Florida Gators
SEC Eastern Division
Women's T&F Second, Men Fifth at SEC Challenge
Sunday, January 26, 2003 | Track and Field
Behind wins from the 4x400 relay team and Erin Gilreath in the weight throw with an automatic qualifying mark, the University of Florida women's track team finished second with 127 points Saturday at the SEC Challenge hosted by the University of Kentucky. The Gator men also recorded two individual victories – Matt Vincent in the high jump and Alex Harris in the triple jump – in finishing fifth with 93.50 points.
South Carolina won the women's competition with 170 points, while Tennessee won the men's meet with 137.50 points.
“We really had a pretty good day. I was really excited,” said UF Women's Head Coach Tom Jones. “The biggest surprise was that we upset South Carolina in the 4x400 relay, which is the same relay team that won at the NCAA meet last year. We added five new qualifiers, which is significant, and some other athletes improved on their qualifying marks, which will help us down the road.”
The women's 4x400-meter relay team won its event in a time of 3:36.21, just over half a second faster than the South Carolina team that finished second. Gilreath's throw of 20.18 meters was best by nearly a meter, as she defeated teammate LaQuanda Cotten, who threw 19.30 meters. Gilreath's throw was also an automatic qualifier and a personal best. The Lady Gators' other automatic qualifier was Faith Rein, who finished second in the 400m dash in a personal-best time of 52.83, which also places her fourth on UF's Top 10 list for that event.
Provisional qualifiers for the Lady Gators included Ebony Shotwell in the preliminaries of the 60m dash Novlene Williams in the 400m dash (53.70), Kristina Bratton in the 800m (2:08.34) and Andrea Bliss in the 60m hurdles (8.37). Also qualifying were Anna Salzano in the pole vault with a personal best height of 3.90 meters, Dore DeBartolo in the shot put at 15.91 meters – a personal best – and Cotten in the weight throw (19.30m).
For the men, Matt Vincent won his first event of the season, clearing the bar in the high jump at 2.15 meters, defeating Matt Smothermon of Kentucky by .03 meters. Notching his second victory of the season was Alex Harris in the triple jump with a mark of 14.58 meters. Josh Walker's personal-best time of 7.74 in the preliminaries of the 60m hurdles is the Gators' first automatic qualifying mark of the season.
Also qualifying for the Gators were Rickey Harris in the 400m (47.05), Paul Brown (7.83) and Chris Carswell (7.92) in the 60m hurdles and Brian DaCunha (5.40m) and Paul Condron (5.30m) in the pole vault. Stephen Zieminski's time of 4:08.87 is a personal record, while Brown and Carswell's times in the 60m hurdles and DaCunha's and Condron's marks in the pole vault were also personal bests.
Florida returns to action on Feb. 9 as the Gator men's and women's teams host the Gator Invitational at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
WOMEN'S TEAM SCORES:
1. South Carolina, 170
2. Florida, 127
3. Kentucky, 90.50
4. Georgia, 65.50
5. Auburn, 59
6. Tennessee, 57
7. Alabama, 25
8. Vanderbilt, 23
MEN'S TEAM SCORES:
1. Tennessee, 139.50
2. South Carolina, 124
3. Kentucky, 105
4. Georgia, 99.50
5. Florida, 93.50
6. Auburn, 48.50
UF Wins: 4
Men (2): Matt Vincent – high jump (2.15m/7-00.50); Alex Harris – triple jump (14.58m/47-10.00)
Women (2):4x400 relay (3:36.21); Erin Gilreath – weight throw (20.18m/66-02.50)
UF Automatic Qualifiers: 3
Men (1): Josh Walker – 60m hurdles (7.74p)
Women (2): Faith Rein – 400m dash (52.83); Erin Gilreath – weight throw (20.18m/66-02.50)
