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

Tannehill’s Place Amongst the Best NFL Quarterback’s

            Ryan Tannehill recently signed a 6-year contract extension worth $96 million with $45 guaranteed. This confirms that the Dolphins are 100% behind their franchise quarterback. Some would say that is a lot of money for an inconsistent QB with a losing record that has never taken his team to the playoffs. I’ll even admit that. But I don’t think that was the point of the contract, to reward his performance over the past 3 years. I see it as a proactive & good business move from the Dolphins to lock up their quarterback sooner rather than later at a bargain price. And it was important to do so before other quarterback’s from the 2012 draft class such as Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson & RGIII got their contracts. There is a Super Bowl victory, multiple playoff wins & an Offensive Rookie of the Year between those QB’s and Tannehill hasn’t been nowhere close to reaching those achievements. Their extensions will be well over $100 million, especially Luck, who just might be the highest paid quarterback in the league when his time comes. So of course, in terms of on-field performance & contract value, Tannehill isn’t on their level (except RGIII). But if the Dolphins waited until after another good season from Tannehill & contract extensions from the other QB’s, that new contract would’ve been worth way more than they are giving him now. 

            There’s been a lot of talk about Tannehill’s performance, his worth, & his rank among the starting quarterbacks in the league after the contract numbers went public. I’m a big Tannehill supporter & I believe we found our quarterback for the next decade. Yes, he has to work on his pocket presence & deep ball. Despite another 8-8 record, he is trending upwards & has improved in every relevant statistical category in each of his 3 seasons. This past season, he threw for 4,045 yards & 27 touchdowns with a 66.4 completion percentage & a 92.8 passer rating. If you ask me, those are generally good numbers for a quarterback in his 3^rd year and the Dolphins could have easily went 10-6 if it wasn’t for a few late drives from Green Bay, Detroit & Denver. So I know we’re good enough to achieve it & the talent is definitely there, the Dolphins just have to get tougher physically & mentally and finish games better.

            If we get a better record (playoffs) from the Dolphins & better play from Tannehill, Miami will be in a better situation than other teams with $100 million quarterbacks that haven’t played up to their big contracts. Colin Kaepernick & Jay Cutler signed $100 million contracts within the past couple years but have regressed since then. Tannehill might not have the athleticism of Kaep or the big arm of Cutler, but Tannehill had a better year than both of them in 2014. If you ask me, we have a top 15 quarterback in Tanny. He’s not in that elite bracket with Brady, Manning, Rodgers, Luck & Brees but he’s better than the average quarterback. Cam Newton, Philip Rivers, Big Ben, Matt Ryan & Russell Wilson would round out my top 10. The rest of the top 15 with Tanny included would be Matthew Stafford, Tony Romo, Eli Manning & Joe Flacco. Ryan Tannehill could creep into the top 10 real soon & could be worth more than his new contract with a couple more good, consistent seasons & some playoff wins under his belt.