Gators Punch Eight Tickets to Eugene on Penultimate Day of Prelims
JACKSONVILLE – Florida Gators Track and Field concluded day three of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field East Preliminaries on Friday. The Gators added eight entries, six for the men and two for the women, to the schedule of events at the NCAA Championship meet in Eugene.
Highlights
Throws
The Gators advanced both athletes in the Women’s Shot Put field on Friday morning. Sophomore Gracelyn Leiseth, a 2024 USTFCCCA All-American in the Shot Put, punched her ticket in dramatic fashion, after initially recording the 13th-best mark in the field due to two faults to finish her three attempts and falling one spot out of advancing to Eugene.
Leiseth successfully protested the fault ruling on her final throw, and the throw was ultimately counted. Her new mark, 18.31m [60′ 1″], set a personal best by nearly a full two feet, and propelled her to the No. 1 spot to win the field. The mark is the No. 3 performance in program history, and she becomes just the third woman in school history to eclipse the 60-foot mark.
Alida van Daalen recorded a 17.08m [56′ 0.5″] mark, earning her a seventh-place finish and a ticket to the national meet. Her spot in Eugene is yet another impressive achievement earned as she returns from a shoulder injury that kept her sidelined during the indoor season.
Jacob Lemmon, a three-time USTFCCCA All-Americanin the Discus Throw with Virginia, is headed back to Eugene in his senior season, this time representing his home state of Florida. His mark of 58.05m [190′ 5″] earned him an eighth-place finish.
Jumps
Freshman Jaden Lippett entered the Men’s Triple Jump competition on Friday seeded in the third flight, needing to post a significant mark in order to outlast a loaded fourth flight.
He answered the call with an impressive 15.94m [52′ 3.75″] personal best, the tenth-best performance of the field. He was the only freshman in the east region to qualify for the national meet in the triple jump.
Sprints/Hurdles
Jenoah McKiver continued his return to dominance on Thursday, advancing in the 400m with a season-best 45.29-second effort, taking third in heat one and automatically qualifying.
Demaris Waters finished third in his 110m Hurdles quarterfinal heat, automatically qualifying for the Semifinal field in Eugene. The 2024 All-American returns to the NCAA title meet in his first season donning the Orange and Blue kit, after qualifying with San Jose State last season.
Jaden Wiley ran an impressive 10.14-second 100m dash, though he finished in 13th place, just .01-seconds away from the bubble.
Rios Prude Jr. posted a season-best 45.79 in the 400m quarterfinals, but finished just outside of the bubble with the 16th-best time in the field.
Relays
The Gators, the collegiate leaders in the 4x400m relay, entered the east region field as the No. 1 seed. They finished with a win of heat three and a 3:02.01 time that placed them second in the field. McKiver’s 44.39-second split overtook Alabama for the heat win.
The Gators 4x100m relay also advanced to the title bout, taking a time-qualifying spot with their 39.21 time.
Live Results and Streaming
Live Results from the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field East Preliminaries can be found here.
ESPN+ will broadcast Saturday’s events here.
NCAA East Preliminaries – Florida Gators Results
Friday, May 30
Highlights
Throws
The Gators advanced both athletes in the Women’s Shot Put field on Friday morning. Sophomore Gracelyn Leiseth, a 2024 USTFCCCA All-American in the Shot Put, punched her ticket in dramatic fashion, after initially recording the 13th-best mark in the field due to two faults to finish her three attempts and falling one spot out of advancing to Eugene.
Leiseth successfully protested the fault ruling on her final throw, and the throw was ultimately counted. Her new mark, 18.31m [60′ 1″], set a personal best by nearly a full two feet, and propelled her to the No. 1 spot to win the field. The mark is the No. 3 performance in program history, and she becomes just the third woman in school history to eclipse the 60-foot mark.
Alida van Daalen recorded a 17.08m [56′ 0.5″] mark, earning her a seventh-place finish and a ticket to the national meet. Her spot in Eugene is yet another impressive achievement earned as she returns from a shoulder injury that kept her sidelined during the indoor season.
Jacob Lemmon, a three-time USTFCCCA All-Americanin the Discus Throw with Virginia, is headed back to Eugene in his senior season, this time representing his home state of Florida. His mark of 58.05m [190′ 5″] earned him an eighth-place finish.
Jumps
Freshman Jaden Lippett entered the Men’s Triple Jump competition on Friday seeded in the third flight, needing to post a significant mark in order to outlast a loaded fourth flight.
He answered the call with an impressive 15.94m [52′ 3.75″] personal best, the tenth-best performance of the field. He was the only freshman in the east region to qualify for the national meet in the triple jump.
Sprints/Hurdles
Jenoah McKiver continued his return to dominance on Thursday, advancing in the 400m with a season-best 45.29-second effort, taking third in heat one and automatically qualifying.
Demaris Waters finished third in his 110m Hurdles quarterfinal heat, automatically qualifying for the Semifinal field in Eugene. The 2024 All-American returns to the NCAA title meet in his first season donning the Orange and Blue kit, after qualifying with San Jose State last season.
Jaden Wiley ran an impressive 10.14-second 100m dash, though he finished in 13th place, just .01-seconds away from the bubble.
Rios Prude Jr. posted a season-best 45.79 in the 400m quarterfinals, but finished just outside of the bubble with the 16th-best time in the field.
Relays
The Gators, the collegiate leaders in the 4x400m relay, entered the east region field as the No. 1 seed. They finished with a win of heat three and a 3:02.01 time that placed them second in the field. McKiver’s 44.39-second split overtook Alabama for the heat win.
The Gators 4x100m relay also advanced to the title bout, taking a time-qualifying spot with their 39.21 time.
Live Results and Streaming
Live Results from the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field East Preliminaries can be found here.
ESPN+ will broadcast Saturday’s events here.
NCAA East Preliminaries – Florida Gators Results
Friday, May 30
| Event | Participant – Time or mark//place in heat (overall) | Notes |
| W Shot Put * | Gracelyn Leiseth – 18.31m [60’1″]//1st Alida van Daalen – 17.08m [58’0.5″]//7th |
QUAL FOR NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP, UF All-time No. 3, PB QUAL FOR NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP |
| M Discus Throw * | Jacob Lemmon – 58.05m [190′ 5″]//8th | QUAL FOR NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP |
| M Triple Jump * | Jaden Lippett – 15.94m [52′ 3.75]//10th | QUAL FOR NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP, PB |
| M 4x100m * | Justin Braun, Jaden Wiley, Malique Smith-Band, Garrett Fox – 39.21//5th (11th) | QUAL FOR NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP |
| M 110m Hurdles * | Demaris Waters – 13.49//3rd (9th) | QUAL FOR NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP |
| M 100m * | Jaden Wiley – 10.14//4th (13th) | |
| M 400m * | Jenoah McKiver – 45.29//3rd (7th) Rios Prude Jr. – 45.79//6th (16th) Reheem Hayles – 46.28//6th (21st) Ashton Schwartzman – 46.44//7th (22nd) Nicholas Spikes – 46.89//8th (23rd) |
QUAL FOR NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP, SB SB |
| M 200m * | Jaden Wiley – DNS | |
| M 4x400m * | Ashton Schwartzman, Justin Braun, Reheem Hayles, Jenoah McKiver – 3:02.01 | QUAL FOR NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP |
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