Gators demonstrate depth and resilience, overcoming adversity throughout season to earn one-point win, despite not prevailing in a single event at Hayward Field; Auburn, USC and Alabama also finish on podium

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Photo by Logan Hannigan-Downs

EUGENE, Ore. – Although Hayward Field has been the site of four men’s team titles for Florida during the past 13 years at the NCAA Division 1 Championships, the venue has also provided the setting for a pair of empty pursuits when it came to potential three-peat bids by the Gators.

But the third time was the charm Friday for Florida, despite the path to the championship being an unpredictable and improbable one for the resilient Gators.

Despite scoring in only eight of 21 events and not winning a single competition, including having its quest for a third straight 4x400-meter relay crown upstaged by rival Texas A&M, Florida still managed to showcase enough depth and plenty of perseverance to edge Auburn by a 41-40 margin for the program’s seventh men’s team championship.

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The Gators secured their first three-peat after winning in 2012-13, only to have host Oregon secure victory in 2014, then prevailing again in 2016-17, before Georgia triumphed in 2018 at Hayward Field.

Florida swept the men’s and women’s team championships for the first time in program history in 2022 in Oregon, before capturing back-to-back titles last season in Austin, Texas.

Although the Gators have done everything from share the men’s team crown with Texas A&M in 2013 at Hayward Field to win in runaway fashion in Eugene two years ago, their victory Friday might have been the most rewarding for Florida head coach Mike Holloway, considering the obstacles the team faced with several injuries throughout the lineup during the regular season.

“I’m going to call this one a measure of our ability to overcome adversity,” Holloway said. “We start off with 39.40 in the 4x100, then we get to 38.3. JeVaughn Powell has been a little nicked up this year and he gets it together. Robert Gregory has a pretty serious tendon thing behind his knee and he’s just starting to get back in form. For him to go out and finish second in the country was big.

“Kai Chang, you know, just pick anybody with the uniform on. You have guys like Wanya McCoy who had a bad knee, and you pick your brother up. Parvej Khan doesn’t make the final, we all know he’s one of the best runners in the country, but there’s nothing we can do about those things. He made a freshman mistake, but you pick your brother up. We have a standard at Florida. We fight through it every day. It is the final fight for this year, so let’s go fight.”

Auburn matched the best men’s team finish in program history, joining second-place efforts in 2003 and 2008. The Tigers opened the meet Friday by winning the 4x100-meter relay for the first time in 38.03 seconds, ascending to the No. 3 program in collegiate history.

Freshman Ja’Kobe Tharp was second in the 110-meter hurdles in a wind-legal 13.20 for Auburn, which also had Nigerian athletes Favour Ashe and Kanyinsola Ajayi secure second and third in the 100-meter dash final in wind-legal marks of 9.99 and 10.01 seconds, respectively. Makanakaishe Charamba of Zimbabwe was fifth in the 200 final in a wind-legal 20.20, in addition to Keyshawn Strachan placing fifth in the javelin throw final at 245-10 (74.95m).

USC managed to overcome a disqualification Wednesday in the 4x100-meter relay semifinals to take third with 33 points following an eighth-place performance in the 4x400 relay in 3:02.68.

But the Trojans, who have won an NCAA record 26 men’s outdoor team titles, knew they didn’t capitalize on plenty of additional opportunities to score points, despite making their first podium appearance since 2018.

Jamaican athlete Racquil Broderick was second in the discus throw final Friday with a mark of 202-8 (61.77m) for USC, which also had 15 points from Wednesday’s long jump championship, including JC Stevenson winning the title in the sixth round with a leap of 26-11.75 (8.22m).

Alabama was fourth with 32 points, earning a podium finish for only the third time in program history, along with a third-place showing in 1983 and another fourth-place effort in 1986.

Samuel Ogazi of Nigeria ascended to the No. 6 all-time World Under-20 competitor for Alabama by placing second in the 400-meter final in 44.52.

Victor Kiprop, a Kenyan athlete, finished second Wednesday in the 10,000 championship in 28:08.59 and Ugandan standout Tarsis Orogot took fourth Friday in the 200 final in 20.14. 

But the Crimson Tide endured a ninth-place performance in the 4x400 relay in 3:03.18, and were unable to move ahead of USC.

Alabama held off Texas A&M, which benefited from 10 points after winning the 4x400 in 2:58.37 to elevate to fifth with 31, edging Houston (30.5 points) and Arkansas (30 points), as the Razorbacks – who received another high jump title Friday from Jamaican competitor Romaine Beckford following his 7-5 (2.26m) clearance – suffered a disappointing conclusion to a championship meet that they entered as the top-ranked team in the country.

Florida had another Jamaican athlete, Kai Chang, finish fifth in the discus final at 198-10 (60.61m), followed by a fourth-place finish in the 4x100 championship race in 38.34, Sean Dixon-Bodie earned eighth in the triple jump at 53-5 (16.28m) and Bahamian competitor Wanya McCoy secured sixth in the 100 in 10.03.

The Gators had Jamaican competitors JeVaughn Powell (44.54) and Reheem Hayles (45.78) capture third and seventh in the 400-meter final, with Robert Gregory giving Florida the necessary momentum to win the team title following his runner-up finish in the 200 in a wind-legal 20.08.

Following a thrilling victory against Arizona State last year in Texas to win back-to-back 4x400 relay titles, the Gators were unable to become the first men’s program to win at least three in a row in the event since UCLA prevailed six straight years from 1969-74, taking third in 2:58.98 behind Texas A&M and Arkansas (2:58.83).

But with Auburn not part of the 4x400 field, the final six points were all Florida needed to move into a tie with Oregon for fourth all-time with a seventh men’s team crown.

“I was very excited. I knew that not only did we have to be third or better, but we also had to be right behind Alabama and USC, and that happened,” Holloway said. “It’s a great feeling, these things never get old. Every year, I get asked what my favorite championship team is. My answer is always, ‘The next one.’ We’re really excited. We have a couple of new coaches again this year and a lot of new athletes and it’s a great experience for them. It’s always great to watch them and the things that they do and how excited they are when we win. That’s the special part of it.”