Gators Rise Up To Beat Arkansas, 57-53, In Meet That Goes Down To Wire

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Photos by Jamison Michael and Bert Richardson

AUSTIN -- Once again, Florida and its 4x400 relay had the final word at the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Mike A. Myers Stadium. 

The Gators, under coach Mike Holloway, won their sixth men's outdoor championship in the past 11 years. 

Florida went into the final event, the 4x400 relay, trailing Arkansas by five points in the team race but expected to win. And the Gators did, breaking their own collegiate record with a time of 2:57.74 -- the kind of time that is usually only found in global finals. 

The lineup of Emmanuel Bamidele, Jacory Patterson, JeVaughn Powell and Ryan Willie held off a big effort from Arizona State, but won the race by .04 seconds. Florida secured back-to-back 4x400 titles, achieving the feat for the first time since winning consecutive relay championships in 2012-13, and now boasts four of the top six all-time collegiate performances.

LSU was the last team to win the 4x400 two years in a row in 2015-16.

INTERVIEWS

"There's no greater feeling than doing it with your guys," Willie said. "Heart, sweat and tears every day in practice. To come out here and show our talents, it's a great feeling."

Arkansas could have tied or won by placing fourth or better, but the Razorbacks finished eighth and it wasn't enough. 

"Arkansas was incredible indoors, they were the best team, but I felt like we could have done better," Holloway said. "I challenged them to be our best out here and put our best foot forward and I told them, guys if we get 57 to 60, we've got a chance. We got 57 and it worked out."

Florida graduated 2022 star Joe Fahnbulleh, the 100-200 champion, but many of the important pieces of last year's team stepped up and shined in Austin. 

Bamidele and Willie went 1-2 in the 400-meter final, clocking 44.24 and 44.25, respectively. It was the first time men's teammates placed first and second in the one-lap race since USC did it in the 440 yards in 1942. The Gators also picked up two extra points from Powell's seventh-place finish. 

Friday's finals began with a fortunate turn for Florida when 4x100 relay winner Texas Tech was disqualified for an exchange zone violation. That bumped the Gators from third to second, and an extra two points. 

Those points were valuable because Arkansas took 10 points out of the triple jump with Jamaican freshman sensation Jaydon Hibbert flying to 57-7.50 (17.56m) and winning by two feet. 

Arkansas was close to adding 10 more in the discus, but Arizona State's Turner Washington unleashed a powerful sixth-round throw that overtook the Razorbacks' Roje Stona, also representing Jamaica, for the win.

Phillip Lemonious, another Jamaican standout, gave Arkansas a boost on the track when he pulled out a close victory in the 110-meter hurdles final in 13.24 seconds. 

Florida added points in the 100-meter dash, where Pjai Austin took fifth, and the 200, where Robert Gregory took fourth. Sean Dixon-Bodie added a fourth-place finish in the triple jump. 

"From day one, everyone knew what the task was, and we came out and did that," Powell said. 

Stanford was a surprising third-place finisher and got 44 points with just three athletes -- 20 points by Ky Robinson with a 10,000/5,000 double, 11 from Charles Hicks in those two races, and 13 from Udodi Onwuzurike, who won the 200 and was sixth in the 100. 

The Cardinal became the first men's team to make the podium with three or fewer athletes scoring since UCLA finished tied for fourth in 1997 with 31 points with only three scorers (Meb Keflezighi won the 5,000 and 10,000, David Dumble was third in the discus and Josh Johnson was fourth in the javelin).

LSU came in fourth with 43 points and Arizona State was fifth with 41.

The Sun Devils, with Justin Robinson on the anchor of the 4x400, nearly caught Florida but settled for second in 2:57.78 -- the third-fastest time in collegiate history.