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

Madness in March

            In this year’s tournament, it’s Kentucky & everybody else. With the Wildcats having a perfect season & sliding past their first 2 tourney games with ease, they are this much closer to becoming the first NCAA Men’s basketball team to go undefeated since Bob Knight’s 1976 Indiana squad. #1 seeds Wisconsin & Duke are the most competitive teams in the field with the best chance to knock off Kentucky. #1 seed Villanova was up there too but got exposed by North Carolina State in the round of 32. Duke, with Jahlil Okafor & one of the best backcourts in the nation, cruised past Robert Morris & San Diego State. They have a Sweet 16 matchup with #5 Utah this Friday. Wisconsin beat Coastal Carolina & Oregon to earn their way into the Sweet 16, where they will face #4 North Carolina. 

            The 2^nd round of the tournament played out last Thursday & Friday with plenty of upsets & tight games. Rule #1 about upsets: they’re unpredictable. Many people liked lower-seeded Eastern Washington, Ole Miss, Buffalo & Valparaiso to advance to the next round. But it was the teams no one expected that completed the upset bid. #14 seeds Georgia State & UAB defeated Baylor & Iowa State, who were expected to make deep runs in the tourney, by 1 point to advance. UCLA, a team that many thought didn’t deserve a spot among the 64 teams, surprised SMU on a controversial goaltending call and ended up beating UAB in the next round. In the 3^nd round over the weekend, the biggest games were #7 against #2 matchups, Wichita State vs. Kansas & Michigan State vs. Virginia. The lower seeds beat the higher seeds for a spot in the Sweet 16. Louisville & Northern Iowa was another exciting game that saw Louisville hold off a UNI comeback to beat them by double digits. Notre Dame beat Butler by 3 and Dayton blew a lead against Oklahoma to lose by 6.

            The 8 Sweet 16 matchups are Wisconsin & North Carolina, Arizona & Xavier, Gonzaga & UCLA, Duke & Utah, Kentucky & West Virginia, Notre Dame & Wichita State, Louisville & North Carolina State, and Oklahoma & Michigan State. I predict Louisville & Michigan State to advance with the Spartans winning that matchup to play in the Final Four. I picked Notre Dame to beat Wichita State in my bracket but I want to see a Wildcats & Shockers rematch of last year’s tourney game when Kentucky beat an undefeated Wichita State team. The Shockers can’t look ahead but I bet they would want to avenge that loss by ruining Kentucky’s perfect season. Wisconsin & Arizona will meet in the Elite 8 along with Duke & Gonzaga. Arizona will advance but lose to Kentucky in the Final Four. Duke will advance & beat Michigan State to face Kentucky in the championship game. For all the marbles, Kentucky will beat Duke for their 9^th championship.