Weather delays interrupt prelims on Thursday and Friday? No problem.
Two All-American sprinters get injured? Others step up.
In the final two races of the team competition, like they had all weekend, the Gators delivered.
Parker Valby shattered the school record in the 5000 meters (15:32.41) to win silver and bag eight crucial team points as Arkansas and LSU creeped closer to the top of the leaderboard.
Her race was not only her first-complete race since January, but it was her first collegiate 5000-meter race during the outdoor season.
The eight points from Valby moved Florida back into the lead with a 103-97 advantage over Arkansas heading into the 4×400 relay.
Once again, the Gators delivered.
The team of Taylor Manson, Sterling Lester, Doneisha Anderson and Talitha Diggs crossed the line in near-school record fashion at 3:26.85 to secure four points.
Diggs, on her third race in three hours, split 49.8 to maintain fifth place down the homestretch.
A win from Kentucky in the 4×400 ensured the team victory for Florida with a 107-103 win over the Razorbacks to claim the 2022 SEC Outdoor Championship, the seventh outdoor title in program history for Florida’s women.
Florida scored in 12 of the 15 events it contested this weekend with 19 healthy athletes out of the 30 possible allowed to compete for each team.
Imogen Barrett, just an hour after placing fifth in the 1500 meters, came back and set a new personal best of 2:01.42 to win gold in the 800 meters.
Gabrielle Wilkinson took home bronze ensuring a 1-3 finish for the Gators and 16 team points.
Diggs finished fourth in the 400 meters and then came back and took bronze in the 200 meters, moving into No. 2 in school history with a run of 22.64.
Sasha Wells (100mH) and Thea Jensen (Shot Put) combined for four points this weekend.
The margin of victory? Four points.
The jumps have always been a staple of Florida’s program and this weekend, they were extra special.
Florida scored 38 points in the women’s horizontal jumps including a gold-medal sweep from Jasmine Moore.
The Grand Prairie, Texas native became the third woman in SEC history to go 4-for-4 on conference titles in the Long Jump and Triple Jump in the same calendar year.
The other two, Shara Proctor (2010) and Yanis David (2019), were also Gators.
Claire Bryant took bronze in the Long Jump and Natricia Hooper took silver in the Triple Jump.
Anna Hall tallied four points in the Long Jump as well.
A week after winning the USATF Heptathlon title, Hall turned in a silver medal in the 400mH to pair with her performance in the Long Jump.
Vanessa Watson grabbed four points in the 400mH as well.
In total, Florida’s women won 10 medals, four individual titles and took the team trophy back to Gainesville.
It was a fast day on the track for the Florida men who finished in 4th place with 78 points.
The 4×100 team of Dedrick Vanover, Tyler Davis, PJ Austin and Joseph Fahnbulleh proved once again it’s the team to beat in the event.
Florida’s quartet of sprinters blew away the field in 38.66 to win the SEC Title.
The Gators were one of just five teams to get the baton across the line and the only team under 39 seconds. Every completed 4×100 relay for Florida this season has gone under the 39-second threshold.
Florida went 1-3-5 in the 400 meters behind Champion Allison’s gold medal in 44.74.
Allison swept the SEC titles in the quarter-mile in the indoor and outdoor season and moved into No. 3 in school history with his personal-best run in the finals.
Jacory Patterson took Bronze in 45.12 while Ryan Willie grabbed fifth in 45.69.
Vanover (100 meters) and Fahnbulleh (200 meters) were each silver-medalists in their respective events against a bevy of talented sprinters.
Sam Austin (800 meters), Jonathan Miller (Triple Jump) and Edward Shelikoff (Discus) each added to Florida’s point total on Saturday.
To close out the weekend, Florida’s 4×400 relay team finally struck gold.
After missing out on the SEC title during the indoor season by .02 seconds and being unable to field a full-strength quartet at the NCAA Indoor Championships, the Gators finally got what was theirs.
The team of Patterson, Willie, Jacob Miley and Allison blazed the track in 2:59.44, smashing the meet and facility record and claiming the gold medal.
Their mark also means this group has run two of the top-five fastest times in collegiate history.
Florida now will turn to the NCAA East Prelims in two weeks’ time. That meet serves as the qualifier to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in June.
Saturday Point Scorers:
– Dedrick Vanover: 100 Meters: 2nd (8)
– Sasha Wells: 100 Hurdles: 7th (2)
– Talitha Diggs: 200 Meters: 3rd (6)
– Joseph Fahnbulleh: 200 Meters: 2nd (8)
– Talitha Diggs: 400 Meters: 4th (5)
– Champion Allison: 400 Meters: 1st (10)
– Jacory Patterson: 400 Meters: 3rd (6)
– Ryan Willie: 400 Meters: 5th (4)
– Anna Hall: 400 Hurdles: 2nd (8)
– Vanessa Watson: 400 Hurdles: 5th (4)
– Imogen Barrett: 800 Meters: 1st (10)
– Gabrielle Wilkinson: 800 Meters: 3rd (6)
– Sam Austin: 800 Meters: 8th (1)
– Imogen Barrett: 1500 Meters: 5th (4)
– Parker Valby: 5000 Meters: 2nd (8)
– Florida Men: 4×100 Relay: 1st (10)
– Florida Men: 4×400 Relay: 1st (10)
– Florida Women: 4×400 Relay: 5th (4)
– Jasmine Moore: Triple Jump: 1st (10)
– Natricia Hooper: Triple Jump: 2nd (8)
– Jonathan Miller: Triple Jump: 8th (1)
– Edward Shelikoff: Discus: 6th (3)
Men’s Team Score (Final)
1. Arkansas: 120
2. Alabama: 114
3. Tennessee: 83
4. Florida: 78
5. Georgia: 75
Women’s Team Score (Final)
1. Florida: 107
2. Arkansas: 103
3. LSU: 96.5
4. Kentucky: 85
5. Texas A&M: 74
A complete list of results for the Gators is below.
| Saturday, May 14: SEC Outdoor Championships | |
| Event | Place, Gators – Time / Mark | Notes |
| Discus: Final (W) | 9. Thea Jensen: 50.15m/164-06 | Personal Best |
| Triple Jump: Final (W) | 1. Jasmine Moore: 14.46m/47-5.25 (+2.5) | Gold Medal, All Conditions Personal Best 2. Natricia Hooper: 13.74m/45-1 (+1.7) | Silver Medal 11. Alissa Braxton: 12.56m/41-2.5 (+2.2) |
| Discus: Final (M) | 6. Edward Shelikoff: 56.40m/185-0 |
| Triple Jump: Final (M) | 8. Jonathan Miller: 15.41m/50-6.75 9. Michael Holloway II: 15.27m/50-1.25 |
| 4×100 Relay: Final (M) | 1. Florida: 38.66 | Facility Record, Gold Medal – Dedrick Vanover, Tyler Davis, PJ Austin, Joseph Fahnbulleh |
| 1500 Meters: Final (W) | 5. Imogen Barrett: 4:14.79 |
| 1500 Meters: Final (M) | 11. Matthew Mule’: 3:52.47 |
| 100mH: Final (W) | 7. Sasha Wells: 13.75 DNF. Grace Stark |
| 110mH: Final (M) | DNF. Caleb Foster |
| 400 Meters: Final (W) | 4. Talitha Diggs: 51.24 | Season Best |
| 400 Meters: Final (M) | 1. Champion Allison: 44.74 | Gold Medal, Facility Record, Personal Best, No. 3 School History, No. 2 NCAA 3. Jacory Patterson: 45.12 | Bronze Medal, Season Best 5. Ryan Willie: 45.69 |
| 100 Meters: Final (W) | DNS. Grace Stark |
| 100 Meters: Final (M) | 2. Dedrick Vanover: 10.10 (+0.6) | Silver Medal, Personal Record |
| 800 Meters: Final (W) | 1. Imogen Barrett: 2:01.42 | Gold Medal, Personal Best 3. Gabrielle Wilkinson: 2:02.73 | Bronze Medal, Season Best |
| 800 Meters: Final (M) | 8. Sam Austin: 1:47.87 | Personal Best |
| 400 Hurdles: Final (W) | 2. Anna Hall: 55.36 | Silver Medal 5. Vanessa Watson: 56.84 |
| 200 Meters: Final (W) | 3. Talitha Diggs: 22.64 (+0.2) | Bronze Medal, Personal Best, No. 2 School History |
| 200 Meters: Final (M) | 2. Joseph Fahnbulleh: 20.13 (+0.3) | Silver Medal |
| 5000 Meters: Final (W) | 2. Parker Valby: 15:32.41 | Silver Medal, School Record, Personal Record, No. 12 NCAA DNS. Pamela O’Brien DNS. Vasileia Spyrou |
| 5000 Meters: Final (M) | 16. Nick Deal: 14:31.63 21. Ethan Geiger: 14:39.00 |
| 4×400 Relay: Final (W) | 5. Florida: 3:26.85 – Taylor Manson, Sterling Lester, Doneisha Anderson, Talitha Diggs |
| 4×400 Relay: Final (M) | 1. Florida: 2:59.44 | Gold Medal, Meet Record, Facility Record – Jacory Patterson, Ryan Willie, Jacob Miley, Champion Allison |
FOLLOW THE GATORS
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #GoGators
