The long and winding road of the 2025 Florida Gators’ track and field season is finally reaching its end, once again within the familiar confines of the iconic Hayward Field.
Head coach Mike Holloway’s team is bringing three times as many entries to this week’s NCAA Outdoor Championships as it had for the meet’s indoor counterpart in March. It’s a sign of a team that has continued to fight through injuries and disappointment to remain a contender on the national stage at the most important meet of the year.
The men’s squad, the defending three-time team champions, is bringing eight entries to Eugene, Oregon. It will be tough for the Gators to overtake powerhouse squads such as USC, Texas A&M, Arkansas and Georgia. However, if they do, they’ll become the first school to win four straight titles since the 1992-99 Arkansas men’s teams that won eight straight titles. That being said, Florida managed to win last year with only 41 points, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility if things break its way.
The 10-entry strong women’s team enters the meet on a streak of three consecutive top-two finishes and will be looking to replicate their 2022 title at the same venue. Junior Hilda Olemomoi was forced to scratch the 10,000 meter final, an event she was runner-up in last season, after picking up an injury at East Regionals.
Here’s how all 18 of Florida’s entries stack up against the rest of the NCAA:
Jenoah McKiver, men’s 400 meters
After a frustrating showing at SEC Outdoors where he failed to make the final, McKiver had an impressive rebound performance at East Regionals. The redshirt senior ran back-to-back season’s bests of 45.34 and 45.29 seconds to earn his first berth to an outdoor national championship meet in an individual event.
McKiver is undeniably one of the nation’s top quarter-milers when he’s at his best. His combination of speed and strength was on full display indoors, where his 45.19-second run on Feb. 1 held up as the fourth-fastest time in the NCAA, despite that being his only performance. Now months removed from the back injury that cut his indoor season short, McKiver will be a difference maker for the Gators in their efforts of earning a team title.
Demaris Waters, men’s 110-meter hurdles
Outdoors nationals is a stage that Waters is familiar with, as the junior finished 11th at outdoor nationals last year while at San Jose State. He staked an early claim this season as one of the nation’s best hurdlers with a 13.21-second race at Florida Relays, the NCAA lead at the time.
In the two months since, only five men have bettered Waters’ time under legal conditions. However, Waters hasn’t quite replicated the same form, as he finished fourth in the SEC final and was only the eighth-fastest qualifier out of the East Region.
To make it to the top of the podium, he’d have to take down his SEC rivals, Texas junior Kendrick Smallwood and Auburn sophomore Ja’Kobe Tharp. Smallwood is the NCAA leader and SEC champion, while Tharp was the national runner-up outdoors last year before claiming gold indoors in March.
Enjoy what you’re reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox
Men’s 4×100-meter relay
Florida’s quartet in the shorter of the two relays has remained consistent throughout the year, and the results have been consistent too. Freshman Jaden Wiley, sophomore Malique Smith-Band, and juniors Garrett Fox and Justin Braun have raced together on five occasions this spring, each time with a finish between 38.94 and 39.25 seconds.
East Regionals saw a shift in the order, with Fox replacing Wiley on anchor for the first time this season. The result was a 39.21-second clocking that barely punched their ticket to Eugene, finishing 11th overall. A silver lining is none of the four will participate in an individual event at this meet, which means fresh legs could propel them to a new season’s best, which is most likely a necessity to make the final.
Men’s 4×400-meter relay
The Gators have a formula for 10 points in the 4×400-meter relay. They’re used to being at the top of the NCAA as the collegiate record holders and four-time national champions in this event, and it’s a position they’ve held this season since the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational. South Florida equalled the national-leading time of 3:01.52 at East Regionals, but Florida has only scratched the surface of this race in 2025.
On Apr. 19 in Gainesville, Florida ran sophomore Rios Prude Jr., senior Ashton Scwartzman, Braun, and McKiver in his first race in nearly three months. Since then, McKiver has rounded back into form, shaving nearly a second off his split time at East Regionals, and redshirt senior Reheem Hayles, who finished seventh over 400 meters at NCAA Outdoors in 2024, has come back into the fold. Hayles split 44.87 seconds on the second leg in Jacksonville two weeks ago. If Braun slots back in for Smith-Band, who raced at East Regionals, Florida’s squad could be capable of dipping under the three-minute barrier.
Malcolm Clemons, men’s long jump
Clemons will be concluding his storied Florida career in a national championship setting he’s become accustomed to across his five seasons in Gainesville. After he was hampered by a heel injury during the indoor season, it looked as if reaching this meet may not have been in the cards. However, Clemons successfully turned the page and earned his spot in Eugene with a 7.59-meter jump at Regionals, even in the face of a lengthy weather delay.
“I was really proud of how he handled it,” Florida jumps coach Nic Petersen said. “He completely warmed up and went out to go jump right as the lightning hit. He doesn’t ever jump twice in one day… I was just proud of him for getting out there and executing.”
The men’s long jump has been defined by parity throughout this season, as the 11 best jumpers in the nation, Clemons among them, are separated by just 20 centimeters. Minnesota sophomore Charles Godfred is the national leader, having cleared eight meters on three occasions with a best mark of 8.10 meters.
Jaden Lippett, men’s triple jump
Having missed out on national qualification indoors by 21 spots, Lippett, a freshman, is headed to his first collegiate national championship in his first season. He punched his ticket with a 15.94 meter leap at East Regionals, setting a personal best by 11 centimeters on the biggest stage of his career.
“This is just a regular track meet,” Petersen said. “This is no different than making World Junior teams or going out and competing hard at New Balance [Nationals]… The runway’s the same, the sand’s the same, it’s just another track meet.”
Lippett currently sits as the 24th-best jumper in the country this year, but a first-round foul at regionals that was well beyond his personal best hints he could have a more impressive finish in store if he can deliver once more.
Jacob Lemmon, men’s discus
If Lemmon can replicate his breakthrough performance from SEC Outdoors, he’ll score invaluable points for the Gators. A two-time First-Team All-American while competing at Virginia, the senior hadn’t broken the 60-meter barrier — a distance he eclipsed five times in 2024 — in any of his first five competitions. He made a statement in Lexington with a 61.80-meter toss, the best he’s had in collegiate competition.
His mark of 58.05 meters in East Regionals wasn’t as impressive, but it came on a clutch third-round effort while on the brink of elimination. The top two spots on the podium seem to be locked up with the two best throwers in collegiate history, Cal junior Mykolas Alekna and Oklahoma junior Ralford Mullings, but the battle for bronze will be coveted.
Leikel Cabrera Gay, men’s javelin
Another newcomer to the Gators this spring, Cabrera Gay has made an immediate impact on both the school record books and Florida’s national title chances. The sophomore from Cuba threw beyond his 2024 personal best in four of six meets this season, and his best mark of 77.84 meters ranks fifth in program history.
“His level has really risen,” Florida throws coach Eric Werskey said. “He rises to the occasion and the guy loves to compete. We’re going into the national meet, and I know that he’s feeling really good and he seeds well. We’re in a position where the pressure isn’t on him so he can just do his thing.”
Cabrera Gay is the No. 8 thrower in the country this year, but there’s a logjam of competitors surrounding him. Only 107 centimeters separate Cabrera Gay and Nebraska senior Arthur Petersen in fifth.
Anthaya Charlton, women’s 100 meters
Charlton’s emergence as one of the fastest women in the NCAA has been a key storyline for the Florida women this year, as the newly minted school record holder has a legitimate shot at scoring the Gators’ first points in this event since 2014. This isn’t the Bahamian junior’s first appearance at nationals over 100 meters, but this season has unfolded differently from 2023.
Along with her exploits on the long jump runway, Charlton picked up a bronze medal at SEC outdoors on the straightaway. She followed that up with runs of 11.05 and 11.01 seconds at East Regionals, cementing herself as a true contender.
Charlton is tied as the sixth-fastest athlete in the nation this year, but sits only a tenth back of LSU sophomore Tima Godbless, the national leader.
Gabby Matthews, women’s 200 meters
In her time at Ole Miss, Matthews was primarily a hurdler, typically only removing the barriers to serve as a leg on the Rebels’ impressive relay teams. Last year, she earned First-Team All-American honors in the 400-meter hurdles at nationals and helped her teammates to a national 4×100-meter relay title.
With her transfer to UF, the Jamaican junior has found a talent in the flat races. She’s improved in each of her 200 meter races during the spring, capping it off with a personal best of 22.87 seconds to secure her spot at nationals.
The half-lap is one of the deepest races, which means Matthews will most likely need to once again run faster than she ever has to advance to the final, but her promising trajectory means that can’t be ruled out.
Habiba Harris, women’s 100-meter hurdles
Only a freshman, Harris has proven to be both the best and the most consistent hurdler in the nation this outdoor season. The Santa Cruz, Jamaica, native has traversed the barriers in 12.80 seconds or less on five occasions this season under all conditions. The rest of the NCAA has combined for four such races.
If Harris is able to successfully translate the form she’s shown for the past two months to the straightaway inside Hayward, she’ll replicate the national title that Florida hurdler Grace Stark earned on the same track last June.
Her strongest challenger is Oregon junior Aaliyah McCormick. In 2025, McCormick finished runner-up in the 60-meter hurdles at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Additionally, she logged a 12.74-second win at West Regionals, which is a time only Harris has bettered this season.
Women’s 4×100-meter relay
Sophomore Quincy Penn, Charlton, Matthews and Harris have blossomed into one of the fastest relay squads in program history, a welcome surprise after a few years where the Gators were somewhat lacking in the short sprints. The quartet raced together for the first time at SECs and immediately made a statement, picking up a sixth-place finish out of the “slow” heat.
At East Regionals, they took another step forward, finishing fifth overall in 43.17 seconds. The run now ranks sixth in program history and has them positioned 13th in the nation. This is the first year since 2017 that Florida has qualified a women’s squad to nationals in this event, and if they have one more big improvement left in the tank, a scoring finish is certainly on the table.
Anthaya Charlton and Alyssa Banales, women’s long jump
For as good of a sprinter as Charlton has been this spring, she’s an even better jumper. She carried over an excellent indoor campaign to an outdoor season that saw her claim the SEC title and sit at No. 2 on the national list. While her season has set her up for success in Eugene, her success on the track has introduced a new wrinkle. The long jump final on Thursday night is after the semifinals of the 4×100-meter relay and just 15 minutes after Charlton will race in the 100-meter semis.
“We’ve trained for this all year long,” Petersen said. “We’ve kind of put her through different situations in training where we know she’s capable of handling this kind of load and we know she’s in shape and we know she’s fit enough to do all this stuff. So from that standpoint, it’s just making sure that she understands how to go out there and execute.”
Charlton’s chief competition is Baylor senior Alexis Brown. The indoor national champion from three months ago has taken her performances to another level this outdoor season, jumping 21 centimeters farther than second-ranked Charlton. She owns the four best performances in the nation this season and has jumped farther than 6.89 meters at each of her five competitions.
Banales, like Lippett, brought out the best mark of her career when it mattered most at East Regionals. The freshman went out to a distance of 6.41 meters on her second attempt, bettering her previous personal best by a centimeter. She finished fifth, but given the impressive depth of the West Region, where she would have finished 11th, it’s likely that she’ll once again need to be better than her best to factor into the Gators’ team title pursuit.
Asia Phillips, women’s triple jump
Phillips punched her ticket to another national championship by finishing third at East Regionals with a mark of 13.29 meters. The freshman from Ontario finished 10th at NCAA Indoors, but has improved her consistency since turning the calendar to outdoors. She’s jumped 13.22 meters or better in four of her five outings this spring.
“I think as a unit, that freshman group has really kind of just stepped up,” Petersen said. “They’ve decided, ‘It doesn’t matter that I’m a freshman. I’m capable of this, I’m going to go out and do what we know how to do and what we’re training to do.”
The triple jump is also an event where the west proved to be much tougher than the east, so it is far from a certainty that Phillips will be able to replicate her regional placement at nationals. However, if she ends up in the range of her 13.55-meter personal best from nearly two years ago, a First-Team All-American finish can certainly be on the horizon.
Gracelyn Leiseth and Alida van Daalen, women’s shot put
Leiseth rebounded from an indoor season that didn’t go exactly according to plan with an excellent outdoor campaign, throwing over 17 meters each of her last five competitions and securing impressive finishes of fifth and first at SECs and East Regionals, respectively. The sophomore’s regional win came on the strength of an 18.31-meter final throw, improving her personal best by nearly 60 centimeters.
“I loved to see Gracelyn hit that type of throw,” Werskey said. “She’s worked very hard to put herself in that type of position and she’s worked really hard to correct some technical changes from a year ago… I think heading into Eugene, she has a little bit more and it’s going to be exciting to see what she can do.”
The national favorite is Colorado State senior Mya Lesnar, the only woman to surpass 19 meters outdoors, but sixth-ranked Leiseth is in a good position to score significant points for the Gators, especially if she delivers on Werskey’s expectations of “a little bit more.”
Van Daalen’s season in the shot put hasn’t been the smoothest as she’s still working back from a shoulder injury that prevented her from competing indoors, but she’s a proven championship competitor. The Dutch junior’s 17.51-meter throw at SECs should serve as a warning to her competitors that she can deliver when the moment calls for it.
“At SECs, she was seeded 13th and ended up getting sixth,” Werskey said. “She rises to the occasion in those moments despite how difficult it may be.”
Alida van Daalen, women’s discus
While van Daalen hasn’t yet matched prior years’ form in the shot put, she has not missed a step in the discus, where she sits as the sixth-best collegiate thrower in history. Van Daalen has thrown 65 meters or better, something only eight collegians have ever done, on three occasions this spring.
Her resume includes a 65.24 meter throw to win the SEC title by just under eight meters, but her most important performance might have paradoxically been her worst of the season. After fouling her first two attempts at East Regionals, she came through with a 59.78-meter throw in round three, good enough for second and a ticket to Eugene.
“Her and I talked at length about these things and she even said, ‘I needed this, this was a bit of a wakeup call,” Werskey said. “I think last year with the 65-meter throw [at East Regionals], we walked in with the pressure and the bullseye on her. I think that just tightened her up a little bit, now it’s like a different energy going into the meet.”
The battle between van Daalen and Louisville senior Jayden Ulrich, the second-best thrower in NCAA history, for the NCAA crown will be legendary. In seven head-to-head meetings, van Daalen holds a 5-2 edge over Ulrich, but the Cardinal’s two wins came at NCAA Outdoors last year and this year’s East Regionals. On the line for van Daalen in their eighth matchup is the first discus national title, men’s or women’s, in program history, as well as a lucrative 10 team points.
The 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be held from June 11 to 14 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
Contact Paul Hof-Mahoney at phof-mahoney@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @phofmahoney
The Independent Florida Alligator has been independent of the university since 1971, your donation today could help #SaveStudentNewsrooms. Please consider giving today.
Paul Hof-Mahoney
Paul is a junior sports journalism major who is covering the track and field beat in his first semester with the Alligator. In his free time, he enjoys watching commentary Youtube channels and consuming every medium of track and field content imaginable.
Timberwolves even up series with dominant win vs. Warriors | SC with SVP
(via @nbcsportsauthentic/TT)
