Gators Grab Fourth NCAA Indoor Title; Women Return to Podium
Saturday, March 10, 2018

Gators Grab Fourth NCAA Indoor Title; Women Return to Podium

Zach Dirlam
Florida's men won their Division I-leading eighth national title since 2010, while the Gators' women scored their first team trophy since 2015.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Behind a 29-point performance Saturday evening, Florida's men captured their fourth NCAA Indoor Championships team title, holding off a late push from Southern California. The Gators' women also nabbed a trophy for the first time since 2015, finishing fourth in the team standings.
   
The Gators last won the indoor national title in 2012, when they completed a three-peat. Florida boasts eight NCAA team titles since 2010—a total that leads all of Division I by three during that span.
 
Florida joins Arkansas, UTEP, and Oregon as the fourth men's program in Division I history to capture at least four NCAA Indoor titles, but only the Gators have won at least four since 2010.
 
Head coach Mike Holloway joins UTEP's Ted Banks, LSU and Texas A&M's Pat Henry, and Arkansas' John McDonnell as the fourth men's coach in Division I history with at least four indoor and four outdoor NCAA titles. Holloway's eight national titles rank fourth among Division I men's coaches since 1970. The title also marks Florida's 20th top-two finish in 31 NCAA Championships since Holloway became its men's head coach in 2003—no other program has more than nine such finishes during that span.


 
Sophomore Grant Holloway repeated as the 60-meter hurdles champion, becoming the fifth man in history to successfully defend his title. The collegiate record holder crossed in 7.47 seconds, winning in a runaway and tying the third-fastest time in collegiate history, in addition to breaking his own Gilliam Indoor Stadium record. His title also makes Florida the only program in Division I history with three NCAA 60 hurdles crowns, with Gator Great Eddie Lovett (2013) holding the other.
 
Coupled with his runner-up finish in the long jump Friday night, Holloway is the first man in Division I history to post top-two finishes in both the high hurdles and long jump at NCAA Indoors.
 
Holloway came back and teamed with Kunle Fasasi, Chantz Sawyers, and Benjamin Lobo Vedel to earn a bronze medal in the 4x400 relay. The Gators crossed in 3:01.43, decimating the school record in a race that featured the three fastest 4x400 relay times ever recorded. Holloway split 44.91 seconds, but Lobo Vedel had the team's top split, anchoring in 44.75.
 
The Gators scored 13 points in the triple jump, courtesy of runner-up KeAndre Bates and fourth-place finisher Clayton Brown. Bates, a senior, posted a season-best mark (16.67 meters / 54 feet, 8.25 inches) for his second consecutive silver medal at NCAA Indoors. The El Paso, Texas native also boasts six career top-two finishes in NCAA Championships horizontal jumps competition. Brown, a sophomore from Jamaica, also logged a season best (16.34 meters / 53 feet, 7.5 inches), doing so on his third attempt as he sat in 14th place and on the outside of the final.
 
The women's team secured their team trophy with a third-place finish in the 4x400 relay—which featured a 50.11-second anchor split from junior Sharrika Barnett. The quartet of Brandee' Johnson, Taylor Manson, Lauryn Ghee, and Barnett combined for a time of 3:29.41, breaking the program record set in 2015.
   


In the women's triple jump, junior Yanis David garnered runner-up honors for a second consecutive year, once again finishing behind American and collegiate record holder Keturah Orji. David joined Leah Kirklin (1991-93) as the only other Gator in history with multiple top-two finishes in the NCAA Indoors triple jump.
 
Individually, Barnett barely missed the 400 meters medal stand, taking fourth in a race that saw the gold and silver medalists break the collegiate record. Barnett lowered the second-fastest time in school history—which she set Friday—to 51.07 seconds. She missed Tiandra Ponteen's school record, set at the 2005 NCAA Indoor Championships, by 0.16 seconds.
 
A condensed television replay will air Sunday, March 11 at 7 p.m. on ESPN2, and again at 9 p.m. on ESPNU. A third replay will air Monday, March 12 at 1 p.m. on ESPNU.


HEARING OUT (COACH) HOLLOWAY
Head coach Mike Holloway on the men's team national title…
"Never gets old. We've been talking over the last couple of weeks that I really thought we could get this. I thought if anybody could get to 40 to 45 points they had a really great shot of winning this meet. We got to 40 before everybody else did. It worked out pretty good."
 
Coach Holloway on the women earning a top-four finish for the first time since 2015…
"It's special. I've been telling them all year long we're capable of doing this. I told them afterwards, we need to use this as a linchpin to keep building. The girls here, the girls back in Gainesville, we need to embrace this and keep getting better. We just need to come back and do it again outdoors. Very happy and proud of them."
 
Coach Holloway on Clayton Brown nearly missing the triple jump final…
"(Clayton) and Grant (Holloway) are roommates. I think they like to do that, or I think it's planned sometimes [laughs]. That was big on Clayton's part. He did it at the conference meet. We challenged him after this second jump to just go out there and put one together, and he did. That was the turning point for the meet. That's where we were like, hey, we can do this."
 
Coach Holloway on KeAndre Bates posting a season best to take second in the triple jump…
"We talked to KeAndre two weeks ago (after SEC Indoor Championships). Everybody has a bad day. But the great ones respond. And that's what you saw out of KeAndre. He's a Gator Great. That's all there is to it. He will go down as one of the best jumpers in the history of our school."
 
Coach Holloway on Grant Holloway's performance Saturday…
"The thing with the hurdles was we weren't trying to do anything crazy. We needed to stay clean, be aggressive, and win the race. That's what he did."
 
Coach Holloway on the 4x400 relay team taking third in the fastest race of all time…
"We just got beat by two incredible teams. That's the third fastest time ever. In the world. How do you complain about that? Those guys ran their tails off. It was awesome to watch. They knew the meet was on the line. I didn't have to tell them. They just went out there and they went after it. Kudos to USC and Texas A&M, but I love my guys. I'm glad they're on my team."
 
Coach Holloway on Yanis David's runner-up finish in the triple jump…
"When you line up and you know you have the American and collegiate record holder against you, sometimes it makes people back off of who they are. But she went out there and attacked it. She had the second-furthest jump of her life, and she did a great job. As she continues to grow as a person, she gets better and better as an athlete. She's another one that I'm glad she's on my team."
 
Coach Holloway on Sharrika Barnett's performances in the 4x400 relay…
"51.07 … and a 50.1 anchor in the 4x4. That was just monstrous. I told the other girls she's the best anchor girl on the track, just keep her close. That's what they did."
 

NCAA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS INFORMATION (all times Eastern)
  • Meet Notes (PDF)
  • Results (Flash Results)
  • Day One Recap
  • Television Replays: Sunday, March 11 – 7 p.m. (ESPN2); 9 p.m. (ESPNU); Monday, March 12 – 1 p.m. (ESPNU)
  • Venue: Gilliam Indoor Stadium (Texas A&M University)
 
Saturday, March 10 (all events are finals)
Event Place (Points), Gator – Time / Mark | Notes
400m (W) 4 (5). Sharrika Barnett – 51.07 |  Lowered No. 2 time on UF's All-Time Indoor Top 10 by 0.42 seconds; missed school record by 0.16 seconds
60mH (M) 1 (10). Grant Holloway – 7.47 | NCAA Champion; second consecutive national title; tied third-fastest time in collegiate history; facility record
4x400 (M) 3 (6). Kunle Fasasi-Holloway-Chantz Sawyers-Benjamin Lobo Vedel – 3:01.43 | Third-fastest time in history; school record
4x400 (W) 3 (6). Brandee' Johnson-Taylor Manson-Lauryn Ghee-Barnett – 3:29.41 | School record
TJ (M) 2 (8). KeAndre Bates – 16.67 meters (54-8.25) | Season-best mark
4 (5). Clayton Brown – 16.34 meters (53-7.5) | Season-best mark
TJ (W) 2 (8). Yanis David – 13.97 meters (45-10)
WT (M) 9. AJ McFarland – 21.80 meters (71-6.25) | Third-highest finish in school history
11. Thomas Mardal – 20.85 meters (68-5) | Only freshman qualifier in school history
 
 
Friday, March 9 (only scorers listed; see Day One Recap for full results)
Event Place (Points), Gator – Time / Mark | Notes
LJ (M) 2 (8). Grant Holloway – 8.13 meters (26-8.25) | Tied No. 2-ranked time on UF's All-Time Indoor Top 10; topped personal record by 8 centimeters
6 (3). KeAndre Bates – 7.90 meters (25-11)
LJ (W) 4 (5). Yanis David – 6.42 meters (21-0.75)
6 (3). Darrielle McQueen – 6.40 meters (21-0)
SP (W) 4 (5). Lloydricia Cameron – 17.33 meters (56-10.25) | Best finish by a Gator since 2010
Top 5 Men's Teams
Place Team – Points
1. No. 3 Florida – 40
2. No. 5 Southern California – 37
3. No. 2 Georgia – 32
4. No. 12 Virginia Tech – 31
5. No. 6 Texas A&M – 29.5
Top 5 Women's Teams
Place Team – Points
1. No. 1 Georgia – 61
2. No. 2 Arkansas – 49
3. No. 3 Kentucky – 34
4. No. 6 Florida – 32
5. No. 7 Oregon – 31
 
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP NOTES
  • Florida is one of two programs to win at least one team national title each of the last 10 seasons, and this is Florida's 19th national title in that span.  
  • This is the 40th national title for the Gator program.
  • 14 different Gator sports have won national titles. That is the nation's fourth-largest array of sport titles for a program (and highest east of Mississippi).
  • Florida is the only Southeastern Conference program to win national team titles in 10 or more sports.
  • Florida's 19 titles in last 10 seasons trail only Stanford's 20, and matches Oregon's 19
 
Florida's National Title Teams
SPORT YEAR NATIONAL TITLES
Men's Indoor Track & Field 2018 NCAA Championships
Baseball
Men's Outdoor Track & Field
Women's Tennis                      		 2017
2017
2017		 NCAA Championships
NCAA Championships
NCAA Championships
Men's Outdoor Track & Field 2016 NCAA Championships
Softball 2015 NCAA Championships
Women's Gymnastics 2015 NCAA Championships
Softball 2014 NCAA Championships
Women's Gymnastics 2014 NCAA Championships
Men's Outdoor Track & Field 2013 NCAA Championships
Women's Gymnastics 2013 NCAA Championships
Men's Outdoor Track & Field 2012 NCAA Championships
Women's Tennis 2012 NCAA Championships
Men's Indoor Track & Field 2012 NCAA Championships
Women's Tennis 2011 NCAA Championships
Men's Indoor Track & Field 2011 NCAA Championships
Women's Swimming 2010 NCAA Championships
Men's Indoor Track & Field 2010 NCAA Championships
Football 2008 BCS/Associated Press
Men's Basketball 2007 NCAA Championships
Men's Basketball 2006 NCAA Championships
Football 2006 BCS/Associated Press
Women's Tennis 2003 NCAA Championships
Men's Golf 2001 NCAA Championships
Women's Tennis 1998 NCAA Championships
Soccer 1998 NCAA Championships
Women's Tennis 1996 NCAA Championships
Football 1996 Associated Press/Coaches'
Men's Golf 1993 NCAA Championships
Women's Indoor Track 1992 NCAA Championships
Women's Tennis 1992 NCAA Championships
Women's Golf 1986 NCAA Championships
Women's Golf 1985 NCAA Championships
Men's Swimming 1984 NCAA Championships
Men's Swimming 1983 NCAA Championships
Gymnastics 1982 AIAW Nationals
Women's Swimming 1982 NCAA Championships
Women's Swimming 1979 AIAW Nationals
Men's Golf 1973 NCAA Championships
Men's Golf 1968 NCAA Championships
 
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