Tag: grace stark

Gators hurdler Grace Stark punches ticket to Paris Olympics

Another Gator punched their ticket to Paris on Sunday. Florida track star Grace Stark will run the women’s 100-meter hurdle for the United States at the Olympics.

Former Florida Gators track and field star Grace Stark smashed her personal best with a 12.31-second finish in the 100-meter hurdle event Sunday at the US Olympic Trials, punching her ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Masai Russell set a Trials record in first place with 12.25 seconds, and Alaysha Johnson beat out Stark for second by seven one-thousandths of a second. All three will represent the United States at the upcoming Olympic Games.

In the first round, Stark placed second in her heat and fifth overall with a 12.52-second finish. She set a temporary personal best with a 12.45-second run in the semifinals. Of course, she crushed that record by .14 seconds in the finals.

Former Gator Brandee Johnson also participated in the event, finishing 20th in the semifinal.

Grace Stark as a Florida Gator

Stark is one of the best hurdlers Florida has ever seen. She holds the program record for outdoor 100-meter hurdles (12.47 seconds at 2024 NCAA Championships), indoor 60-meter hurdles (7.78 seconds at 2022 NCAA Championships) and the indoor 60-meter sprint (7.10 at 2022 NCAA Championships).

The Lakeland High graduate earned All-American honors in every season with Florida.

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Two Gators earn national titles as Florida finishes 2nd in NCAA Championships

The team was a runner-up for the third time under head coach Mike Holloway while Grace Stark and Parker Valby took home individual titles.

Florida’s women’s track and field program finished second in the NCAA Championships for the second-straight year this weekend, with a pair of Gators taking home individual national titles: [autotag]Grace Stark[/autotag] and [autotag]Parker Valby[/autotag].

The team was a runner-up for the third time under head coach [autotag]Mike Holloway[/autotag] — twice in outdoor competition and once in indoor — all of which have occurred in the past two seasons.

Stark had an outstanding 2024 outdoor season and clinched the campaign with a final race to remember. She captured her second NCAA Individual Championship and first outdoor individual title in the 100m H with a 12.47 time — tying her for the third fastest in NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships history

It was also the tenth-fastest time in collegiate history and a new University of Florida school record. Additionally, Stark became the first Gator to earn the 100m H championship crown since 1992.

Valby claimed her sixth NCAA Individual Championship in her signature event — the 5000m — for the fifth of the 2023-2024 academic year and the second of the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships.

The previous collegiate record stood at 15:03.12 before she wrapped up Saturday’s race at 14:52.18, making it Valby’s third collegiate record captured during the 2024 indoor and outdoor seasons (indoor 5000m, outdoor 5000m, outdoor 10,000m).

Possibly the most impressive feat is that Valby is the first female distance runner in NCAA history to win five NCAA Individual Titles in a single academic year.

Final Scoreboard

Place Team Points
1 Arkansas 63
2 Florida 59
3 Texas 41
4 Oregon 40.5
5 Ole Miss 38

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