[mm-video type=video id=01gw2kmsrdp3hqgz2vme playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gw2kmsrdp3hqgz2vme/01gw2kmsrdp3hqgz2vme-1c179571e6535b44693e1594fbf8f240.jpg]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

PHOTOS: Florida men’s track and field team earns 5th outdoor national title

The Gators added some more hardware to its illustrious athletic program’s trophy case this weekend.

The Florida men’s track and field team won its fifth outdoor national championship on Saturday thanks to a standout effort by sprinter [autotag]Joseph Fahnbulleh[/autotag], who earned an individual title in both the 100- and 200-meter dash. The Gators finished at the top of the competition for the third time in five years to claim their tenth overall title in program history.

UF legend [autotag]Mike Holloway[/autotag], who also coached the women’s team to a title in 2022 as well as the US Team at the Tokyo Olympics, won the 11th championship of his storied career at the helm of the program. During his 20 years in Gainesville, his team finished in the top five on 27 different occasions out of 38 total championship contests.

In the 100-meter dash, Fahnbulleh set a personal- and school-record time of 19.83, earning him the title in the event for the second straight year. The Gators almost broke their own collegiate record in the 4×400-meter relay in the final event of the meet, falling .35 seconds shy with a time of 2:58.88.

Take a look below at some highlights from Florida men’s track and field’s fifth outdoor title and tenth overall.

5 former Florida Gators who left school at the right time

Pat Dooley lists five Gators who were right to leave school when they did.

In the world of college athletics – which right now is both confusing and rewarding – careers are made by decisions.

It starts early with athletes deciding where they will visit, then where they will commit and finally where they sign. Nowadays, it’s a yearly decision about whether to stay or jump into the transfer portal.

Finally, it’s a decision for the elite (and some not so elite) to turn pro early or use all of their eligibility.

[autotag]Trinity Thomas[/autotag] is facing that decision even though she has been amazing for four full years. Because she has a pandemic year she can still use, Thomas could return for a fifth season and use it as a bridge to the next Olympics.

Thomas would be one of those athletes in Florida history who could choose to leave and we would all say, “Thanks.” The voice would be loud, too, because she is in the argument for greatest gymnast ever at Florida and perhaps the NCAA.

We’ll wait for her to announce, but while we do that, let us look at 10 UF athletes who left early and most Gator fans just wanted to give them a hug and wish them well. They had done enough.

Today, the first five of the top 10 of those athletes. Tomorrow, the second five plus a few that we were wondering what they were thinking.