GAINESVILLE, FL — Matthew Boling will feature in three events when he returns to Florida this weekend for the 2022 Tom Jones Memorial Classic, which is being hosted at the University of Florida in Gainesville on Friday, 15 April, and Saturday, 16 April. Read more: How to watch the 2022 Mt. Sac Relays?
Boling will be making his third trip to Florida this outdoor season and his second at the Gators, following his appearances at the FSU Relays last month and most recently at the Florida Relays on 2 April.
The Georgia junior will line-up in the men’s 100 meters, and long jump before joining three of his teammates in the final event on the schedule, the men’s 4x400m relay.
Read More: How to watch the 2022 Tom Jones Memorial Classic?
The last time Boling was at the Pearcy Beard Track at James G. Pressly Stadium, he finished third overall in the 200m with a time of 20.31 seconds, but this weekend the 21-year-old will switch back to the 100m.
It is an event in which he’s already posted a personal best of 10.03 secs for victory at the FSU Relays in Tallahassee, on 25 March, and the Georgia standout will be hoping to build on that performance.
His current PB is also the fastest among NCAA DI men’s sprinters this season.
Florida’s Joseph Fahnbulleh, Jacory Patterson, and Dedrick Vanover, in addition to Devon Achane of Texas A&M, Texas Tech’s Jacolby Shelton and Terrence Jones, and Amir Willis and JoVaughn Martin of Florida States, are all scheduled to race in the men’s 100m as well.
Before hitting the track though, Boling will compete in the men’s long jump event at the 2022 Tom Jones Memorial Classic, which is slated to take place on Friday night at 7:00 pm ET.
The NCAA Indoor Championships third-place finisher is yet to contest his field event specialty in the outdoor season, but he’ll be looking to immediately challenge the current top marks in the nation in 2022.
During the indoor campaign, Boling leaped a personal best of 8.25m and had two marks that were over eight meters in the winter.
His outdoor best came last April in Athens, Georgia, where he leaped 8.02m at the Spec Towns Invitational 2021, while his only other jump over the eight-meter mark in outdoor competitions was achieved as a high schooler in 2019.
Among the jumpers set to challenge Boling for the long jump title here in Gainesville is Brandon Hicklin of North Carolina A&T who has a best effort of 7.69m so far this term, which is ranked No. 9 in the nation.
Ja’Von Douglas of NC State, Florida State’s Jeremiah Davis, and Malcolm Clemons of Florida are also lining up in the men’s long jump.
Meanwhile, NCAA Indoor 60m champion Melissa Jefferson of Coastal Carolina will make her debut in the 100m outdoors this season after running a wind-aided 23.26 (+3.2 m/s) at the Weems Baskin Relays last month.
Both the collegiate and the elite lineups for the 2022 Tom Jones Memorial Classic are blessed with world-class talents ready to provide a mountain of entertainment this weekend.
