Gators Prepare to Host 2026 Pepsi Florida Relays
Florida track and field continues its outdoor season Friday and Saturday, hosting the 2026 Pepsi Florida Relays meet.
Last weekend, the Gators split their roster between two different meets to open their outdoor stint. Most of the team performed in the Terry Long FSU Relays in Tallahassee, while nine of its distance runners headed north to the Raleigh Relays in North Carolina. Now, the entire team will compete together at Percy Beard Track for the first time this season.
Looking back to the 2025 Florida Relays, Florida put up electrifying performances during both days of competition, notably in the hurdling events. Demaris Waters and Habiba Harris set No. 2 all-time program scores in the men’s 110-meter hurdles and women’s 100-meter hurdles, respectively. Both of these records still stand, only behind Gator greats Grant Holloway and Grace Stark.
This year, Florida is primed for another strong performance, with 47 athletes set to compete across 30 events.
Here are a few athletes and events to keep an eye on:
Daneil Wright is competing in the 400-meter hurdles. The freshman from Jamaica won the event in Tallahassee last weekend, posting a time of 50.76 seconds. His lifetime personal best is a blazing 49.88 seconds.
Sydney Sutton, a graduate of Bullis School’s nationally-acclaimed track program, opens her outdoor career as a Gator on Friday in the 200-meter dash. Indoors, she ran a time of 23.40 seconds in the 200 meters at the Razorback Invitational on Jan. 31.
Luke Stradley is set to compete in the long jump after he took first place in the event at FSU Relays with a leap of 7.69 meters. His personal best mark is 7.75 meters.
The men’s 4-by-400-meter relay team will run its first outdoor race this season. The Gators took fifth place at the 2026 NCAA Indoor championships with a time of 3:04.04.
Three Gators are set to race in the women’s 800-meter run. Freshmen Claire Stegall and Isobelle Jones will make their Florida outdoor debuts. Junior Layla Haynes will also be competing in this event. She is ranked No. 4 in program history for the indoor 800 meters with a time of 2:03.89.
The collegiate track events will begin Friday at 2:30 p.m. The meet also includes high school and Olympic development events.
With sprinters, field athletes and distance runners all competing together at home, the 2026 Pepsi Florida Relays presents the Gators with the opportunity to demonstrate their team is ready for a dominant outdoor season.
Category: Gators Track and Field
