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Five Gator Titles, Three Collegiate Leads Stand Out for Florida on Second Day of Pepsi Florida RelaysPublished by
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FRIDAY, APRIL 5, 2013
Five Gator Titles, Three Collegiate Leads Stand Out for Florida on Second Day of Pepsi Florida Relays
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The second day of the Pepsi Florida Relays was as thrilling as the first, as the collegiate and professional ranks joined the high school contingent at Percy Beard Track. Friday saw two Pepsi Florida Relays records fall, as well as a Percy Beard Track Record.
Five Gators won event titles Friday, including freshman Marija Vucenovic (Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia) who came out Friday and won the second meet of her career in as many tries. Vucenovic threw a collegiate-leading 55.43m/181-10 to claim the women’s javelin title, besting the runner-up by 17 feet.
Vucenovic was joined in the winner’s circle by Mark Parrish (Tampa, Fla.) and Sean Obinwa (Tampa, Fla.), who also became collegiate leaders with their events Friday. Both Gators ran collegiate-leading times in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and 800 meters, respectively. Parrish finished in a personal-best 8:42.38 to win the steeple title in a new NCAA-leading time. Obinwa turned in the fastest 800 meters in the nation in 2013, finishing in a new PR of 1:47.66.
“I’m very, very pleased with all of their performances,” Florida head coach Mike Holloway said. “I thought Mark did a wonderful job coming out and running a five-second personal best, leading the whole way. Mark is on a mission. He’s still stung from missing the national meet last year by .01. Marija, I mean, that’s why we recruited her. She’s the best javelin thrower in the NCAA, and she’s proven that so far. We’re really pleased with her improvement so far.”
Also claiming victories for the Orange and Blue were sophomores Dedric Dukes (Miami, Fla.) and Taylor Burke (Medina, Ohio). Dukes ran a wind-aided 20.38 to take home the men’s 200 meters title Friday, while Burke participated in a jump off to win the women’s high jump with her mark of 1.76m/5-9.25.
“It’s the Florida Relays, there’s a lot of athletes, a lot of parents, a lot of fans. I’m just really pleased that the meet ran very well and very smoothly over the first two days,” Holloway commented. “The weather has been a little bit quirky, but overall the performances have been absolutely phenomenal. I’m really pleased with the way the meet has been run and the performances of all the athletes. My athletes have had a really great weekend also so far.”
Action concludes Saturday, with the meet starting at 10 a.m. Gates open an hour before competition Saturday. Three-day passes for the Pepsi Florida Relays are on sale for $25. Daily admission is $12 for adults, $7 for seniors and children and $1 for UF students with a valid UF student ID. Fans can also purchase a Thursday-only pass for $6.
The official Twitter hashtag for the Pepsi Florida Relays is #FLRelays. Live video streaming can be found exclusively on Flotrack. The live stream will be available to all Flotrack Pro members. Live results for the meet may be found at www.deltatiming.com. Complete coverage of the Pepsi Florida Relays can be found at www.gatorzone.com/trackfield/floridarelays.
Many ranked teams will participate in the Pepsi Florida Relays, with the Gator men (No. 3) and women (No. 4) ranked highest among all competitors. Other NCAA Division I ranked programs on the men’s side include No. 6 Florida State, No. 8 Southern California, No. 11 Ole Miss, No. 17 Indiana, No. 23 Baylor and No. 25 Oklahoma State. On the women’s side, ranked teams joining the Gators are No. 6 Texas, No. 12 UCF, No. 14 Baylor, No. 19 Georgia and No. 25 Southern California.
Senior Day will come early for the Orange and Blue, as the Gator senior class will be recognized at 4:20 p.m. ET Saturday afternoon between the conclusion of the men’s 4x800-meter relay and the start of the women’s 4x200-meter relay.
“Saturday means a lot of excitement,” Holloway noted. “I’m really looking forward to the Gators tomorrow. Everybody talks about defending their home turf, but it’s more about us engaging in the party and engaging in the fight a little bit. What I’m really looking forward to is execution. I told them ‘Let’s go home, let’s get rested, and tomorrow let’s just enjoy.’ There’s going to be a big crowd tomorrow with lots of excitement and lots of fun. I’m really looking forward to us passing the stick and running some fast times tomorrow.”
For all of the latest information on Florida track and field, please log on to www.GatorZone.com/trackfield or, for up-to-the-minute updates, follow Florida track and field on Twitter at @GZTrackField or www.twitter.com/GZTrackField. You can also find the Gators on Facebook.
69TH ANNUAL PEPSI FLORIDA RELAYS :: THURSDAY-SATURDAY, APRIL 4-6, 2013 :: GAINESVILLE, FL
FIELD EVENTS
Women’s High Jump 1. Taylor Burke, 1.76m/5-9.25 -- Alexis Muniz, NH
Women’s Pole Vault T16. Caitlin Schuessler, J3.60m/11-9.75 -- Cristina Valdes, NH
Women’s Long Jump 5. Ciarra Brewer, 6.05m/19-10.25 (-1.4) 8. Lorraine Graham, 5.95m/19-6.25 (+2.7)
Women’s Discus Throw – Invite 7. Ashley Miller, 50.06m/164-3 11. Kaitlin Davis, J46.16m/151-5
Men’s Hammer Throw – Invite 3. Jeremy Postin, 68.18m/223-8 8. Kyle Strawn, 59.77m/196-1
Men’s Hammer Throw 2. David Triassi, 59.70m/195-10 3. David Levin, 58.58m/192-2
Women’s Javelin Throw 1. Marija Vucenovic, 55.43m/181-10 (CL/CB) 3. Fawn Miller, 49.26m/161-7
Women’s Discus Throw 13. Manuela Burtsher, 43.48m/142-8
RUNNING EVENTS
Women’s 100 Meters 8. Destinee Gause, 11.58 (+2.1) 57. Kyra Jefferson, 12.49 (+2.1)
Men’s 100 Meters 9. Dedric Dukes, 10.43 (+1.3) 12. Antwan Wright, 10.48 (+1.3) 23. Leonardo Seymore, 10.60 (+1.3)
Women’s 200 Meters 5. Destinee Gause, 23.28 (+1.1) 9. Ebony Eutsey, 23.50 (+1.6) 17. Robin Reynolds, 23.66 (+1.6)
Men’s 200 Meters 1. Dedric Dukes, 20.38 (+3.5) 3. Arman Hall, 20.71 (+3.5) 6. Leonardo Seymore, 20.74 (+1.8) 10. Hugh Graham, Jr., 20.84 (+1.8) 25. Antwan Wright, 23.33 (+2.0)
Women’s 400 Meters 3. Ebony Eutsey, 52.55 8. Robin Reynolds, 53.09 10. Lanie Whittaker, 53.33 59. Dierdre Lee, 1:00.34
Men’s 400 Meters 2. Najee Glass, 45.71 5. Arman Hall, 45.83 6. Hugh Graham, Jr., 46.08 25. Jovon Toppin, 47.97 31. Michael Burris, 48.34
Women’s 800 Meters 5. Agata Strausa, 2:06.62 19. Shelby Hayes, 2:09.46 21. Mandy Perkins, 2:09.90
Men’s 800 Meters 1. Sean Obinwa, 1:47.66 (PR/CL) 6. Ryan Schnulle, 1:49.50 30. Luc Lawrence, 1:53.92
Women’s 1,500 Meters 22. Macy Huskey, 4:44.12
Men’s 1,500 Meters 12. Derek Wehunt, 3:52.70 29. Daniel Wehunt, 4:01.37
Women’s 5,000 Meters 5. Florence Ngetich, 16:49.07
Men’s 5,000 Meters 19. Elliot Clemente, 14:58.84 35. Mark Mutz, 15:19.98
Women’s 3,000-Meter Steeplechase 3. Stephanie Strasser, 10:28.58
Men’s 3,000-Meter Steeplechase 1. Mark Parrish, 8:42.38 (PR/CL) 11. Matt Mizereck, 9:27.64
Women’s 100-Meter Hurdles 7. Ugonna Ndu, 13.20 (+1.7) (PR) 20. Lorraine Graham, 13.84 (+0.1) 38. Paige Morton, 14.35 (+0.8) 44. Ashley Favors, 14.57 (+1.8) 54. Katrina Dekrey, 14.85 (+0.1)
Men’s 100-Meter Hurdles 4. Eddie Lovett, 13.60 (+1.0) 40. Moriel Pitt, 14.62 (+1.7)
Women’s 400-Meter Hurdles 5. Ugonna Ndu, 57.44 (PR) 12. Amani Bryant, 59.15 22. Paige Morton, 1:00.88 43. Monique Harris, 1:04.88 46. Zari Whittaker, 1:08.69
Men’s 400-Meter Hurdles 31. Kadesh Roberts, 54.17 33. Gabe Aird, 54.21 44. Moriel Pitt, 55.74
PEPSI FLORIDA RELAYS – DAY TWO CHAMPIONS
HIGH SCHOOL CHAMPIONS: Girls 100M Hurdles - Lia King (Hallandale) - 13.89 Girls 100M - Kaylin Whitney (Eastridge High School) - 11.54 Boys 100M - Levonte Whitfield (Jones High School) - 10.28 Girls 4x200M Relay – St. Thomas Aquinas ‘A’ – 1:37.53 Boys 4x200M Relay – Gainesville ‘A’ – 1:27.28 Boys 1600M Invite – Matthew Novak (Deep Run) – 4:16.06 Girls 1600M Invite – Bridget Blake (Dr. Phillips) – 4:54.74
UNIVERSITY/PROFESSIONAL CHAMPIONS: Men's 110M Hurdles - David Oliver (Unattached) - 13.48 Women’s 400M Hurdles – Ellen Wortham (Unattached) – 56.55 Women’s 800M – Chanelle Price (Unattached) – 2:02.81 Men’s 800M – Sean Obinwa (Florida) – 1:47.66 Women’s 400M - Francena McCorory (Adidas) - 51.58 Men’s 400M - Bryshon Nellum (USC) - 45.54 Men’s 400M H – Johnny Dutch (Nike) 49.09 Women’s 200M – Octavious Freeman (UCF) – 22.85 Men’s Javelin – Kyle Quinn (Tennessee) – 227-06 Men’s 200m- Dedric Dukes (Florida)- 20.38 Women’s Pole Vault – Lacy Janson (Unattached) – 14-01.25 Men’s Discus – Ashinia Miller (Georgia) – 178-03 Men’s Long Jump – Rasmus Rooks (Kennesaw State) – 23-11.50 Women’s Discuss Invite – Paige Blackburn (AF Sports) – 186-05 Men’s Long Jump Invite – Lavon Allen (Charleston Southern) – 25-00.00 Men’s Hammer Invite – Marcel Lomnicky (Unattached) – 248-02 Women’s Long Jump Invite – Chantel Malone (Adidas) – 20-02.25 Women’s High Jump – Taylor Burke (Florida) – 5-09.25 Women’s 1500M – Carly Hamilton (Georgia) – 4:21.33 Men’s 1500M – Jeremy Greenwald (Georgia Tech) – 3:48.03 Men’s 3000M Steeplechase – Mark Parrish (Florida) – 8:42.38 Women’s Javelin – Marija Vucenovic (Florida) – 181-10 *(R) Women’s 3000M Steeplechase – Colleen Quigley (FSU) – 10:06.72 Men’s 5000M – Brandon Lord (Unattached) – 14:29.89 Women’s 5000M – Amanda Winslow (FSU) – 16:00.46
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