Gators’ Track and Field Look To Win Outdoor National Title

Florida’s track and field look to go on a championship quest when they start at the NCAA East Preliminaries today in Jacksonville. The preliminaries, hosted by the University of North Florida represents the first round of the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Athletes that advance will qualify to compete in the national championship meet, starting on June 11 in Eugene, Oregon.

Going For History

The Gator men’s outdoor team will try to defend their title from last year, which was their third in a row. The women’s team looks to get back on top and win their first championship as a team since 2022, after a runner-up finish last season.

Momentum on Their Side

Florida looks to carry the successes they had during the SEC Outdoor Championships into Jacksonville. The Gators won eight medals at the conference championship meet between both squads. Habita Harris won the crown in the 100m hurdles during the last day of the tournament with a time of 12.75. Florida had great success in the discus event on both teams during the meet, with Alida van Daalen and Jacob Lemmon winning gold and bronze respectively.

On the men’s side, the 4x400m relay team ran 3:03.27, which was good for the bronze medal.

Anthaya Charlton won bronze in the 100m during the conference championship, running an 11.14 to earn 3rd place. She, with Harris, Gabrielle Matthews and Quincy Penn ran 43.46 in the 4x100m relay, finishing in 6th place. The women ended the SEC Championship meet in third place as a team, while the men finished 12th.