Florida Track Makes Early Statement at SEC Indoor Championships
The first championship event of the 2026 season is underway for the SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships in College Station, Texas, and the No. 10/14 Gators made a strong early impression.
The Gators opened with the pentathlon on the women’s side, where sophomore Pauline Bikembo made her mark.
In the women’s 60-meter hurdles, Bikembo placed ninth with a season-best 8.578. In the women’s high jump, Bikembo placed fifth and jumped 1.74 meters for another season best.
Bikembo shot for the stars in the women’s shot put, finishing with her third season best with an 11.81-meter throw and placed 10th. In the women’s long jump, she recorded a leap of 5.92 meters and placed sixth. She ran 2:24.53 in the women’s 800 meters and placed 11th. Overall, Bikembo scored 4,140 points to finish seventh in the pentathlon.
On the first day of the SEC Indoor Championships, the women’s distance medley relay team broke a program record. Claire Stegall, Malia Campbell, Layla Haynes and Beth Morley ran a season-best time of 10:46.45 to finish in second place.
In the 200 meters, only the top eight advanced to the final and two of the four Gators qualified. Senior Gabrielle Matthews qualified with a personal best time of 22.87. Joining Matthews, freshman Sydney Sutton also qualified with a personal-best time of 22.90. Later, Matthews placed fifth while Sutton placed sixth, with both competing Saturday for the 200-meter finals.
Senior Wanya McCoy is no stranger to the men’s 200-meter. With a time of 20.38, McCoy not only qualified but also placed first in the preliminary round with a new season best.
With a podium finish, freshman Kelvin Cheruiyot earned bronze in the men’s 5,000 meters with a time of 13:40.75, as he translates his skills from cross country to the track indoors.
Also, with another podium finish on the women’s side, Hilda Olemomoi finished second in the women’s 5,000 meters with a time of 15:12.13, earning SEC runner-up honors.
In the men’s long jump, freshman Temoso Maskiane finished sixth with a 7.82-meter leap. Luke Stradley and Nicolas Crosswhite with a 7.37-meter and 7.33-meter jumps, respectively.
Florida ended Day 1 in fourth place on the women’s side with 23 points. Then, seventh on the men’s side with 9 points. Five of 17 events have scored for the women, while three of 17 have scored for the men.
The Gators continue Day 2 of the SEC Indoor Championships with events like the women’s mile where Stegall and Tia Wilson are set to compete. Other events include the men’s mile, men’s and women’s 60-meter prelims, 400-meter prelims and 800-meter prelims.
Category: Gator Sports, Gators Track and Field, SEC
