National Champs! Gator Men's Track and Field Team Captures First NCAA Outdoor Title
The Gator men's track and field team was trailing LSU by two points heading into the final event in the NCAA Outdoor championships in Des Moines, Iowa. Four Gators welcomed the pressure, and made history just over three minutes later. The 4x400-meter relay team of Dedric Dukes, Hugh Graham Jr, Leonardo Seymore, and Tony McQuay ran the fastest time in the world this year at 3:00.02 and took first place to catapult the Gators atop the standings, claiming the school's first-ever men's track and field outdoor championship. Florida (50) finished two points better than LSU (48) and 10 over soon-to-be SEC member Texas A&M (40). McQuay anchored Florida team in the final leg and picked up another gear as he raced towards the finish line. The overall team win is more impressive, considering multi-event athlete Gray Horn was suspended from the team after a DUI charge, and arguably Florida's best sprinter Jeff Demps was sidelined due to injury.
The women's team finished in 12th place with 18 total team points.
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