University of Oregon Double Up

Oregon Men Celebrate after Wining National Title

With the collegiate track & field season officially over, we would like to send a huge congratulations to the University of Oregon’s men’s and women’s track teams for winning the NCAA Outdoor Championship! After catching all of the talent at the preliminaries a few weeks back, it is absolutely no surprise at the records and stats broken at the historic Hayward Field this past weekend. While we had our eyes set on the Gators taking home the big win, they still had some stellar performances. That really goes for a lot of the schools that came out to compete. Just a few weeks ago, professional sprinter Justin Gatlin set the Hayward record for the 200 meter with his 19.68 finish at the Prefontaine Classic. That record has since been broken with the University of Southern California’s Andre De Grasse took the first place win with a 19.58 finish! And he wasn’t the only sprinter to hit a sub-20 run this weekend! Baylor University’s Trayvon Bromell and Florida’s very own Dedric Dukes closed the race in 19.86, with fraction of a second between their third and second place wins respectively. De Grasse also took home the title for the 100-meter sprint, finishing in just 9.75 seconds and breaking the collegiate, NCAA meet, and Hayward Field records all at once. Jumper Marquis Dendy successfully defended both of his titles in the long and triple jump! Go Gators! And of course, we can’t forget about the most exciting events, the 4x100 and 4x400 relays. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see our Gators take the title, but Arkansas took home a win for the first time which helped them finish the meet in third place, just behind our Gators in second.

Andre De Grasse winner of the 100 & 200m

                Although they didn’t win the meet, University of Kentucky’s women’s squad pulled a close runner up to Oregon. Their most notable performances came from sprinter Dezerea Bryant and hurdler Kendra Harrison. Dez is one of my personal favorites on the track and definitely left all her troubles on the track as she went 22.18 in the last 200-meter sprint of her collegiate career. In the short-hurdles, Kendra Harrison finished both the indoor and outdoor seasons undefeated! An elite hurdler, Harrison’s winning time of 12.55 was just another contribution to her title as the third-fastest hurdler in NCAA history. Of course, we can’t forget about Jenna Prandini, one of Oregon’s top performers, taking the 100-meter title, securing her teams lead in the meet. Also contributing the Lady Duck, distance runner Raevyn Rogers took the win with a 1:59.71 finish in the 800-meter race. Although our Lady Gators did not come out on top in the individual events, they managed to pull of two championship wins in both the 4x1 and 4x4 relays.

Women National Champ: Oregon Ducks

                With the season now over, the NCAA’s elite athletes will prepare for their final bid at the USA Outdoor Championships back in Eugene, Oregon at end of the month. Big congratulations to all of the athletes finishing their collegiate careers and graduating from college! To the seniors, best of luck in your endeavors as we look forward to the 2016 Summer Olympic Games!

           --solementality

University of Florida Track & Field: Still Great

This week, the world of collegiate track & field heads to the historic Hayward Field out in Eugene, Oregon for their last event of the season. Our No. 1 ranked Florida Gators are looking to reestablish their title as the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Champions after losing to Oregon last year. Just before heading to Eugene, the Gators made a quick stop in Jacksonville, Florida for the NCAA East Preliminary rounds. To call the weekend a success is an understatement, with a total of 23 athletes, both men and women, qualifying for the outdoor championships. 

There is a tremendous amount of talent within the Southeastern Conference, but Florida has consistently proven to be a track and field powerhouse thanks to Coach Mike Holloway and his staff. Most notable of his team are senior sprinter Dedric Dukes and senior jumper Marquis Dendy. Both athletes have built an impressive resume on the track over the past four years. You can expect that they end their final season with the Gators with some of their best performances yet! Before the meet ended, I got a chance to talk with both athletes about their performances and what we should expect to see out at Hayward Field. “It’s exciting to have the team heading back to Oregon. We are really looking to bring home the championship, it would be a great way to end my last season,” said Dendy. Keep in mind, Dendy had a record-breaking 8.05 meter leap in the long jump. Sprinter Dedric Dukes is looking forward to the same season ending, with hopes of taking his career to the next level. His feelings on the moment were summed up in four simple words, “Last one, best one.” With a winning time of 20.14, Dukes is looking to hold on to his title in the 200 meter dash. Do not be surprised if we see a sub-20 performance this weekend, as he told us he has been working really hard for this moment, especially after overcoming an ankle injury just before the start of the indoor season.

While these two Gators shine in the spotlight, there’s still much more to expect from the team. Including runners Najee Glass and Antwan Wright who are a part of the 4x100 relay. You should also look out for senior Mark Parrish, who is looking to take his final wins in the steeplechase and the distance duo consisting of Andres Arroyo and Ryan Schnulle dominating the 800 meter race. Of course, we can’t forget about our Lady Gators! They are heading into the competition ranked No. 6. If regionals were any indication of what to expect of the Florida women this weekend, we are in for a treat! Sprinter Kyra Jefferson broke a University of Florida record with her 22.49 finish in the 200 meter dash. Senior hurdler Bridgette Owens also had a great performance in the 100 meter hurdle alongside fellow senior Cierra Brewer, who is best known for her success as Florida’s leading triple jumper. The women’s 4x100 team also took a huge lead in the last leg of the relay, confirming their spots in Eugene with a 42.93 finish.

You can catch the NCAA Championships starting June 10^th, hosted by the University of Oregon. We wish our men’s and women’s teams the best of luck as they make their way to Oregon this week. As always, it’s great to be a Florida Gator!

--solementality