Sixteen current and former Florida Gators are currently in Eugene, OR participating in the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for the opportunity to represent their country in the 2012 London Olympics. Below is an update on how they performed through the first three days of competition and a schedule for the remainder of the trials for each competitor.

Team Trials for track & field as well as swimming & diving (in Omaha, NE) continue until July 2. There are 32 additional Gators participating in the swimming & diving competitions.

EVENTS IN PROGRESS

MEN’S 100-METER DASH
Senior Jeff Demps – 2nd (Heat 2) – 10.18 seconds – Advanced to semifinals
Next competing: Sunday, June 24 at 5:30 p.m. (Heat 3)

MEN’S 400-METER DASH
Junior Tony McQuay – 1st (Heat 1) – 44.84 seconds – Advanced to finals
Next competing: Sunday, June 24 at 7:20 p.m. live on NBC (Heat 1)
Calvin Smith – 5th (Heat 1) – 45.61 seconds – Eliminated

WOMEN’S 400-METER DASH
Sophomore Ebony Eutsey – 6th (Heat 2) – 53.22 seconds – Eliminated

MEN’S LONG JUMP
Will Claye – 1st – 7.98m/26-2.25 – Advanced to finals
Next competing: Sunday, June 24 at 6:00 p.m. (Flight 1)
Christian Taylor – 3rd – 7.89m/25-10.75 – Advanced to finals
Next competing: Sunday, June 24 at 6:00 p.m. (Flight 1)
Freshman Marquis Dendy – 7th – 7.73m/25-4.50 – Advanced to finals
Next competing: Sunday, June 24 at 6:00 p.m. (Flight 1)

MEN’S HIGH JUMP
Junior Dwight Barbiasz – 11th – 2.15m/7-0.5 – Advanced to semifinals
Next competing: Monday, June 25 at 8:50 p.m. (Flight 1)

COMPLETED EVENTS

MEN’S DECATHALON
Senior Gray Horn – 3rd – 7,954 – Did not qualify

MEN’S HAMMER THROW
Junior Jeremy Postin – 14th – 67.51m/221-6 – Eliminated (Thursday)

UPCOMING EVENTS

MEN’S DISCUS THROW
Competing: Westley Stockbarger (June 25 at 6:30 p.m.)

WOMEN’S 1,500-METER RUN
Competing: Cory McGee (June 28 at 6:50 p.m.)

MEN’S TRIPLE JUMP
Competing: Will Claye, Omar Craddock, Christian Taylor (June 28 at 7:30 p.m.)

MEN’S 400-METER HURDLES
Competing: Kerron Clement (June 28 at 9:00 p.m. live on NBC Sports Network)

MEN’S 200-METER DASH
Competing: Dedric Dukes (June 29 at 4:45 p.m.)

MEN’S 110-METER HURDLES
Competing: Eddie Lovett (June 29 at 7:05 p.m. live on NBC Sports Network)

Tags: Calvin Smith, Christian Taylor, Dwight Barbiasz, Ebony Eutsey, field, Gray Horn, Jeff Demps, Jeremy Postin, Marquis Dendy, Olympics, Tony McQuay, track, USA, Will Claye

1 » Could Florida Gators freshman guard Bradley Beal be the decided target of the Washington Wizards with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft on June 28? That appears to be the case after Washington completed a trade on Wednesday that sent a small forward Rashard Lewis and a second-round pick to New Orleans for SF Trevor Ariza and power forward/center Emeka Okafor. By adding two talented, starting-caliber frontcourt players, the chances that the Wizards would select a forward like Kentucky’s Michael Kidd-Gilchrist or Kansas’ Thomas Robinson (if he was even available) have been reduced significantly, meaning Beal could very well be the top player on their board with the draft just over a week away.

2 » Speaking of Beal, ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla wrote Wednesday about what weakness Beal needs to improve on ($) in order to have a productive NBA career.

Beal’s screen-and-roll ability in Billy Donovan‘s screen-and-roll-oriented offense was average at best. Often when challenged by the screener’s defender (usually a big man), Beal was not able to take him on and beat him off the dribble. Ultimately, Beal shot just 35 percent in the screen-and-roll, and his overall points produced for himself or his teammates was a paltry 0.7 points per possession.

Part of the reason Beal struggled in the screen-and-roll is that he is a straight-line driver. I don’t doubt that he has been working hard on his ballhandling creativity. If he is going to be more than a one-dimensional jump-shooter, he’ll be handling the ball a lot, especially because the NBA’s 24-second shot clock demands it.

3 » The 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for track & field begin Friday in Eugene, OR with 17 total current and former Gators hoping to earn the opportunity to compete in the2012 London Olympics. Among those participating in the trials over the next 11 days are 10 current Florida student-athletes including: senior/junior Dwight Barbiasz (high jump), junior Omar Craddock (triple jump), junior/senior Jeff Demps (100-meter dash), freshman Marquis Dendy (long jump), freshman Dedric Dukes (200-meter dash), sophomore Ebony Eutsey (400-meter dash), sophomore Eddie Lovett (110-meter hurdles), sophomore Cory McGee (1,500-meter run), junior Tony McQuay (400-meter dash) and junior Jeremy Postin (hammer throw). Former Gators set to compete include: Hazel Clark (800-meter dash), Will Claye (long jump, triple jump), Kerron Clement (400-meter hurdles), Gray Horn (decathlon), Calvin Smith (400-meter dash), Wes Stockbarger (discus throw) and Christian Taylor (triple jump).

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Tags: baseball, Bradley Beal, Calvin Smith, Capital One Cup, Christian Taylor, College World Series, Cory McGee, Dedric Dukes, Directors' Cup, diving, Draft, Dwight Barbiasz, Ebony Eutsey, Eddie Lovett, field, Gray Horn, gymnastics, Hazel Clark, Jeff Demps, Jeremy Postin, Jonathon Crawford, Kerron Clement, lacrosse, Marquis Dendy, NBA, Olympics, Omar Craddock, SEC, swimming, tennis, Tony McQuay, track, University of Florida, USA, USA Baseball, volleyball, Washington Wizards, Wes Stockbarger, Will Claye

From time to time, OGGOA will come across a plethora of news and notes that we wish to share – too much to fit into one of our truncated BITS segments. In these instances, or when stories fall through the cracks, we catch and wrap them all up with Gator Bites.

» Former Florida Gators forward Chandler Parsons of the Houston Rockets was named to the NBA’s All-Rookie second team on Tuesday, falling just seven points short of earning a first-team nod. Parsons averaged 9.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.2 steals while starting 57 of 63 games for Houston in his rookie season.

» Hoping to achieve a similar feat in his rookie season, Florida freshman guard Bradley Beal is currently getting ready to work out for teams as he prepares for the 2012 NBA Draft. He will have some help towards that goal thanks to the league, which invited him to be one of 60 players who will compete at the 2012 NBA Combine in Chicago, IL. Gators senior point guard Erving Walker was not included on the list.

» Florida head coach Will Muschamp and offensive coordinator Brent Pease made it a point to note that they plan to bring on a quarterback commitment each and every year. To that end a pair of three-star 2013 signal callers, Ryan Buchanan (Jackson, MS) and Tim Boyle (Middleton, CT), will be visiting Gainesville, FL over the weekend. Though UF has struck out with some big name quarterbacks this recruiting cycle and has four signal callers that will be on the roster for at least the next two years, the coaches have not changed their minds about brining another one into the fold. “It’s a very difficult position to evaluate and then take the right guy,” Muschamp said at a Gator Gathering on Tuesday, according to InsidetheGators.com. “Guys that worry about depth charts, we don’t want them. You hit it with them one time, if they ask you to go over it a second time. If they ask a third time, you need to move on.” If the Gators have their way, either Buchanan or Boyle will put an end to their search for a 2013 quarterback.

» Speaking of recruiting, things are getting interesting (or aggravating, if you prefer) for Florida basketball as the team looks to add at least one more player before heading into the 2012-13 season. South Carolina transfer power forward Damontre Harris, a former four-star recruit who averaged 6.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks while playing 25.9 minutes per game last season, was supposed to make his decision between UF, Kansas or staying at USC last week but has yet to make a call. The Gators are also under consideration by Virginia Tech transfer F Dorian Finney-Smith, another former four-star recruit who averaged 6.3 points and 7.0 rebounds while shooting 36.6 percent from three last season. Finney-Smith has only “narrowed” his list to Florida, Georgetown, Iowa State, Louisville, Marquette, Ohio State and Texas. He will take visits and speak to coaches before making his decision.

» Joining the undecided party is 2012 four-star PF Montrezl Harrell (Tarboro, VA). Formerly a VT signee, Harrell decided to pursue other opportunities after the team fired head coach Seth Greenberg and is heavily considering playing for UF, which is one of a handful of schools on his short list (Alabama, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, South Carolina are the others). The Gators may have an inside track on Harrell due to head coach Billy Donovan being the head coach for the USA Basketball U18 National Team during training camp from June 5-12 in Colorado Springs, CO. Harrell will be playing on the team and have the opportunity to see first-hand what it would be like to practice and play for Donovan. Some are of the opinion that Louisville, a team he did not list when mentioning his top five, has an opportunity to be his eventual destination.

Continue Reading » Gator Bites for Wednesday, May 23

Tags: AFL, All-American, All-Rookie, All-SEC, Billy Donovan, Bradley Beal, Brent Pease, Chandler Parsons, combine, CPSDA Athlete of the Year, Damontre Harris, Dorian Finney-Smith, Draft, Dwayne Dixon, Erving Walker, Genevieve LaCaze, Hall of Fame, Houston Rockets, Jeff Demps, Miami Heat, Montrezl Harrell, NBA, NFL, Olympics, Playoffs, Robin Reynolds, Ryan Buchanan, Ryan Lochte, SEC, SEC Outdoor Championship, Steve Spurrier, Tim Boyle, Tim Tebow, track, Udonis Haslem, USA Basketball, Will Muschamp

Florida Gators track & field was unsuccessful in its bid to win a team title over the weekend but 12 members of the team combined to win 12 individual titles at the 2012 Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships in Baton Rouge, LA.

Senior distance runner Genevieve LaCaze led the way for Florida with three individual titles in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (10:13.99), 1,500-meter run (4:13.44) and 5,000-meter run (16:26.38). She is the first student-athlete in SEC history to win both the steeplechase and 1,500-meters after picking up the second title early on Sunday and similarly became the first student-athlete in conference history to win all three championships after finishing the 5,000-meters later Sunday afternoon.

LaCaze is also the first UF female to win the Commissioner’s Trophy (awarded to the highest point scorer) since 2002 and tied the school women’s record for most points scored at an individual meet (30).

Junior jumper Omar Craddock continued the Gators’ domination of the triple jump, capturing the outdoor championship with a mark of 54-08.75. Florida has won the SEC Outdoor title in the triple jump three years in a row and both the SEC Indoor title and NCAA Indoor championship four-straight years. Craddock has completed a trifecta by winning three already in 2012 and will look for the sweep later this season.

Also finding success in the triple jump on Sunday was freshman jumper Ciarra Brewer, who won the women’s title with a mark of 44-6.75 – the best in the nation this season. UF has won four of the last five women’s triple jumps a the SEC Outdoors.

Florida’s men captured five more titles with junior sprinter Tony McQuay winning the 400-meter dash (45.48), sophomore thrower Stipe Zunic winning the javelin (77.87m/255-06), junior thrower Jeremy Postin winning the hammer (68.18m/223-8), junior jumper Dwight Barbiasz winning the high jump (2.25m/7-4.50) and the foursome of freshman Dedric Dukes, freshman Hugh Graham, junior Leonardo Seymore and McQuay winning the 4×400-meter relay (3:03.44).

The Gators’ women contributed two more championships as freshman jumper Taylor Burke won the high jump (1.83m/6-0) and sophomore multi-event participant Brittany Harrell brought home the heptathlon (5,838 points) title.

Neither the men nor women won a team title with the men finishing in fourth overall and the women finishing second after getting edged 161.5-138.0 by LSU. Florida’s men’s team captured the 2012 NCAA Indoor Championship, while the women’s team won the 2012 SEC Indoor Championship.

The Gators were without seniors sprinter Jeff Demps and heptathlete Gray Horn in the meet. Demps (hamstring) was injured and had to rest up for the NCAA Outdoor Championships, while Horn was suspended for the meet after being arrested and charged with driving under the influence in April. Their absences made it nearly impossible for the Florida men to have a legitimate shot at the team title.

Tags: Brittany Harrell, Ciarra Brewer, Dedric Dukes, Dwight Barbiasz, field, Genevieve LaCaze, Gray Horn, Hugh Graham, Jeff Demps, Jeremy Postin, Leonardo Seymore, Omar Craddock, SEC, SEC Outdoor Championship, Stipe Zunic, Taylor Burke, Tony McQuay, track

1 » Former Florida Gators quarterback Chris Leak supposedly signed with the Orlando Predators of the AFL on Monday and the team wants to name him their starter for Saturday’s game, according to the Orlando Sentinel. “We would like to bring him in as the face of the franchise, and I hope he ends up as our starting quarterback,” team general partner Brett Bouchy told the paper. Unfortunately for both sides, Leak was not able to join the team Monday or Tuesday thanks to his former squad the Jacksonville Sharks. According to the Florida Times-Union, even though Leak refuses to play for Jacksonville and the team does not want him back the Sharks have not released him from his contract and still retain his rights. “If the Predators want Leak, they have coach [Les] Moss’ number and we will be more than happy to trade him,” Jacksonville managing partner Jeff Bouchy (Brett Bouchy’s brother) said. “We cannot see any scenario in which Leak will wear a Sharks uniform again.” Leak’s future is now in limbo as he waits to find out if one Bouchy will trade the other something for his services. He has bounced around the CFL and AFL since being passed over by the NFL and actually played for the Jacksonville franchise this season before being replaced as starting quarterback after a five-touchdown performance. “It was an unfortunate situation in Jacksonville, but I’ve moved on,” Leak said. “I’m just very excited about the opportunity to play at home.”

2 » With the 2012 NFL Draft approaching, one name that continues to be notably absent is former Gators running back and current Florida sprinter Jeff Demps, who chose after the season to bypass the NFL in order to concentrate on running track and the 2012 London Olympics. Demps likely would have been a third- or fourth-round pick in the draft but chose an uncertain path that he enjoys over a certain future that did not hold the top spot in his heart. “Just, during the football season, I enjoyed football, but I just felt I had to be on the track,” he told FOX Sports in in yet another article about his decision and future in sports. “I had to follow my heart, and my heart said to be with track. It’s a career decision.”

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Tags: AFL, ALC, CFL, Chris Leak, Draft, Gabi Wiegand, Jeff Demps, Mark Sanchez, New York Jets, NFL, Nora Barry, Olympics, Orlando Predators, Rookie of the Week, Sam Farrell, Tim Tebow, track

1 » The Florida Gators may have lost a number of tough recruiting battles on and after National Signing Day in February but the team picked up a second running back on Sunday albeit a walk-on. Mark Herndon, a 5’9” 188 lbs. rusher out of Forest High School in Ocala, FL, has decided to accept a preferred walk-on spot with the Gators football team in 2012 rather than take a scholarship to play at Lindenwood University. “It’s just something I’ve always wanted to do since I began playing, to play Division I football and continue my dream,” Herndon said of playing for his hometown team. “Going to Lindenwood I felt like I would’ve had to give up on what I really wanted to do, and that’s just not the type of person I am.” Because Herndon already committed to Lindenwood and signed his national letter of intent, the school will have to release him from his scholarship. He is ineligible to play in 2012 (which was unlikely to happen even if he was eligible) but will be able to join the team in practices and meetings. Herndon will eventually try to earn a scholarship at Florida by showcasing a great work ethic and willingness to do whatever is asked of him by the coaching staff.

2 » Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin announced Monday on Twitter that he will be having arthroscopic shoulder surgery in the coming days but that he will not miss any major practice time heading into the 2012 season. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune confirmed his assumption as head coach Leslie Frazier explained that the procedure will help mend a sprained AC joint and that he should only miss some organized team activities before returning to the team in May.

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Tags: Brandon Spikes, Jeff Demps, Mark Herndon, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New York Jets, NFL, Percy Harvin, Runner of the Week, SEC, Tim Tebow, track

No. 1 Florida Gators men’s track & field made history on Saturday by winning their third-straight national title at the 2012 NCAA Indoor Championships at Jacksons Indoor Track in Nampa, ID.

Florida posted 52 team points for the second-straight year to defeat the remaining top four including Arkansas (47), Arizona (41), Arizona State (31) and LSU (27).

With the victory, UF Mike Holloway became the third head coach in NCAA history to lead his team to at least three-straight men’s track & field titles, joining Arkansas’ John McDonnell and UTEP’s Ted Banks.

Leading the way for the Gators were individual national championship performances by juniors sprinter Jeff Demps and jumper Omar Craddock.

Demps won the 60-meter dash for the third-straight season with a time of 6.56 seconds, 0.04 seconds slower than the 6.52-second time that he achieved in the preliminaries on Friday. Demps’ 6.52-second run was not only a personal best but also a school record and collegiate-leading time. He posted four of the top five collegiate times in 2012 and became the first three-time champion in the event since Pittsburgh’s lee McCray won the 55-meter dash in 1986-88. Demps remains the only Florida athlete to ever win the event.

Craddock captured the triple jump with a personal-best distance of 16.75m/54-11.50, making it four years in a row that an athlete representing the Gators won the event (Christian Taylor, Will Claye).

Senior heptathlete Gray Horn was also in the process of winning an individual national title for Florida when he went down with an injury and was forced to withdraw from the men’s heptathalon. At the time of his withdrawal, Horn was up 18 points on his fellow competitors with two events to go.

Though the indoor season is now over for the Gators, the 2012 outdoor track and field season begins next Saturday with the UCF Black and Gold Challenge on March 17.

Tags: field, Gray Horn, Jeff Demps, Mike Holloway, NCAA, NCAA Indoor Championships, Omar Craddock, track

No. 6 Florida Gators women’s track and field captured their seventh conference indoor title and second since 2010 on Sunday, winning the 2012 Southeastern Conference Indoor Championship in Lexington, KY with 132 total team points.

Florida took down the No. 2 LSU Tigers (109) and No. 4 Arkansas Razorbacks (99) in the women’s competition for the school’s first league title of the 2011-12 season. The No. 1 Razorbacks (151) got a measure of revenge on the men’s side by topping the No. 2 Gators (137) and No. 24 Georgia Bulldogs for the other SEC Indoor title.

Despite Florida winning the women’s championship, only one Gators student-athlete won an individual title on that side of the competition. Sophomore distance runner Florence Ngetich captured the 5,000-meter title in 16:12.64.

The men, on the other hand, lost the overall championship but won three individual titles. Sophomore hurdler Eddie Lovett defended his 60-meter hurdles title with a time of 7.78 seconds, junior jumper Omar Craddock won Florida’s fourth-straight SEC Indoor triple jump championship with a distance of 16.44m/53-11.25, and senior thrower Kemal Mesic won the shot put title (19.89m/65-3.25) for the third SEC Indoor meet in a row.

One significant disappointment on the men’s side came as junior sprinter Jeff Demps failed to win the 60-meter dash for the third consecutive season, finishing his attempt in 6.64 seconds, 0.01 seconds behind the victor.

Florida has two more meets next month before competing in the 2012 NCAA Indoor Championships from March 9-10.

Tags: Arkansas Razorbacks, Eddie Lovett, field, Florence Ngetich, Georgia Bulldogs, Jeff Demps, Kemal Mesic, LSU Tigers, Omar Craddock, SEC, SEC Championship, SEC Indoors, track