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Florida Track and Field Continues 4×400 Meter Dominance at Razorback Invitational

Ethan Eibe January 29, 2023 Gators Track and Field 1,042 Views

Florida track and field wrapped up the Razorback Invitational Saturday in Fayetteville, Arkansas, its second indoor meet of the 2023 season. UF looked to build off its strong performance two weeks ago at the Clemson Invitational, where the program won 12 individual titles. The Gators added three more individual titles in Arkansas, along with a new school and world record.

Friday: Three Personal Bests

Florida earned its first and only event title of the opening competition day in the women’s long jump. Jasmine Moore, who won the triple jump at Clemson, secured the long jump title with a 6.64-meter leap. A pair of Gators finished as the runner-ups in the 200-meter races, with Robert Gregory and Talitha Diggs each receiving a spot on the podium. Diggs’ 22.65-second effort was her indoor personal best.

The men’s team showed up in the shot put, with Logan Montgomery and Calvin Bostic finishing inside the top 20 and setting new personal records.

The women’s squad kept up the pace in the distance medley relay, with the quartet of Imogen Barrett, Vanessa Watson, Gabrielle Wilkinson and Parker Valby setting a new school record and finishing in fourth place with a 10-minute, 57.58 second time.

Saturday: Another 4 x 400-Meter Triumph

Florida began the final day of competition with an event title in the 60-meter dash. Pjai Austin crossed the finish line first in 6.58 seconds, a new personal record. The Gators also performed admirably in the longer-distance races. Ryan Willie (46.47 seconds) and Diggs (51.34) each placed fourth in the 400-meter race. Barrett (2:03.94) and Sam Austin (1.48.55) placed third and fourth in each of their 800-meter races.

For the second straight competition, Florida went out with a bang.

The men’s relay squad of Jacory Patterson, Emmanuel Bamidele, Gregory and Willie capped off the 4 x 400-meter relay race with the season’s best time in the world thus far. Their 3:04.11 time was a full second better than Florida’s first-place finish at Clemson. The Gators made a change on the third leg from two weeks ago, swapping Jacob Miley out for Gregory.

What’s Next?

Florida will divide its forces two weeks from now when the program travels back to Fayetteville for the Tyson Invitational. A detachment of UF athletes will also compete at Boston University’s Valentine Invitational. Both events take place from February 10-11.

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