Despite a nearly five-hour weather delay, the Gators punched two tickets to Eugene and advanced eight to quarterfinal rounds.
JACKSONVILLE – Florida Gators Track and Field participated in day one of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field East Preliminaries on Wednesday, seeing 10 of 16 entered athletes advance past the first round of competition for their events.
After a nearly five-hour delay due to a severe thunderstorm, The Gators began competition at 10 p.m. ET.
Highlights
Throws
Leikel Cabrera Gay, in his first season at the NCAA level, has earned a spot in the Javelin field of the Division I National Championship meet. The strapping sophomore punched his ticket with a 73.11m [239’10”] attempt, in spite of the muggy conditions and damp runway.
The Havana, Cuba native has already claimed the No. 4 spot in Florida’s record books in the Javelin, and has his sights set on national prominence just one season removed from dominating the junior college ranks.
Jumps
In the Long Jump, Malcolm Clemons punched his ticket to the outdoor national title meet for the third consecutive year. He will look to play a prominent role for Florida at the title bout after securing a crucial third-place finish in the Long Jump in Eugene last season.
His 7.59m [24′ 11.0″] first attempt was more than enough to secure his spot at the national meet, ultimately finishing seventh in the field.
Sprints/Hurdles
The Gators saw eight of their ten entries advance in the sprint and hurdles disciplines on Wednesday, including an impressive five entries in the 400m event.
Jenoah McKiver, the breakout star of the indoor season’s early-going, delivered his strongest showing of the outdoor slate by a wide margin, finishing second in the field with his 45.34-second lap. His performance marked a welcome return to form, looking like his dominant self for the first time since his injury during the indoor schedule.
Strong performances from 2024 USTFCCCA All-American Reheem Hayles and Senior Ashton Schwartzman netted them automatic qualifications to the quarterfinals. Freshman Nicholas Spikes and sophomore Rios Prude Jr. earned spots in the quarterfinal round via their times. Prude’s 45.93-second effort marked a season best.
Jaden Wiley, Florida’s leader in the short sprint events, qualified in both the 100m and 200m. his 10.38 100m was enough to move him on by time, and his second-place finish in heat six of the 200m automatically sent him forward to Friday’s quarterfinal.
Demaris Waters, Florida’s lone representative in the hurdle events, won the first heat of the 110m Hurdles proceedings and comfortably advanced to Friday’s quarterfinal rounds.
Schedule Updates
Due to the lengthy delay, the Men’s Shot Put event, which will feature Florida’s Logan Montgomery, was pushed to Thursday at 12:30 p.m.
The Women’s Hammer Throw has been moved up on Thursday’s docket to 8:00 a.m. ET. Imani Washington will throw in the third flight.
Live Results and Streaming
Live Results from the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field East Preliminaries can be found here<https://flashresults.ncaa.com/Outdoor/2025/FirstRounds/East/index.htm>.
ESPN+ will broadcast Thursday’s events here<https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=2f2a3846-c6db-4620-b498-f156e4e7a6e8>.
NCAA Outdoor Track and Field East Preliminaries – Florida Gators Results
Wednesday, May 28
Event
Participant – Time or Mark//Place in Heat (overall)
Notes
M Javelin *
Leikel Cabrera Gay – 73.11m [239′ 10″]//4th
QUAL FOR NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
M Long Jump *
Malcolm Clemons – 7.59m [24′ 11.0″]//7th
QUAL FOR NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
M 110m Hurdles
Demaris Waters – 13.54//1st (2nd)
Qualifies by finish
M 100m
Jaden Wiley – 10.38//4th (18th)
qualifies by time
M 400m
Jenoah McKiver – 45.34//1st (2nd)
Reheem Hayles – 45.71//1st (5th)
Ashton Schwartzman – 45.84//2nd (9th)
Rios Prude Jr. – 45.93//4th (13th)
Nicholas Spikes – 46.37//5th (22nd)
Justin Braun – 46.54//5th (25th)
Malique Smith-Band – 46.63//4th (30th)
SB, Qualifies by finish
Qualifies by finish
Qualifies by finish
SB, qualifies by time
qualifies by time
M 800m
Miguel Pantojas – 1:49.25//8th (36th)
Gavin Nelson – 1:49.57//8th (37th)
Joe Wester – 1:51.08//8th (44th)
Ryan Maseman – 1:54.34//8th (47th)
M 200m
Jaden Wiley – 20.69//2nd (8th)
Qualifies by finish
