Weekend Review

This past weekend was the first weekend of the month of April. Normally the first weekend in April gives insight in to were programs (USC) this weekend lets us know where they stand overall. USC does not run majority of their program indoors. Plenty of action took place this weekend let's review the Florida Relays.


MEN'S REVIEW

FLORIDA RELAYS

The University of Florida hosted 67th Florida Relay competition. The Florida Gators have a very large bulls eye on their back after winning the NCAA Indoor title. At the championship meet indoors the Gators went through some adversity whether it be injuries or simply bad performances. However they still were able to come out on top and claim the title. This past weekend Florida experienced some adversity.

Day 1 of the Florida Relays is a more individual competition for the collegiate and professional athlete. Eddie Lovett, Jarius Cooper and Gray Horn competed in the 110 meter high hurdles minus American hurdle star David Oliver who was absent. Lovett and Cooper performed admirably for their first meet. Lovett clocking in at 14.26 to finish 11th overall and Cooper clocking at 14.31 to finish 16th overall. Not the performances they had this past indoor season, but the guys have two months to go and Holloway always preaches to his athletes get better every week.

Demps may have lifted the Gators spirit with his NCAA leading time of 10.07. The time is an improvement off last season even with the small headwind. We may see a sub 10 performance by the end of the month. Keith Ricks of Virginia Tech also had a great performance clocking in at 10.33 to finish 3rd in the race and 2nd amongst collegiate athletes.

Shariff Webb a senior from the University of Kentucky had serious bad luck this past indoor season. At the SEC Championships he was the favorite to win and was tripped in the middle of the race. At the indoor national championships his time finished in the top 8 but he did not qualify to the finals because of automatic berths. Webb ran a solid race against Penn State's Ryan Foster and broke a 25 year old meet record with a winning time of 1:47.19. Webb's time currently ranks number 2 in the nation. Webb can definitely be considered a favorite to claim the outdoor crown.

On Day 2 it was all about the team which meant relays were in full effect. Things did not exactly start off right for the Gators. In the 4x100 Pure Athletics claimed the title with a time of 38.74 breaking the meet record. The Seminoles of Florida State took 2nd clocking in at 38.87 and the Gators were 3rd with a time of 38.91. I must admit as a Gator fan (as if you could not tell) I was a little upset with the loss to Florida State. However we must keep in mind this unit of Eddie Lovett, Leonardo Seymore, Terrell Wilks and Jeff Demps may not be the final group at the end of the season. For Florida State what a great time, the Seminoles tied LSU for the nation's top time. The group consisted of, David Ambler, Ngonidzashe Makusha, Brandon Byram and Maurice Mitchell. We must also remember this group ran that time without Charles Clark.

The 4x200 relay did not allow for the Gators to have any comfort either. On the second leg while in the lead Tony McQuay again came up injured with his hamstring. McQuay may need to sit until May and be slowly worked back into the swing of things. An unattached group won the race with a time of 1:21.23. The top collegiate time goes to South Carolina who finished 3rd overall in 1:22.83.

The 4x800 relay was a great race from start to finish. The professional group of G.W. Express Nike took the title in 7:28.65 over a young Florida time who finished 2nd with a time of 7:29.13.

The 4x400 relay did not feature Florida or Florida State but did feature George Mason. George Mason finished top amongst the collegiate teams and 3rd overall with a time of 3:06.47. G.W. Express Nike took the event with a world leading time of 3:00.80.

It is only early April there is still plenty to be had. But with the injury bug now attacking William Wynne and Tony McQuay how long can Florida's well rounded team last. Florida State is coming on strong. Do not expect for the Gators to still be ranked number 1 with the new rankings but by mid-season their grit and determination may push them back in the driver's seat.

**Something I Noticed**

The USC Trojans. What a great group they have this year. A phenomenal trio of 400 runners and a great pair of 400 hurdlers. To add to that a decent short sprint core. The Trojans are a strong team and may have enough to claim the Pac-10 title. Freshman Josh Mance is representing USC well. Keep an eye out for the Trojans this weekend at the Texas Relays.


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