With the SEC Indoor Championships coming up later this month, the Gators track and field team is showing no signs of slowing down. Seven total victories, two NCAA automatic qualifying marks and countless personal bests was the theme of the Gators' visit to Blacksburg, Virginia.
Lead by Olympic hopeful Jeff Demps, the Gators cruised to six victories on the first day of competition. Demps' time of 6.59 seconds in the 60m final was good enough to qualify him to the NCAA Indoor Championships in March. Marquis Dendy, Eddie Lovett, Tony McQuay and Leonardo Seymore were all victorious on the first day as well. Dendy in the long jump, McQuay in the 400m sprint and Seymore in the 200m sprint.
On the second day of competition, only McQuay in the 400m open and Dwight Barbiasz in the high jump won their respective events. But that doesn't mean the rest of the day two wasn't eventful either. Frankie Hammond Jr. finished right behind Barbiasz for second place in the high jump and Omar Craddock (despite finishing third overall) reached the NCAA automatic qualifying mark in the triple jump with a height of 16.34 meters.
The team will be split up next week as part of the team will travel to Albuquerque, New Mexico to take part in the Don Kirby Elite Invitational and others will travel to Seattle, Washington and participate in the Husky Classic.