Gators Track and Field Set For Two Meets

Florida Gators track and field will compete in the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational and LSU Invite before the SEC Outdoor Championships in May.

Coming off the Pepsi Florida Relays, the Tom Jones Memorial on April 18 and 19 is the second and final home meet of the season. The teams will then travel to LSU two weeks later.

Rankings Update

In the midst of their home stretch, the Florida men are ranked No. 6 in the USTFCCCA National Track and Field Rating Index. They sit as the fourth highest ranked SEC team behind Texas A&M at No. 1, Georgia at No. 3 and Tennessee at No. 4.

The women’s team is No. 19 and the 10th highest conference team. It’s the first appearance for either team on the top 25 this outdoor season, neither made the Week 1 list last week.

2024 Flashback 

Florida set seven top ten marks in school history in 2024’s Tom Jones Memorial Invitational.

Alida van Daalen broke her own school record in the discus last year. Her 62.58m mark was then later broken in the Oklahoma Throw Series to reset the leading effort again.

The men’s 4×400 team of Jevaughn Powell, Wanya McCoy, Reheem Hayles and Jenoah McKiver set the No. 9 time in school history by winning gold with a 3:01.20 effort.

The performance was in the top ten til they broke the time twice. They claimed the No. 3 and 4 spots, respectively, in the SEC and NCAA Championships later that season. At the Pepsi Florida Relays last week, the Gators set the second best collegiate time this year in the event at 3:02.72.

In the LSU Invitational, the women’s 4×100 squad set the No. 10 time in UF history. The team of Kayla Davis, Grace Stark, Jayla Hollis and Anthaya Charlton ran a 43.60.

Ashton Schwartzman and Jess Edwards also set personal records in the meet that still stand to this day. Schwartzman ran a 45.90 and Edwards 2:05.95.

Up Next

The Gators will have an opportunity to replicate their success in the coming weeks before the SEC Outdoor Championships.

The Tom Jones Memorial Invitational is on April 18 and 19. The LSU Invite is scheduled for May 3 and the conference title May 15 and 16.