GAINESVILLE, Fla. – It was a classic race at the 2022 Tom Jones Memorial Classic! Before Saturday, April 16, no collegiate team had ever run sub-2:59.00 in the men’s 4×400 relay.
Well, that stats is now history.
READ ALSO: Favour Ofili shatters collegiate 200m record with 21.96 at Tom Jones Memorial Classic
As, that all changed in Gainesville on Saturday afternoon as the team of Jacory Patterson, Ryan Willie, Jacob Miley and Champion Allison ran 2:58.53 to close out the Tom Jones Memorial Classic.
The Gators’ mark on Saturday means Florida now owns the collegiate records in the 4×100 (37.97) and the 4×400 (2:58.53).
Florida now holds the NCAA lead in both the 4×100 and 4×400 this season on the men’s side.
That record-breaking performance was just the finale on what was an outstanding Day 2 of the Tom Jones Memorial.
Grace Stark broke the school record in the 100-meter hurdles twice in one day with a mark of 12.67 in the prelims before coming back and running 12.58 in the finals.
Her mark puts her No. 10 in NCAA history and gives her the No. 3 time in the NCAA this season, but the No. 1 wind-legal time.
READ MORE: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Sha’Carri Richardson set for 100m clash in Nairobi
After setting a personal best in the 1500 meters last night, Imogen Barrett came back and lowered her personal best in the 800 meters by .37 seconds.
Her time of 2:01.65 sits third collegiately this season and is the third-fastest time in school history. Barrett now owns top-6 marks in both events in the NCAA this year.
The team of Dedrick Vanover, Tyler Davis, Jacory Patterson and Joseph Fahnbulleh ran 38.70 in the 4×100 to kick off the day.
If that wasn’t enough, all four of them came back and ran sub-10.20 in the 100 meters.
Patterson and Vanover went 10.11 to move into the top-ten collegiately this season and into a tie for eighth in school history.
Fahnbulleh (10.15) and Davis (10.17) followed right behind with personal bests and top-25 collegiate times this year.
Jasmine Moore (14.07m/46-2) and Natricia Hooper (14.03m/46-0.5) went 1-2 in the Triple Jump and took over the top two spots collegiately in the event.
In the process, Hooper broke the Guyanese national record. She now holds the record indoors and outdoors.
On the day, there were 28 personal bests, two school records, a national record and a collegiate record broken by the Gators.
By Jared Rigdon, Florida Athletics Department
