Saturday, June 10
Eugene, OR
Florida Gators
at
NCAA Outdoor Championships
Jefferson's previous personal best was 22.24 seconds, tied for the 10th-fastest time in collegiate history.
Jefferson Breaks Collegiate Record, Gators Finish 5th
Saturday, June 10, 2017 | Track and Field
Kyra Jefferson broke Dawn Sowell's 28-year-old collegiate outdoor 200 meters record to win the national title
EUGENE, Ore. – Fifth-year senior Kyra Jefferson has been rounding back into elite form the entire outdoor season, and she capped her Gators career on an emphatic note, breaking the outdoor 200 meters collegiate record Saturday (June 10) and helping Florida finish fifth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Jefferson broke Dawn Sowell's (LSU) 28-year-old collegiate record to win the first outdoor 200 meters national title in school history. The Detroit, Mich. native's time of 22.02 seconds topped Sowell's 22.04, which was run at the 1989 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Provo, Utah.
Jefferson's previous personal best of 22.24 seconds, which she ran in a fourth-place finish at the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Championships, was tied for the 10th-fastest time in collegiate history.
Sophomore Yanis David posted a third-place finish in the triple jump, her third consecutive top-three finish in the event at an NCAA Championships meet. David is the only Gator in history to finish third or higher at NCAA Outdoors as both a freshman and sophomore.
Florida's senior-laden 4x100 relay squad of Skylar Ross-Ransom, Shayla Sanders, Destinee Gause, and Jefferson opened the day with a third-place finish. The quartet's time of 42.73 seconds was one hundredth of a second off the school record.
Sophomore Sharrika Barnett scored four points with a fifth-place finish in the 400 meters. In addition to matching Tiandra Ponteen (2004) for the second-best finish by an underclassman in school history, Barnett became the first Gator since 2005 (Ponteen) to finish in the top five.
Barnett came back and anchored Florida's sixth-place 4x400 relay, which also featured junior Taylor Sharpe, Gause, and Jefferson.
Florida (39 points) finished one point off the team podium, settling for fifth place. It marks the Gators' fourth top-five finish in the last eight NCAA Championship meets.
A full listing of women's results, along with links to all of this week's content are below.
QUOTES FROM THE COLLEGIATE RECORD HOLDER
Kyra Jefferson on breaking the collegiate record…
"It was very shocking. All season I've been a worry wart about not running 22-low so early, and just freaking myself out for no reason, basically. I should've just shut up and listened to Coach Holloway a long time ago when he told me to trust the process and when it's the right time I'd be ready."
Jefferson on what she saw during the closing stretch of the race…
"The last 50 (meters) I went from looking at Dejeah (Stevens) in my peripherals, looking at the stands in my peripherals to just zoning in and focusing on the finish line. And just making sure that no matter what happened, whether I won or she won, that I ran absolutely as hard as I could for my last meet as a Gator."
Jefferson on running the curve…
"It's a really big deal. My whole career I've been half running the race and not going to my full potential. Before the race, Coach Holloway just told me I need to go out there, have heart, dig, and give him everything I got. That's just what I did in order to win. It took everything to win. It wasn't an easy run. Dejeah is a great competitor, and so were the other competitors out there. It was tough but well worth it."
Jefferson on whether it hit her the collegiate record is hers…
"No it hasn't hit me. Before I got on the line, normally my hands are numb and blood is pumping, but this time I was more clam. I kept telling myself: faith, and focus. A lot of times I don't have the confidence in myself and don't have the confidence in what God could do for me. This weekend in general has made me focus in on trusting God's plan, God's will, and letting him have people in my life like Coach Holloway and Coach Welty."
Jefferson on what Coach Holloway told her when she got back to the team tent…
"They were like, 'Oh my God, I'm so proud of you.' Coach Holloway told me no ugly crying; we had to look ok for the pictures. I was trying not to cry too hard. It was just a shock. I feel like I've had a lot of setbacks my entire time in college. Finally getting what I wanted and being an outdoor national champion means so much to me. Didn't even know I broke the collegiate record. That wasn't factor to me when I crossed the line."
HEARING OUT (COACH) HOLLOWAY
Head coach Mike Holloway on Kyra Jefferson breaking the collegiate record…
"Kyra Jefferson, she's been through a lot of ups and downs, injuries. We finally got it right. I talked with her right before the race and said, 'I just want you to trust me, trust yourself and, most importantly, trust your God-given ability. You can run with anybody. You just have to believe that.' When she came off that turn, I was like, 'Wow, this is going to be fun.' I was so excited about her winning, a minute later I went, 'Woah, what was her time? Oh my God, that's the collegiate record.' Phenomenal run by Kyra, and just a product of a lot of hard work and dedication by her and a lot of people around her."
Coach Holloway on whether there were any signs Jefferson was ready to run this fast…
"In the warmup area, I knew she was ready to run. She was very focused. Our talk as we walked into the check-in area, that's when I knew she was ready to run. I'm not telling you I knew she was going to break the collegiate record, but I knew she was going to run hard the whole way. We just talked about the start. We just talked about her just being Kyra Jefferson, and trusting and believing she was one of the best 200 meter girls in the world. She is."
Coach Holloway on the no ugly crying comment joke in the team area…
"She was really happy and excited after winning the 200. I knew she had to clam herself to come back and run the relay. I just wanted to make her laugh so she could calm down a little bit. I'm so happy, so proud. It's our first collegiate record holder on the women's side, so that's a good thing."
Coach Holloway on the 4x100 relay…
"It's our second-fastest time in school history and one of the top 10 times in the history of the NCAA (Championships). Those women did a wonderful job. We just got beat by two better teams. We have nothing to hang our heads about. We did what we do best: at our best at the right time of the year. Very pleased with that."
Coach Holloway on Barnett's performance today…
"In the open 400 she just went out a little too slow and came home like gangbusters. You can't give that field that kind of a lead and expect to run them down. She came back on the relay and redeemed herself, splitting 50.2. That was nice to see."
Coach Holloway on Yanis David's third-place finish in the triple jump…
"Yanis is kind of dialed in there between second and third. When you're dealing with the collegiate and American record holder in your event you kind of go through those ups and downs. It wasn't her best today, but she fought and came through with six big points."
NCAA OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS MEET INFORMATION (all times Eastern)
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Jefferson broke Dawn Sowell's (LSU) 28-year-old collegiate record to win the first outdoor 200 meters national title in school history. The Detroit, Mich. native's time of 22.02 seconds topped Sowell's 22.04, which was run at the 1989 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Provo, Utah.
Jefferson's previous personal best of 22.24 seconds, which she ran in a fourth-place finish at the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Championships, was tied for the 10th-fastest time in collegiate history.
???????? to run 22.02 or faster before turning 23:
— Gators T & F and XC (@GatorsTF) June 11, 2017
Marion Jones
Allyson Felix
Evelyn Ashford@kyruhjeff
We still can't believe it either ?????? pic.twitter.com/jR6Mbxf2tP
Sophomore Yanis David posted a third-place finish in the triple jump, her third consecutive top-three finish in the event at an NCAA Championships meet. David is the only Gator in history to finish third or higher at NCAA Outdoors as both a freshman and sophomore.
Florida's senior-laden 4x100 relay squad of Skylar Ross-Ransom, Shayla Sanders, Destinee Gause, and Jefferson opened the day with a third-place finish. The quartet's time of 42.73 seconds was one hundredth of a second off the school record.
Sophomore Sharrika Barnett scored four points with a fifth-place finish in the 400 meters. In addition to matching Tiandra Ponteen (2004) for the second-best finish by an underclassman in school history, Barnett became the first Gator since 2005 (Ponteen) to finish in the top five.
Barnett came back and anchored Florida's sixth-place 4x400 relay, which also featured junior Taylor Sharpe, Gause, and Jefferson.
Florida (39 points) finished one point off the team podium, settling for fifth place. It marks the Gators' fourth top-five finish in the last eight NCAA Championship meets.
A full listing of women's results, along with links to all of this week's content are below.
QUOTES FROM THE COLLEGIATE RECORD HOLDER
Kyra Jefferson on breaking the collegiate record…
"It was very shocking. All season I've been a worry wart about not running 22-low so early, and just freaking myself out for no reason, basically. I should've just shut up and listened to Coach Holloway a long time ago when he told me to trust the process and when it's the right time I'd be ready."
Jefferson on what she saw during the closing stretch of the race…
"The last 50 (meters) I went from looking at Dejeah (Stevens) in my peripherals, looking at the stands in my peripherals to just zoning in and focusing on the finish line. And just making sure that no matter what happened, whether I won or she won, that I ran absolutely as hard as I could for my last meet as a Gator."
Jefferson on running the curve…
"It's a really big deal. My whole career I've been half running the race and not going to my full potential. Before the race, Coach Holloway just told me I need to go out there, have heart, dig, and give him everything I got. That's just what I did in order to win. It took everything to win. It wasn't an easy run. Dejeah is a great competitor, and so were the other competitors out there. It was tough but well worth it."
Jefferson on whether it hit her the collegiate record is hers…
"No it hasn't hit me. Before I got on the line, normally my hands are numb and blood is pumping, but this time I was more clam. I kept telling myself: faith, and focus. A lot of times I don't have the confidence in myself and don't have the confidence in what God could do for me. This weekend in general has made me focus in on trusting God's plan, God's will, and letting him have people in my life like Coach Holloway and Coach Welty."
Jefferson on what Coach Holloway told her when she got back to the team tent…
"They were like, 'Oh my God, I'm so proud of you.' Coach Holloway told me no ugly crying; we had to look ok for the pictures. I was trying not to cry too hard. It was just a shock. I feel like I've had a lot of setbacks my entire time in college. Finally getting what I wanted and being an outdoor national champion means so much to me. Didn't even know I broke the collegiate record. That wasn't factor to me when I crossed the line."
HEARING OUT (COACH) HOLLOWAY
Head coach Mike Holloway on Kyra Jefferson breaking the collegiate record…
"Kyra Jefferson, she's been through a lot of ups and downs, injuries. We finally got it right. I talked with her right before the race and said, 'I just want you to trust me, trust yourself and, most importantly, trust your God-given ability. You can run with anybody. You just have to believe that.' When she came off that turn, I was like, 'Wow, this is going to be fun.' I was so excited about her winning, a minute later I went, 'Woah, what was her time? Oh my God, that's the collegiate record.' Phenomenal run by Kyra, and just a product of a lot of hard work and dedication by her and a lot of people around her."
Coach Holloway on whether there were any signs Jefferson was ready to run this fast…
"In the warmup area, I knew she was ready to run. She was very focused. Our talk as we walked into the check-in area, that's when I knew she was ready to run. I'm not telling you I knew she was going to break the collegiate record, but I knew she was going to run hard the whole way. We just talked about the start. We just talked about her just being Kyra Jefferson, and trusting and believing she was one of the best 200 meter girls in the world. She is."
Coach Holloway on the no ugly crying comment joke in the team area…
"She was really happy and excited after winning the 200. I knew she had to clam herself to come back and run the relay. I just wanted to make her laugh so she could calm down a little bit. I'm so happy, so proud. It's our first collegiate record holder on the women's side, so that's a good thing."
Coach Holloway on the 4x100 relay…
"It's our second-fastest time in school history and one of the top 10 times in the history of the NCAA (Championships). Those women did a wonderful job. We just got beat by two better teams. We have nothing to hang our heads about. We did what we do best: at our best at the right time of the year. Very pleased with that."
Coach Holloway on Barnett's performance today…
"In the open 400 she just went out a little too slow and came home like gangbusters. You can't give that field that kind of a lead and expect to run them down. She came back on the relay and redeemed herself, splitting 50.2. That was nice to see."
Coach Holloway on Yanis David's third-place finish in the triple jump…
"Yanis is kind of dialed in there between second and third. When you're dealing with the collegiate and American record holder in your event you kind of go through those ups and downs. It wasn't her best today, but she fought and came through with six big points."
NCAA OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS MEET INFORMATION (all times Eastern)
- Results (Flash Results)
- Day One Recap (men)
- Men's Long Jump Sweep Feature Story
- Day Two Recap (women)
- Men's National Championship Recap
- Meet Notes (PDF)
- Venue: Historic Hayward Field (University of Oregon)
| Thursday, June 8 (only finals listed – see Day Two Recap for full results) | |
| Event | Place (Points), Gator – Time/Mark [Wind] | Notes |
| LJ (W) | 10. Darrielle McQueen – 6.33 meters (20-9.25) [-1.4] |
| 17. Yanis David – 6.01 meters (19-8.75) [-1.1] | |
| SP (W) | 7 (2). Lloydricia Cameron – 17.28 meters (56-8.5) |
| JT (W) | 2 (8). Marija Vucenovic – 58.58 meters (192-2) | No. 2-ranked mark on UF's All-Time Top 10 |
| Saturday, June 10 (all events are finals) | |
| Event | Place (Points), Gator – Time/Mark [Wind] | Notes |
| 200m (W) | 1 (10). Kyra Jefferson – 22.02 [+1.1] | Collegiate record |
| 400m (W) | 5 (4). Sharrika Barnett – 51.84 |
| 4x100 (W) | 3 (6). Skylar Ross-Ransom-Shayla Sanders-Destinee Gause-Jefferson – 42.73 | No. 2-ranked time on UF's All-Time Top 10 |
| 4x400 (W) | 6 (3). Taylor Sharpe-Jefferson-Gause-Barnett – 3:27.76 |
| TJ (W) | 3 (6). Yanis David – 13.64 meters (44-9) [+3.0] |
| 16. Darrielle McQueen – 13.08 meters (42-11) [+1.2] | |
| DT (W) | 18. Jontavia Dykes – 50.97 meters (167-2) |
| Top 5 Women's Teams | |
| Place | Team – Points |
| 1. | No. 1 Oregon – 64 |
| 2. | No. 6 Georgia – 62.2 |
| 3. | No. 4 USC – 43 |
| 4. | No. 5 Kentucky – 40 |
| 5. | No. 8 Florida – 39 |
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