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Clemons’ long jump title leads the way for Florida at NCAA Outdoor Championships

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7 months ago

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The 2025 season will go down in the history of Florida track and field as one marred with injuries that robbed opportunities for greatness. From before the indoor season began to the final day of the outdoor season, the injury bug hit the Gators over and over. 

An eighth-place finish for the men and 15th for the women at the NCAA Outdoor Championships hosted in Eugene, Oregon, June 11-14, was far from representative of what UF’s rosters are capable of.

One athlete embodied these challenges during the indoor season: Malcolm Clemons. The redshirt senior failed to qualify for nationals due to a nagging heel injury that severely limited his performance. It was a slow build for him as the outdoor season progressed, but he seemed to be in a good position headed into nationals.

On his first attempt, Clemons tore down the runway and launched himself 8.04 meters into the sand, a significant season’s best. While the mark was wind-aided, it still represented an important breakthrough for the Oakland native.

“I always try to come out to these competitions and try to get a good jump on my very first one,” Clemons said. “That’s exactly what I did today, and I think that really carried me to try and get a better jump throughout the rest of the competition.”

The rounds ticked by, but nothing changed at the top. There were eight men in the field, aside from Clemons, who jumped at least 8.04 meters in their careers, but none managed to do so on the national stage. 

When the last jump, which could have unseated Clemons’ first-place position, was measured at only 7.55 meters, the reality of what happened began to set in. After five years, four national championships and three top-four finishes, he finally claimed the title of national champion.

“After coming off of such a high at the Olympics to getting injured at the first meet of the year, it really took a toll on my confidence,” Clemons said. “[Florida jumps coach Nic Petersen] helped me build my confidence back up, being able to know that I can run down the runway and jump far at any moment.”

Men’s team

There was a distinct difference in the Florida men’s team’s fortunes in the field and on the track June 11. In two field events, the Gators scored 18 points: 10 for Clemons’ victory and eight from a second-place finish in the javelin for Leikel Cabrera Gay.

The Cuban sophomore strung together the best season of his life en route to an NCAA silver. His first throw of 78.51 meters represented his first clearance of the 78-meter barrier, but he bettered the mark with a 79.05-meter heave in round three. It moved Cabrera Gay up to third in program history and became the best throw by a Gator since 2008. 

“It’s still stunning,” Cabrera Gay said. “I was just focused. This is the time of year you have to be focused on what you want. I was just like, ‘Let’s go for it.’”

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For Cabrera Gay, the Oregon performance holds extra significance. He spent last year competing at Umpqua Community College just 54 miles south of Eugene.

“I just want to thank Umpqua Community College for trusting me,” he said. “They were the first ones to give me an opportunity, and I’m very thankful for them.” 

On the track, junior Demaris Waters was disqualified from the semifinals of the 110-meter hurdles after a false start. Redshirt senior Jenoah McKiver struggled his way around the track in 46.92 seconds, the slowest time of any athlete who finished the 400-meter semifinals.

Fortunes turned in the 4×400-meter semifinals, where the team qualified for the final even without McKiver. Their run in the final was impressive. Sophomore Rios Prude Jr., junior Justin Braun, senior Ashton Schwartzman and redshirt senior Reheem Hayles got the baton around in 3:01.88, just a shade off the best time by a Florida group this season.

Braun made a strong move to the front when he got the baton on anchor, holding the lead position into the home straight. Eventually, the pack reeled him in, and the Gators finished fifth.

Women’s team

A lot went right for the Florida women during their qualifying day on June 12, and a lot went wrong during the finals on June 14. 

The dichotomy began in the 4×100-meter relay. In the semifinal, freshman Habiba Harris, sophomore Quincy Penn and juniors Anthaya Charlton and Gabby Matthews finished in 43.06 seconds. It marked a season best for the group and made them the fifth-fastest relay team in program history.

“What I love about us is that we get better each time we run the team,” Charlton said. “It’s great, it’s reassuring. We just know when we touch that track again, it’s going to be a movie.”

In the final, the group looked positioned to score solid points, but Harris was forced to pull up with an injury only a few steps into her anchor leg. The promising outlook for the team race took a hit with a DNF, compounded 40 minutes later by Harris’ DNS in the 100-meter hurdles, an event where the Jamaican athlete led nationally throughout most of the season.

Charlton’s semifinal in the open 100 meters was picture-perfect. The Nassau native powered away for a win to the tune of a 10.87-second clocking. The mark shattered Charlton’s previous best of 11.01 seconds and made her the sixth-fastest woman in NCAA history, tied with South Carolina sophomore JaMeesia Ford, who ran the same time two heats later. 

“I always believed I could run sub-11,” Charlton said. “I think that was the most relaxed I’ve ever ran. Was I shocked to see the time? A little bit, but it felt great, and I know it can get better from there.”

Saturday’s final brought far less favorable sprint conditions, with temperatures in the 60s and a 1.4-meter-per-second wind blasting down the straightaway into the runners’ faces. The race also had to be recalled after the first start, presenting several circumstances working against the athletes. However, Charlton still managed a respectable time of 11.19 seconds, finishing in fourth by thousandths of a second to LSU sophomore Tima Godbless.

Matthews’ appearance in the 200 meters was the final entry the Gators had on the track, and she made the most of her time in Hayward. Running out of lane nine in the semifinal, Matthews produced the fastest run of her career, finishing the half-lap in 22.59 seconds. 

She moved up to third in program history with the mark and gained an advantage over Godbless by 0.004 seconds, locking up the last spot in the final. She couldn’t match the same mark with a 22.84-second clocking June 14, finishing eighth. The finish exceeded expectations for an athlete who entered the weekend as the 32nd-fastest woman in the NCAA.

The Gators found significant points in the field events. Just moments after her historic 100-meter race June 12, Charlton stepped on the long jump runway to compete in the final. She recorded one legal mark, a 6.58-meter second-round effort, but it ended up being good enough for fifth.

“My biggest problem was controlling [speed] on the runway,” Charlton said. “The 6.58 was a safe jump. It didn’t go how I wanted it to, but you win some, you lose some.”

Fresh off a ninth-place finish in the shot put, Alida van Daalen entered the discus competition primed for a battle with Louisville senior Jayden Ulrich, the second-best woman in NCAA history. Yet, it was Fresno State senior Cierra Jackson who opened the final with an almighty sucker punch.

Jackson’s first-round effort of 65.82 meters was not only a personal best by nearly a meter and a half, but also a meet record. Van Daalen immediately had a mark to chase, and she inched toward it with each legal throw. 

At the competition’s conclusion, her fifth-round toss of 64.94 meters got her closest to Jackson, but she finished second. It’s both the best mark and place van Daalen earned in her three appearances in this particular final.

“It’s like getting silver with a golden rim,” van Daalen said. “I had my best throw at NCAAs since 2023 so far, so I have mixed feelings… It’s a little hard, but I’m also very proud.”

For many members of the team, their attention now turns toward the summer, when international athletes will head home to compete in their national championships. Some will attempt to accrue enough ranking points to qualify for the World Championships in mid-September.

The Gators’ cross country season begins in September.

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.



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Owens, Zukley Sweep United East Women’s Track & Field Athlete Of The Week Awards

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3 hours ago

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December 29, 2025

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LATHAM, N.Y. – Juniors Savannah Owens (Frederick, Md./Gov. Thomas Johnson) and Jillian Zukley (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) of the St. Mary’s College of Maryland women’s indoor track & field team claimed the United East Conference Women’s Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week awards as released by the league office Tuesday (Dec. 9).

Owens was named the United East Track Athlete of the Week for the first time in her career while Zukley garnered United East Field Athlete of the Week honors for the fifth time during her indoor career.

St. Mary’s College opened the 2025-26 campaign at the Christopher Newport University Holiday Open on Dec. 6.

Owens broke a school record in her return following a year away from the Seahawks indoor and outdoor track & field teams. The 5-5 sprinter took second in the 600m with a program record of 1:44.22, breaking the previous school record of 1:49.93 set by teammate Avery Arizzi ’27 on Dec. 2, 2023. She also placed third in the 800m in 2:35.81 while leading off the fourth-place 4x400m.

Following her performance, Owens leads the conference in the 800m while ranking 18th in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Zukley qualified for the 2026 All-Atlantic Region Track & Field Conference (AARTFC) Championships (Mar. 6-7) in the weight throw in the first indoor meet of the season. The 6-3 thrower opened her junior campaign with a bang as she captured the shot put with 11.67m. She then came in second in the weight throw with a school record 15.11m, knocking off her own record of 13.79m set on Jan. 31, 2025, at the Marlin Invitational.

Zukley currently leads the league in both events while ranking fourth in the Mid-Atlantic region in weight throw and sixth in shot put.

SMCM will be idle until the new year when St. Mary’s College travels to the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island, N.Y. to compete in the Spartan Invitational hosted by St. Thomas Aquinas College. Action is slated to begin at 12 pm on Friday, January 9.

2025-26 United East Conference Women’s Indoor Field Athletes of the Week

2025-26 United East Conference Women’s Indoor Track Athletes of the Week



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Purdue Volleyball Adds ACC All-Freshman Outside Hitter to 2026 Roster

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9 hours ago

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December 29, 2025

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Purdue has added a young star to its 2026 roster via the transfer portal. The Boilermakers landed a commitment from former Georgia Tech outside hitter Mimi Mambu. She comes to West Lafayette with three years of eligibility remaining.

Mambu spent her freshman season with the Yellow Jackets and was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team. She averaged 2.923 kills per set and hit .155 for the year. The 6-foot outside hitter also totaled 48 blocks and averaged 1.067 digs per set.

“What a wonderful Christmas gift to get the commitment from a smart and dynamic student-athlete,” coach Dave Shondell said in a statement. “We’re excited to have this hard-hitting high-flyer join our team after such a strong first season at Georgia Tech where she helped lead them to an NCAA tournament appearance. We watched Mimi play in high school and knew she would be a special player. Mimi learned so much about our program from Kash [Akasha Anderson] and Isabelle Bardin who are good friends from the D.C. area.”

Shondell saw Mambu up close during the 2025 season. On Sept. 3, the Boilermakers hosted Georgia Tech in the Stacey Clark Classic. The Yellow Jackets won the match 3-1, and the freshman hitter ended the evening with 10 digs and seven kills.

Georgia Tech ended the year with a 16-14 record.

Mambu will likely fill a void left by Purdue senior Akasha Anderson, who proved to be one of the top hitters last season. After transferring in from Michigan State, the senior averaged 2.911 kills per set and had a .282 hitting percentage. She only got better as the season progressed.

Mambu will join a talented and experienced roster in West Lafayette. She joins All-Big Ten selections Kenna Wollard and Grace Heaney at the pin-hitter spots. She will also be playing alongside All-Big Ten setter Taylor Anderson and All-Big Ten honorable mention libero Ryan McAleer.

Purdue closed out the 2025 season with a 27-7 record and a trip to the Regional Final round of the NCAA Tournament.

Mambu had ups and downs

Mackey Arena hosts the NCAA volleyball match between the Washington Huskies at the Purdue Boilermakers

Mackey Arena hosts the NCAA volleyball match between the Washington Huskies at the Purdue Boilermakers | Chad Krockover / For The Journal & Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As any freshman might, Mambu had some highs and lows throughout her freshman campaign. She reached a double-digit kill total in 13 of Georgia Tech’s 30 matches.

Mambu also had some off days, though. On five occasions, she ended a match with a negative hit percentage. Three of those came against Louisville, Pitt, and Purdue, all of which made deep runs into the NCAA Tournament.

Mambu is a tremendous athlete with high-flying ability and a strong arm. The biggest focus for Shondell and the Boilermakers will be to develop some consistency, but Purdue’s coaching staff has proven it can correct some of those issues.

Plus, with a full year of college volleyball now under her belt, Mambu is likely to show major improvement from her freshman to sophomore season.

Get top Boilermakers stories, expert analysis, and can’t-miss moments straight to your inbox for free by signing up for the Purdue Boilermakers on SI newsletter!

Related stories on Purdue volleyball

PURDUE FRESHMAN HITS TRANSFER PORTAL: One of Purdue’s freshmen from the 2025 recruiting class entered the NCAA transfer portal and has already found a new home. CLICK HERE





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How does a Q-Collar work?

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December 29, 2025

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Cougars come back to win Pop-Tarts Bowl 25-21 over Georgia Tech – BYU Athletics – Official Athletics Website

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14 hours ago

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December 29, 2025

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Fourth Quarter

On second-and-nine, Bachmeier found Roberts in a tight window for a gain of 18. Damuni added four yards, and on third down, Roberts caught a 7-yard pass to move the chains. Bachmeier and Ryan connected for the seventh time, this time for 13 yards to pin BYU at the Yellow Jacket six-yard line. After Kingston recorded a four-yard carry, Nawahine took the direct snap and plowed into the end zone. Keeping the offense on the field to go for two, Bachmier rushed it into the end zone to cut the deficit to three.

BYU forced the game’s first three-and-out. Kingston returned the punt 34 yards to set BYU up at its 45.

Bachmeier pitched to Damuni for a gain of five on first down. The freshman running back gained one yard on the next play, but the Cougars were unable to convert on third-and-four, and Vander Haar and the punting unit returned to the field, resulting in the second three-and-out of the game.

An illegal snap penalty pushed Georgia Tech back to its four-yard line. On second-and-14, King hit Rutherford for a gain of 12, and then another illegal snap penalty was enforced on the Yellow Jackets to set up third-and-seven. Haynes got just short of the line of gain before Glasker and Tanner Wall tackled him to force a punt. Kingston returned the punt four yards and set BYU up at its own 30 with 5:44 on the clock.

Following two incomplete passes, Bachmeier found Kingston at the BYU 34, and he advanced to the 43-yard line to grab the first down. Phillips secured a 14-yard pass from Bachmeier, and then Kingston caught a 15-yard pass to cap three consecutive first downs. After an eight-yard pass to Ryan to the Georgia Tech 20, the running back room led the way, kick-started by Nawahine picking up nine yards with a hurdle over a defender. Bachmeier passed to Damuni for a gain of seven, and then the Providence, Utah product powered into the end zone for his first career touchdown. Alongside Ferrin’s extra point, the Cougars took the lead, 25-21 with two minutes left.

Ferrin’s kickoff was returned 13 yards to pin Georgia Tech at its 21. Nusi Taumoepeau and Lutui hurried King and his pass fell incomplete on first down. On the next play, King lost the ball on a low snap but recovered his fumble for a loss of five yards. On third-and-15, another pass fell incomplete, forcing fourth-and-15. On the play, King went deep to Rivers for a gain of 66 at the BYU 18 with 52 seconds on the clock. The defense held the Yellow Jackets to three-straight incomplete passes, setting up fourth down with 14 seconds remaining. King attempted to hit Haynes in the end zone but his pass was intercepted by Johnson to seal the Pop Tarts Bowl victory 25-21.



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Kats take care of Biblical Studies 117-57

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14 hours ago

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December 29, 2025

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HUNTSVILLE — Sam Houston bounced back from a loss in the Conference USA opener to wrap up nonconference action with a 117-57 victory over the College of Biblical Studies at Johnson Coliseum on Sunday.
 
The Bearkats (8-4) controlled the temp on both ends of the court, shooting close to 60 percent while limiting the Ambassadors to 31 percent. Sam Houston used its height advantage to dominate the paint, outscoring Biblical Studies 62-12 and outrebounding the Houston area team 66-29.
 
Isaiah Manning led the Kats with a career-high 27 points to go along with 10 rebounds for his first career double-double. Freshman Jacob Walker also scored a new career high with 24 points, Veljko Illic added 16 points and nine boards, freshman Matt Dann chipped in a career-high 12 points, freshman Jacoby Coleman finished with 11 and Damon Nicholas Jr. had 10.
 
Sam Houston built a huge first-half lead and never looked back.
 
The Kats went on a 10-0 run thanks to back-to-back 3s by Walker and Manning, who added a pair of layups to grab a 23-10 advantage. Dann punched in consecutive dunks after a free throw and a two more layups by Nicholas to cap the run at 19-0 to put the game away early as the Ambassadors went more than seven minutes without scoring.
 
Sam Houston shot a blistering 66 percent from the field in the first half, making 25 of 40 shot attempts. The Bearkats also held Biblical Studies to just 23 percent shooting to build a commanding 59-21 lead at the break.
 
Conference USA action resumes Jan. 2 when Sam Houston heads to Bowling Green, Kentucky to face WKU at 4 p.m. on ESPN+.
 



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Texas A&M star Ifenna Cos‑Okpalla signs with League One Volleyball

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16 hours ago

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December 28, 2025

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Dec. 28, 2025, 12:20 p.m. CT

At the end of the season, after some of the adrenaline from the Texas A&M championship run had subsided, head coach Jamie Morrison revealed that a few players on his roster would have the opportunity to compete at the next level. While he didn’t name names, we had a pretty strong idea of which standout athletes he was referring to.

On Sunday morning, it was officially announced that senior middle blocker and 2025 NCAAVB Champion Ifenna Cos-Okpalla signed a professional contract to play with League One Volleyball (LOVB) Salt Lake. She joins senior opposite Logan Lednicky in the league, who recently signed with LOVB Houston. Cos-Okpalla was also drafted by MLV but ultimately chose to pursue her career with LOVB. We knew a move was coming soon after the news broke that she had signed with Valor Sports Agency just days before this announcement.





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