Gator Track Teams at NCAA Indoor Championships

With the SEC Indoor Championships in the rearview mirror, the Florida Gator track and field program turns its attention to the NCAA Indoor National Championships. The championships begin on Friday and continue until Saturday at the Albuquerque Convention Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Florida head coach Mike Holloway joined Sportscene with Steve Russell to discuss their season and the upcoming championships.

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Overall, Holloway said he’s not worried about the other teams that are competing as the team heads into the competitions. He is solely concerned about how his team performs on Friday and Saturday.

As the season progressed, Holloway noticed improvements throughout the program, especially in the men’s long jump group. Additionally, he noted that performances from athletes like Talitha Diggs, Jasmine Moore and Alida Van Daalen have greatly helped the team.

Despite the outside pressure for the program to consistently perform at a high level, Holloway said the team has done a good job of keeping their focus on the task at hand.

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Additionally, Holloway was not afraid to admit how the team has faced a ton of adversity this season, especially when it came to injuries. However, he explained that he is proud of the way they responded and that the team is mostly healthy as they head to Alberquerque.

However, not every Gator will be available. Parker Valby has a “weird nerve thing going on with her leg,” according to Holloway. Additionally, Holloway said Malcolm Clemons is unavailable due to a sickness.

Gators receive SEC awards and other accolades

The SEC on Wednesday named four Gators as winners of various awards within the league.

Jacory Patterson won the SEC’s Co-Men’s Runner of the Year award, sharing the title with Georgia’s Elija Goodwin. Patterson recently won the men’s Cliff Harper Trophy, which is given to the highest individual point scorer at the SEC Championships.

On the women’s side, the SEC named Moore as the Women’s Field Athlete of the Year while naming Diggs as the Women’s Runner of the Year. Additionally, Van Daalen was named the Women’s Freshman Field Athlete of the Year.

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Additionally, Moore and Diggs were named to the Bowerman Women’s Indoor Post-Conference Championships Watch List update on March 1. The Bowerman is the highest accolade given to the best collegiate track athlete in the country by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Holloway praised Moore for her contributions to the program and described her as someone with a “workman-like attitude.”