McKiver Posts a World Indoor Best, Gators Finish Promising Season Opener
Jenoah McKiver’s 1:05.75-second 600-yard performance was the fastest in history, and served as the crown jewel on a weekend packed with breakout performances.
LUBBOCK, Texas – Florida Gators Track and Field wrapped up its season-opening meet with strong performances across the board, most notably the world indoor-best 600y performance by Jenoah McKiver.
His 1:05.75 effort easily topped the previous i-600y collegiate record of 1:07.44, set by Nathan Ezekiel (Baylor) at last year’s Corky Classic. It also topped the previous all-conditions 600y best time, 1:06.68 set by Jonathan Jones (Texas) in 2022, by nearly a second.
HIGHLIGHTS
Jumps
Two freshmen made stellar first impressions on Saturday, as Asia Phillips and Jaden Lippett debuted with fourth and sixth-place finishes respectively in the women’s and men’s Triple Jump.
Phillips, the Canadian U18 and U20 Triple Jump record holder, posted a 13.08m mark on her fifth attempt. Lippett, a two-time Florida State Champion in high school, debuted with a 15.66 performance, doing so on the first jump of his collegiate career.
Gator alumnus Sean Dixon-Bodie competed in the Men’s Triple Jump as well and delivered the best jump of the field, a 16.57m effort.
India Alix recorded a 12.47m attempt in the women’s Triple Jump, a personal record.
Sprints/Relays
McKiver’s record stood out from Saturday’s proceedings, but his was not the only spectacular season debut among Florida’s day two showing. Freshmen Nicholas Spikes and Jaden Wiley emerged as forces to be reckoned with in the men’s 200m, posting Florida’s top two times of the day in the event. Each won their heat, with Spikes delivering a 21.22 time good for fourth in Section B, and Wiley boasting an incredible 20.92 in his first crack at the 200m. Wiley’s time was the third-fastest in the 200m on the day. Trenton Howard also won his Section B heat, running a 21.53 clip.
McKiver anchored one of Florida’s 4x400m relay units to close the day, and his highly-competitive final leg secured the win for Florida. He, with Rios Prude Jr., Wanya McCoy, and Ashton Schwartzman in front of him, ran a 3:02.80 clip, the seventh-fastest time in program history.
Distance
Florida’s three distance entries of the weekend all competed at once, finishing 2-3-4 in the Men’s 1000m. Edward Kepran (2:22.56) and Miguel Pantojas (2:24.44) finished second and fourth in their respective sophomore season openers. Freshman Jonah Kirspel looked the part in his first collegiate race, claiming third in a 2:22.59 time.
Throws
Gracelyn Leiseth returned to her freshman year for in the first Shot Put competition of her Sophomore year, posting a strong 15.39m mark. The USTFCCCA Second-team All-American in the Shot put last Outdoor season appears primed to be among the nation’s top athletes in the event yet again in 2025.
RESULTS – Florida Gators participants
Event
Participant – Place in heat or final//Time or mark (overall)
Notes
W Shot Put
Gracelyn Leiseth – 4th//15.39m [52′-3.25″]
Da’Moni Kelly – 17th//13.35 [43′-9.75″]
M Shot Put
Logan Montgomery – 11th//16.55m [54′-3.75″]
W Triple Jump
Asia Phillips – 4th//13.08m [42′-11″]
India Alix – 13th//12.47m [40′-11″]
PR
M Triple Jump
Jaden Lippett – 6th//15.66m [51′-4.5″]
M 200m (B)
Nicholas Spikes – 1st//21.22 (4th)
Trenton Howard – 1st//21.53 (8th)
Nathaniel Smith – 2nd//21.65 (15th)
M 1000m
Edward Kepran – 2nd//2:22.56 (2nd)
Jonah Kirspel – 3rd//2:22.59 (3rd)
Miguel Pantojas – 4th//2.24.44 (4th)
W 600y
Laila Owens – 3rd//1:24.94 (17th)
M 600y
Jenoah McKiver – 1st//1:05.75 (1st)
Sam Austin – 2nd//1:08.69 (2nd)
Rios Prude Jr. -1st//1:09.65 (7th)
Ryan Maseman – 2nd//1:09.38 (9th)
Jarrell Jimenez – 4th//1:11.78 (19th)
Ashton Schwartzman – 2nd//1:11.78 (19th)
World indoor and collegiate best
M 200m (A)
Jaden Wiley – 1st//20.92 (3rd)
Garrett Fox – 3rd//21.33 (12th)
M 4×400
Rios Prude Jr., Wanya McCoy, Ashton Schwartzman, Jenoah McKiver – 1st//3:02.80 (1st)
Nicholas Spikes, Vance Nilsson, Ryan Maseman, Sam Austin – 2nd//3:12.06 (11th)
Jarrell Jimenez, Edward Kepran, Jonah Kirspel Miguel Pantojas – 3rd//3:15.39 (18th)
UF all-time No. 7
The written recap of Day one of the Corky Classic can be found here<https://floridagators.com/news/2025/1/18/track-and-field-gators-break-into-record-books-on-day-one-of-indoor-season-cc.aspx>.
