Valby is being named National Women’s Track Athlete of the Year while Holloway is tabbed as National Men’s Coach of the Year.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The resumes of both Parker Valby and Head Coach Mike Holloway continue to grow. The duo, who took home awards in the South Region less than a week ago, are being recognized on the national stage. As announced by the USTFCCCA Monday afternoon, Valby has been voted National Women’s Track Athlete of the Year and Holloway as National Men’s Coach of the Year.
In a year where Valby has totaled five NCAA Individual Championships across three different seasons, the redshirt junior has be granted her third National Athlete of the Year award during 2023-2024.
In his 22 years at the helm of the Men’s Track & Field program, Head Coach Mike Holloway has totaled 14 National Men’s Coach of the Year honors, one for each of the National Championships won by the program.
PARKER VALBY – NATIONAL WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD TRACK ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
An outdoor season that featured two individual National Championships, two NCAA records, four meet records, three facility records and two school records has resulted in Valby’s third National Athlete of the Year honor. The Florida native was named the 2023 Lance Harter Women’s National Athlete of the Year in Cross Country<https://floridagators.com/news/2023/11/27/cross-country-coaches-tab-parker-valby-2023-lance-harter-womens-national-athlete-of-the-year.aspx> and 2024 National Women’s Track Athlete of the Year<https://floridagators.com/news/2024/3/18/track-and-field-parker-valby-voted-ncaa-division-i-national-track-athlete-of-the-year.aspx> for Indoor Track & Field. Below is a closer look at Valby’s 2024 Outdoor Track & Field season:
4.11.24 Bryan Clay Invitational – 10,000m
Valby opened her season in Azusa, California. For many athletes, the opening race of a season offers up an opportunity to set a strong baseline for the meets ahead. For Valby, she ran the 10,000m faster than any other woman in NCAA history. Completing 25 laps in 30:50.43, the redshirt junior had snapped a 14 year NCAA Record and became the 13th woman in American history to run the race in under 31 minutes.
5.11.24 SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships
Competing at Percy Beard Track for the first time in her career, Valby became the back-to-back SEC Outdoor 5000m Champion, running a time of 15:07.86 which broke her own School Record which previously stood at 15:20.10 (2022 NCAA Outdoor Championships).
5.23.24/5.25.24 NCAA East Preliminaries
Valby punched her ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in two events while competing at the NCAA East Preliminaries. After a four and a half delay and with rain still pouring down, Valby secured her spot in the 10,000m final with a first-place finish and time of 32:43.91. She advanced to the 5000m final as she finished the 12.5 lap race in 15:19.76.
6.6.24/6.8.24 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships
For the second time in 2024, Valby completed the “Distance Double” as she tallied the fifth and sixth NCAA Individual Championships of her career and fourth and fifth of the 2023-2024 academic year. In the 10,000m, Valby became the first Gator in program history to win the NCAA Championship in the event. As usual, she did so in dominant fashion as she crushed the previous meet record running a new NCAA Outdoor Championships best of 31:46.09. Less than 48 hours later, Valby stepped onto the track looking to defend her 5000m title. She not only won her second consecutive 5000m NCAA Championship, but did so while also claiming the NCAA Record in the event (14:52.18).
MIKE HOLLOWAY – NATIONAL MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD COACH OF THE YEAR
Despite finishing third at NCAA Indoor Championships and fourth at SEC Outdoor Championships, Head Coach Mike Holloway had the Gators ready to go when it mattered most as the Men’s Track & Field program was crowned the 2024 National Champions.
6.5.24/6.7.24 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships
During the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, the Florida Gators totaled 17 All-American honors, the most by any team in the nation. 13 of said honors were earned by sprints/relays, the discipline Coach Holloway works most closely with. Robert Gregory recorded the highest finish of any Gator athlete as the senior sprinter earned a runner-up finish in the 200m behind a season-best time of 20.08. Holloway also coached Jevaughn Powell to a personal best (44.54) and third place finish in the 400m. Additionally, the Gators’ 4x100m and 4x400m relays recorded third and fourth place finishes recording the No. 4 (38.34) and No. 3 (2:58.98) times on the UF All-Time Top 10 List, respectively.
FOLLOW THE GATORS
SOCIAL: Twitter<https://twitter.com/GatorsTF> | Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/pages/University-of-Florida-Track-Field-and-Cross-Country/272013273259?ref=bookmarks> | YouTube<https://www.youtube.com/user/uftrack> | Instagram<https://www.instagram.com/gatorstf/?hl=en>
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #GoGators
