Florida Track & Field Climbs to No. 10 and No. 14 After Coast-to-Coast, Three-Meet Weekend

From No. 78 to No. 10 in four weeks.

Seven personal bests. Two records broken. A 68-spot rise for Florida men’s track and field.

The jump appeared in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s Week 4 rankings released Tuesday, with the men at a season-high No. 10 and the women at No. 14.

Partially behind the national rankings were the Day 2 performances that defined Florida’s coast-to-coast, three-meet weekend at the Tyson Invitational, the BU David Hemery Valentine Invitational and the Husky Classic.

Florida delivered 13 personal bests, 13 top-10 program marks and one facility record Saturday, as women outnumbered men in participation. 

Among the women, freshman Claire Stegall delivered a performance that carried beyond the meet, earning SEC Co-Freshman of the Week honors. The Tennessee native became the fastest mile runner in SEC women’s history, clocking a 4:25.91 in the women’s mile invite at the BU David Hemery Valentine Invitational in Boston. The mark set a program record and stands as the top time in Florida history, coming one week ahead of the SEC Championships.  

Freshman Kelvin Cheruiyot matched Stegall’s impact on the awards list, turning a record shattering performance into SEC Men’s Freshman of the Week recognition. The award followed his run at the third meet of the weekend, the Husky Classic in Seattle, where Cheruiyot won the men’s 5,000 meters in 13:15.57, breaking the Dempsey Indoor Center facility record and reestablishing Florida’s program record by nearly 15 seconds.

The distinction marked the fifth weekly award of his career and his first from the SEC. He ranks as the top freshman and the No. 5 overall performer in the NCAA this season.

Both of these honors were announced Tuesday by the SEC. 

Competition in The Natural State closed with four podium finishes and nine personal bests at the Tyson Invitational.

Three of the four top-three finishes came from the men’s side with redshirt sophomore Riley Novack earning first place in the mile with a personal best time of 4:04.71. 

Florida added another first-place finish in the relays where the men’s 4×400-meter team crossed the line in 3:02.15, marking the No. 3 time in program history. The relay featured Wanya McCoy, Justin Braun, Nicholas Spikes and Jaden Horton-Mims, with Braun leading, clocking a 44.99 split on the second leg.

Miguel Pantojas followed on the podium with a third-place finish in the men’s 800 meters, clocking a personal-best 1:46.49 that also moved him to No. 4 on Florida’s all-time list. 

In the same event, junior Gavin Nelson recorded a personal-best 1:47.53 to place fifth and rank No. 8 in program history.

That momentum carried into the women’s mid-distance events, where junior Layla Haynes added another personal best to her season with a 2:03.82 in the 800 meters. Haynes sits No. 4 on Florida’s all-time list and holds the national 800-meter record in her home country, Barbados.

The women’s 4×400-meter relay closed Florida’s podium performances at the meet, finishing second in 3:28.27 to record the No. 2 mark in program history. The second heat featured Tyra Cox, Quincy Penn, Malia Campbell and Sydney Sutton.

Still in Razorback country and into the sprints, Justin Braun and freshman Jaden Horton-Mims made their 200-meter debuts, both finishing inside the top 10. In the same event, Nicholas Spikes recorded a personal-best 21.01 to place 13th, while Jesse Myers followed in 20th with a personal-best 21.17.

In the women’s 200 meters, Gabrielle Matthews and Quincy Penn both set personal bests at 23.24 and 23.36 for sixth and 10th, respectively. 

Florida’s third meet of the Valentine’s weekend was at the BU David Hemery Valentine Invitational, where the women led Day 2 competition.

Seven women competed across four distance events and combined for three personal bests. 

Hilda Olemomoi led the group with a personal-best 8:46.68 to place fourth in the 3,000 meters invite, while Tia Wilson followed with a personal-best 9:05.60 to finish fifth in the 3,000-meter open event.

To finish the personal-best performances in Boston, in the women’s 5,000 meters open, Reagan Gilmore recorded a personal-best 15:51.14 to place 11th. 

All seven Florida women who competed in Massachusetts now rank among the program’s all-time top 10 in their respective events.

The Gators head to College Station, Texas, for the SEC Indoor Championships from Feb. 26–28. Florida last reached the SEC indoor podium in 2024, finishing runner-up on both the men’s and women’s sides.

Category: Gator Sports, Gators Track and Field, NCAA, SEC, Track and Field