Demps 10.11 in Fla.

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UF Track and Field Puts On Show In Opening Day of Florida Relays

Gainesville, FL - Friday April 2, 2010

Gators Relay-Riffic on Final Day of Pepsi Florida Relays

Members of the Florida track and field team spoke all week about how much they enjoy competing in front of the home crowd at the Pepsi Florida Relays. On Friday, the Gators gave the James G. Pressly Stadium at Percy Beard Track crowd something to cheer about in the 66th edition of the prestigious event.

Florida won five events and set numerous personal-best marks and times, including a world-leading mark in the men’s 100-meter dash by sophomore sprinter Jeff Demps (Winter Garden, Fla.) and a Florida Relays meet record in the steeplechase by senior Julie Northrup (Vero Beach, Fla.), en route to a stellar opening day at the two-day event.

“I thought today was a very, very good day for us,” Florida head coach Mike Holloway said. “If you look across the board, I am most proud of the fact that almost everybody who put on the Gator uniform put their best foot forward today. There were a lot of personal bests and a lot of our athletes really established themselves at the conference and national levels.”

Demps, the 2010 NCAA indoor champion in the 60-meter dash, ran a 2010 world-leading time in the men’s 100-meter dash Friday to capture the event in a time of 10.11 (+1.4). Demps, who two years ago as a prep recorded the world junior record in the 100m at 10.01, charted the fifth-fastest time in school history with that run. Nesta Carter, of Jamaica, previously had the fastest time in the world this season at 10.15.

“Jeff did a great job today,” Holloway said. “He is an incredible athlete and times like that are no surprise to us. I thought it was a very nice opener for him coming into Florida Relays. He and I talked after the race and we discussed that there were a number of things he could improve upon. But, I thought he was very impressive today coming off his NCAA title in the 60 just a few weeks ago.”

Senior sprinter Jeremy Hall (Jacksonville, Fla.) was fourth in the men’s 100-meter dash in a time of 10.30 (+1.4), while junior Terrell Wilks (New Haven, Conn.) was 10th in 10.41 (+1.4).

Northrup claimed the women’s steeplechase in a personal-record time of 10:29.22, which goes down as the third-fastest time in school history. It beats her previous personal-best of 10:31.59, recorded at last season’s SEC Outdoor Championships. It also set a Florida Relays meet record, eclipsing the record of 10:30.79 set by teammate Genevieve LaCaze (Queensland, Australia) at last season’s event.

“Julie has really done a great job and has come a long way in the last couple of years,” Holloway said. “I think she and Coach [Todd] Morgan work very well together and have put a great plan together. I think what you saw today is just a byproduct today and Julie did a great job of executing it.”

Sophomore Christian Taylor (Fayetteville, Ga.) won the men’s 400-meter dash in a time of 45.55, while senior sprinter Calvin Smith (Lutz, Fla.) placed second in 45.62. That highlighted a group of four Gators among the top six in that race as freshman Tony McQuay (Riviera Beach, Fla.) was fifth in 46.43 and senior R.J. Anderson (Big Pine Key, Fla.) was sixth in 46.86.

Senior distance runner Charlotte Browning (Pullborough, England), the 2010 NCAA indoor mile champion, captured the women’s 800-meter run in a time of 2:06.42, while senior jumper Shara Proctor (The Valley, Anguilla), the defending SEC indoor and outdoor long jump champion, claimed the women’s long jump event with a leap of 6.63m/21-9 (+1.5).

Sophomore thrower Keely Medeiros (Luziana, Brazil) finished second in the women’s discus with a personal-record throw of 51.16m/167-10, bettering her previous personal-best of 49.28m/161-8 set last weekend at the UCF Invitational.

Senior distance runner Justin Taylor (St. Augustine, Fla.) placed fifth in the men’s 1,500-meter run with the fifth-fastest time in school history at 3:43.72. That shattered his previous personal-record of 3:45.31.

Sophomore Gray Horn (Waynesfield, Ohio) placed third in the men’s long jump with a personal-record mark of nearly a foot at 7.59m/24-11.

Freshman hurdler Ugonna Ndu (Newark, N.J.) clocked a personal-record time of 58.79 in the women’s 400-meter hurdles, bettering her time of 59.30 set last weekend at the UCF Invitational.

The final day of the 66th Pepsi Florida Relays begins at 10 a.m. ET Saturday at Percy Beard Track at James G. Pressly Stadium. Gates open at 9 a.m. each day for the event’s 10 a.m. start. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for children and seniors. Complete coverage of the Florida Relays can be found at http://www.gatorzone.com/trackfield/floridarelays. Live results also will be available through www.halfmiletiming.com.

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 the team’s Twitter account @GZTrackField or www.twitter.com/GZTrackField.

POST-MEET NOTES

Virginia Tech’s Queen Harrison set a new Florida Relays record in the women’s 100m hurdles at 12.65. By virtue of winning that event, Harrison won the annual Tom Jones Award. Harrison also won the women’s 400m hurdles on Friday.
Nike’s David Oliver won the Percy Beard Award for the second consecutive year by winning the men’s 110-meter hurdles in a time of 13.32.
Former Penn State standout Shana Cox of Adidas won the women’s 400-meter dash in a 2010 world-leading time of 51.42.
Florida sophomore Jeff Demps ran the fastest time in the world this season in the men’s 100-meter dash, winning the race in 10.11 (+1.4). It is the fifth-fastest time in school history.
Senior distance runner Julie Northrup claimed the women’s steeplechase in a personal-record time of 10:29.22, which goes down as the third-fastest time in school history. It also sets a Florida Relays meet record, eclipsing the 10:30.79 set by teammate Genevieve LaCaze at last season’s event.

PEPSI FLORIDA RELAYS – GAINESVILLE, FLA. – APRIL 2-3, 2010

Friday, April 2, 2010

Women’s 100m Hurdles – 12:05 p.m. ET

  1. Ugonna Ndu – 14.21 (-1.1)

Men’s 110m Hurdles – 12:45 p.m. ET

  1. Jarius Cooper – 14.40 (-0.5)

  2. Gray Horn – 14.68 (+1.9)

Women’s 400m Dash – 1:05 p.m. ET

  1. Ije Iheoma – 55.82

  2. Michelle Stegall – 57.23

Men’s 400m Dash – 1:25 p.m. ET

  1. Christian Taylor – 45.55

  2. Calvin Smith – 45.62

  3. Tony McQuay – 46.43

  4. R.J. Anderson – 46.86

  5. Preston Wilson – 47.73

Men’s Long Jump – 2 p.m. ET

  1. Gray Horn – 7.59m/24-11 (-4.4)

  2. Omar Craddock – 7.12m/23-4.50 (+3.5)

Women’s 100m Dash – 2:25 p.m. ET

  1. Alishea Usery – 11.57 (+2.5)

  2. Madison McNary – 11.71 (+1.2)

  3. Shara Proctor – 12.13 (+1.1)

Men’s 100m Dash – 2:40 p.m. ET

  1. Jeff Demps – 10.11 (+1.4)

  2. Jeremy Hall – 10.30 (+1.4)

  3. Terrell Wilks – 10.41 (+1.4)

  4. Jeremy Rankin – 10.42 (+4.1)

Women’s 800m Run – 2:55 p.m. ET

  1. Charlotte Browning – 2:06.42

Women’s Pole Vault – 3 p.m. ET

  1. Daisy Glasser – 3.86m/12-8

  2. Claire Spurling – 3.66m/12-0

                                          Men’s 800m Run – 3:20 p.m. ET

  3. Carlos Phillips – 1:49.96

  4. Ethan Philpot – 1:50.37

  5. Sean Obinwa – 1:51.11

  6. Daniel Wehunt – 1:55.34

  7. John Mitchell – 1:56.60

Women’s 400m Hurdles – 3:45 p.m. ET

  1. Ugonna Ndu – 58.79

  2. Ashley Usery – 1:02.94

Women’s Discus – 4 p.m. ET

  1. Keely Medeiros – 51.16m/167-10

  2. Ashley Miller – 44.31m/145-4

  3. Kaitlin Davis – 40.31m/132-3

Men’s Hammer Throw – 4 p.m. ET

  1. Jeremy Postin – 58.66m/192-5

  2. David Triassi – 53.21m/174-7

Men’s 400m Hurdles – 4:05 p.m. ET

  1. Jamaal Johnson – 57.16

Women’s Invitational 200m Dash – 4:25 p.m. ET

  1. Alishea Usery – 23.85 (+2.9)

  2. Danielle Williams – 24.45 (+2.5)

Men’s Invitational 200m Dash – 4:35 p.m. ET

  1. Tony McQuay – 20.64 (+1.8)

  2. Calvin Smith – 20.74 (+2.2)

  3. Terrell Wilks – 20.88 (+1.8)

  4. Jeremy Hall – 20.92 (+2.2)

  5. Jeremy Rankin – 21.60 (-0.2)

Women’s High Jump – 5 p.m. ET

  1. Alexis Muniz – 1.65m/5-5

Women’s Long Jump – 6 p.m. ET

  1. Shara Proctor – 6.63m/21-9 (+1.5)

Women’s Steeplechase – 8:15 p.m. ET

  1. Julie Northrup – 10:29.22

  2. Callie Cooper – 11:58.26

Men’s Steeplechase – 8:35 p.m. ET

  1. Michael Anderson – 9:20.22

Women’s 1,500m Run – 8:50 p.m. ET

  1. Stacey Johnson – 4:24.40

  2. Genevieve LaCaze – 4:34.73

  3. Kaitlin Shiver – 4:35.31

  4. Mandy Perkins – 4:37.67

Men’s 1,500m Run – 9:20 p.m. ET

  1. Justin Taylor – 3:43.72

  2. Jeremy Criscione – 3:53.34

  3. Tim O’Loughlin – 3:57.37

  4. Geoffrey Anderson – 3:57.38

Women’s 5,000m Run – 9:45 p.m. ET

  1. Ali Crabb – 17:34.46

  2. Sydney Devore – 18:32.07

Men’s 5,000m Run – 10:05 p.m. ET

  1. Josh Izewski – 14:36.38

  2. Anthony Morales – 14:50.98

  3. Matt Hensley – 15:10.78

END OF REPORT