Junior Florida thrower Mariam Kevkhishvili (Tbilisi, Georgia) on Saturday became the first Gator this season to punch her ticket to the NCAA Indoor Championships, when she qualified automatically in the women’s shot put, and UF athletes earned seven provisional-qualifying marks to wrap up the Kentucky Invitational in E.J. Nutter Fieldhouse.

 

Florida, which had several athletes work their way onto the school’s all-time top-10 list, captured five events on the day.

 

“We had a very solid day today,” Florida head coach Mike Holloway said. “Overall, we did what we came here to do and that was to compete hard. Six weeks from today is the SEC meet in the same facility. I thought we came out and competed at a high level and I’m proud of our overall effort. We’re looking forward to getting better as we prepare for the Tom Jones Memorial next weekend at home.”

 

Kevkhishvili, the reigning NCAA Indoor Shot Put Champion who in 2008 became the first Florida athlete on either the men’s or women’s side to earn a shot put national championship, finished first in Saturday’s event with a toss of 55-10.5/17.03m. Sophomore Keely Medieros (Luziana, Brazil) was third in the shot put with a provisional-qualifying mark of 51-2.25/15.60m.

 

Sophomore thrower Kemal Mesic (Sarajevo, Bosnia), competing in his first collegiate meet as a Gator, claimed the men’s shot put and earned a provisional mark with a throw of 62-0.50/18.91m. That mark tied the fourth-best shot put toss in school history.

 

Freshman jumper Christian Taylor (Fayetteville, Ga.), the 2008 Gatorade Athlete of the Year for the state of Georgia, recorded the seventh-best mark in school history in finishing first in the men’s long jump with a leap of 25-4/7.72m.

 

Junior sprinter Calvin Smith (Lutz, Fla.) captured the men’s 400-meter dash with a provisional-qualifying time of 47.04, while senior Carlos Phillips (Winter Park, Fla.) achieved a new personal best in the 400 with a time of 48.0.

 

Senior hurdler Dennis Martin (Anderson, S.C.) and freshman hurdler William Wynne (Marietta, Ga.) each notched NCAA provisional qualifying marks in the finals of the 60-meter hurdles. Wynne finished fifth overall in a time of 7.88, while Martin was sixth in 7.89.

 

The men’s 4x400 relay, consisting of Phillips, R.J. Anderson (Big Pine Key, Fla.), Lamarr Davis (Knightdale, N.C.) and Smith, used a big boost from Smith on the final leg to win the event in a provisional-qualifying time of 3:09.14.

 

Both competing in their first collegiate meets, freshmen Madison McNary (Clearwater, Fla.) and Alishea Usery (St. Louis, Mo.) each had strong showings in their respective events. Usery was fourth in the women’s 400-meter dash in 54.77, while McNary was eighth overall in the finals of the 60-meter dash, achieving a time of 7.53 in the preliminaries.

 

Junior Ethan Philpot (Titusville, Fla.) notched a new personal best in finishing fourth in the men’s 800-meter run with a time of 1:52.90.

 

Florida returns to action on Saturday when it plays host to its lone home indoor event of the season, the second-annual Tom Jones Memorial Invitational. Activities are slated to get underway at 11 a.m. EST in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.

 

The University of Florida is home of the 2009 Southeastern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships. For all of the latest information on Gator Track and Field, log on to www.GatorZone.com.

 

KENTUCKY INVITATIONAL DAY TWO (Lexington, Ky. – January 17, 2009)

 

Men’s Pole Vault

7. Justin Semeyn – 15-7/4.75m

 

Women’s Long Jump

10. Madara Apine – 18-1.75/5.63m

 

Men’s Long Jump

1. Christian Taylor – 25-4/7.72m P

 

Women’s High Jump

4. Jenna Utecht – 5-5.25/1.66m

 

Women’s Shot Put

1. Mariam Kevkhishvili – 55-10.5/17.03m A

3. Keely Medieros – 51-2.25/15.60m P

14. Fidela James – 44-6.25/13.57m

 

Men’s Shot Put

1. Kemal Mesic – 62-0.50/18.91m P

5. Beau Burroughs – 56-10/17.32m

 

Men’s 60-Meter Hurdles Preliminaries

4. Dennis Martin – 7.89 q P

7. William Wynne – 7.93 q

8. Kallinka Pitt – 7.95 q

 

Men’s 60-Meter Hurdles Finals

5. William Wynne – 7.88 P

6. Dennis Martin – 7.89 P

 

Women’s 60-Meter Hurdles Preliminaries

23. Bree Bennett – 9.06

 

Women’s 60-Meter Dash Preliminaries

10. Madison McNary – 7.53q

24. Shara Proctor – 7.72

40. Paige Morton – 7.96

50. Bree Bennett – 8.38

 

Women’s 60-Meter Dash Finals

8. Madison McNary – 7.54

 

Men’s 60-Meter Dash Preliminaries

8. Terrell Wilks – 6.83q

15. Jeremy Hall – 6.90q

30. Kallinka Pitt – 7.06

41. Gray Horn – 7.28

 

Men’s 60-Meter Dash Finals

12. Terrell Wilks – 6.83

15. Jeremy Hall – 6.87

 

Women’s Mile

13. Hailey Neal – 5:09.92

 

Women’s 400-Meter Dash

4. Alishea Usery – 54.77

10. Ije Iheoma – 56.61

12. Danielle Williams – 56.88

33. Paige Morton – 1:06.21

 

Men’s 400-Meter Dash

1. Calvin Smith – 47.04 P

8. Carlos Phillips – 48.00

10. R.J. Anderson – 48.12

14. Preston Wilson – 48.41

17. Lamarr Davis – 48.63

24. William Wynne – 48.96

 

Women’s 800-Meter Run

19. Ashley Usery – 2:23.42

 

Men’s 800-Meter Run

4. Ethan Philpot – 1:52.90

 

Women’s 200-Meter Dash

7. Madison McNary – 24.49

33. Paige Morton – 26.04

 

Men’s 200-Meter Dash

9. Terrell Wilks – 21.63

19. Jeremy Hall – 22.09

28. Dennis Martin – 22.49

34. Kallinka Pitt – 23.01
35. Jarius Cooper – 23.06

 

Women’s 4x400-Meter Relay

6. Florida – 3:45.18

 

Men’s 4x400-Meter Relay

1. Florida – 3:09.14 P

 

q = Qualified for finals of event

P = NCAA Provisional Mark

A = NCAA Automatic Mark

 

END OF REPORT