Florida Wins Four Medals on Day Two of the SEC Outdoor Championships

BATON ROUGE, La – The Florida Gators wasted no time on day two of the SEC Outdoor Championships, earning a medal in the first event of the day. Sterling Lester competed in the final three events of the heptathlon competition, earning bronze in the women’s heptathlon (5778 points). Her performance was a new personal best in the event.
 
Alida van Daalen continued her stellar freshman campaign, winning gold in the women’s shot put competition (18.07m/59’3.5″). Van Daalen has won both the SEC Indoors and SEC Outdoors shot put title this season. She will seek to add another event title to her already impressive resume, when she takes part in the women’s discus competition on Saturday.
 
The women’s long jump duo of Jasmine Moore and Claire Bryant found the podium once again. Moore continues her unparalleled dominance of the horizontal jumps, winning gold in the women’s long jump (6.88m/22’7″). Her mark was a new school record, the farthest in the country this year, and the third farthest in the world this year. Moore has won every long and triple jump competition at SEC and NCAA competitions as a Gator. Claire Bryant earned bronze in the long jump (6.68m/21’11”), her fifth straight medal in the event at an SEC Championship.

Florida qualified athletes through to the finals in all events competed in on the track on Friday with the exception of the women’s 100m.

 

On day two, the Gators advanced six runners from prelims to finals on the men’s side. Pjai Austin and Robert Gregory advanced in the 100m. In the 400m, Emmanuel Bamidele, Ryan Willie, and Jevaughn Powell all qualified for the finals on Saturday. Matt Mule’ was the final men’s runner to advance and will compete in the 1500m final. Overall Florida has nine men’s runners in finals on Saturday.

 

On the women’s side on day two of the competition, Florida advanced six runners to finals. Both Grace Stark and Jayla Hollis automatically qualified for the 100m hurdles finals on Saturday. Talitha Diggs advanced to her second finals of the weekend, this time in the 400m. The final three women to advance to finals were Gabrielle Wilkinson, Imogen Barrett, and Lucinda Rourke in the 1500m. The Florida women have ten runners competing in finals on Saturday.

 

Tomorrow the Gators begin the final day of the SEC Outdoor Championships at 3:00 p.m. ET, as Logan Montgomery competes in the men’s discus competition. The first running event begins at 6:05 p.m. ET with the men’s and women’s 4×100 relays….