Florida Track and Field’s Holloway Credits Team Approach To NCAA Titles

The Florida Gators track and field team saw plenty of success in last week’s NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

The men’s team won it third consecutive national championship and the seventh since 2012 last Friday. That’s the 12^th national championship by Florida’s men’s team and 15^th overall for the program, with all 12 of the men’s titles under coach Mike Holloway’s direction.

A day later, the UF women’s squad finished runner-up while securing three individual championships.

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Men’s Outdoor Championship

The Florida men ranked third in the nation entering the season. After placing fourth at the SEC Championships to claim their spot in the NCAA Championships, the Gators beat out the Auburn Tigers by one point last Friday.

After battling injuries since the indoor season, Robert Gregory led the charge for the Gators to grab the win. Gregory competed in the 200-meter sprint, the second-to-last event of the day. The senior sprinter ran his second-best time of the season to grab second place along with eight points for the team. This kept the Gators alive in their hopes to clinch the title in the final event: the 4×400 relay.

Holloway said Jevaughn Powell was the star of the meet. Powell competed in the 400m sprint, as well as both team relays. He ran a strong lead-off leg in the 4×100 relay and a crucial second leg in the 4×400 relay. Powell also grabbed third in the 400 meter with a personal-best time. Holloway said it’s always a UF goal to be the best:

Women’s Outdoor Championship

The Florida women’s Grace Stark earned her second NCAA individual championship and first outdoor title in 100-meter hurdles. She finished in 12.47 seconds, which is tied for the third-fastest time in NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships history. This is also the 10th-fastest time in collegiate history, as well as a UF program record. Stark’s story is one for the Florida history books, Holloway said:

Parker Valby earned her fifth NCAA individual championship of the year by adding the 10,000m and 5000m titles last week. The accomplishment makes her the first female distance runner in NCAA history to win five individual titles in an academic year. Her time of 14:52.18 in the 5000m set the collegiate record, marking her third broken record this season (Indoor 5000m, Outdoor 5000m, Outdoor 10,000m). Valby is a vibrant athlete, Holloway said:

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The women’s team has been on a steady climb for the past five years, Holloway said. The battle for the national championship continues every year. He says the tradition, focus and passion toward being the best is present in this women’s team.

Being the Best

Holloway said he never comes to work without the goal of being the best team in the nation. He strives to instill this in his athletes and coaching staff as well. They are all ready for success that will come as a result:

This NCAA championship, as well as the past couple of seasons, have been emotional for him as he deals with the loss of his mother in 2022, he said. Their dream of building an incredible legacy at the University of Florida Gators Track and Field program has started to come to fruition:

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