Seventeen current and former Florida Gators track & field athletes and 35 current and former Florida swimmers participated in the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Eugene, OR and Omaha, NE over the last two weeks.

In all seven Gators – four track & field athletes, three swimmers – qualified for the 2012 London Olympics after competing in the two events. Joining these current and former student-athletes are Mike Holloway, an assistant coach on Team USA for sprinters and hurdlers, and Gregg Troy, the Americans’ head swimming coach for these Olympic games.

OGGOA will offer comprehensive coverage of the 2012 London Olympics including a dedicated page, numerous widgets and daily updates. Below is the final update for the track & field and swimming team trials, which concluded on Monday.

EVENT RESULTS – JULY 2

Swimming
WOMEN’S 50 METER FREESTYLE
Dara Torres – 4th – 24.82 – Did not qualify
» Torres’s Olympic career ends with 12 medals (four golds) over five games.

QUALIFIED ATHLETES

Track & Field
Junior Tony McQuay – Men’s 400 Meter Dash
Will Claye – Men’s Long Jump, Men’s Triple Jump
Christian Taylor – Men’s Triple Jump
Kerron Clement – Men’s 400 Meter Hurdles

Swimming
Ryan Lochte – Men’s 400 Meter Individual Medley, Men’s 200 Meter Freestyle, Men’s 200 Meter Backstroke, Men’s 200 Meter Individual Medley
Conor Dwyer – Men’s 400 Meter Freestyle, Men’s 800 Meter Freestyle Relay
Sophomore Elizabeth Beisel – Women’s 400 Meter Individual Medley, Women’s 200 Meter Backstroke

(Additional relays that McQuay, Clement, Lochte, Dwyer and Beisel may compete in have yet to be determined or announced.)

ELIMINATED ATHLETES

Track & Field
Senior Gray Horn – Men’s Decathalon – finished third, did not qualify
Junior Dwight Barbiasz – Men’s High Jump – advanced to finals
Wes Stockbarger – Men’s Discus Throw – advanced to finals
Senior Jeff Demps – Men’s 100 Meter Dash – advanced to finals
Freshman Marquis Dendy – Men’s Long Jump – advanced to finals
Mason Cathey – Women’s 3,000 Meter Steeplechase – advanced to finals
Calvin Smith – Men’s 400 Meter Dash – advanced to semifinals
Sophomore Ebony Eutsey – Women’s 400 Meter Dash – advanced to semifinals
Freshman Dedric Dukes – Men’s 200 Meter Dash – advanced to semifinals
Sophomore Eddie Lovett – Men’s 110 Meter Hurdles – advanced to semifinals
Junior Jeremy Postin – Men’s Hammer Throw
Sophomore Cory McGee – Women’s 1,500 Meter Run

Swimming
Men: Rex Tullius (finals), Matthew Norton, Mike Joyce, Alex Martin, junior Cameron Martin, junior Jason Taylor, sophomore Connor Signorin, sophomore Bradley deBorde, freshman Matt Elliott (finals), freshman Austin Ringquist, freshman Matthew Curby, freshman Carlos Omana, freshman James Turner, freshman Austin Manganiello, freshman Ricky Munch, freshman Nicholas Caldwell, freshman Colin Hamilton, freshman Billy Silva
Women: Dara Torres (finals), senior Teresa Crippen (finals – 2), junior Jamie Bohunicky, junior Sharla Milne, sophomore Kaitlin Frehling, sophomore Trish Regan, sophomore Alicia Mathieu, sophomore Julia Treible, sophomore Alana Pazevic, freshman Rebecca Rainer, freshman Molly Dubrasky, freshman Jordan Smith, freshman Savannah Napier, freshman Lauren Neidigh,

Tags: Christian Taylor, Conor Dwyer, Dara Torres, Elizabeth Beisel, field, Gregg Troy, Kerron Clement, Mike Holloway, Olympics, Ryan Lochte, swimming, Tony McQuay, track, USA, Will Claye

Seventeen current and former Florida Gators track & field athletes 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. Simultaneously, 35 current and former Gators swimmers are in Omaha, NE working toward the exact same goal.

Below is an update on how each has performed through the ninth (track & field) and sixth (swimming) days of the events as well as a schedule for the remainder of the trials.

EVENT RESULTS – JUNE 30

Track & Field
MEN’S TRIPLE JUMP
Christian Taylor – 1st – 17.63m/57-10.25 – Qualified for Olympics
Will Claye – 2nd – 17.55m/57-7 – Qualified for Olympics
Junior Omar Craddock – 4th – 16.55m/54-3.75 – Did not qualify
» Taylor and Claye were the only two Americans to hit the Olympic ‘A’ Qualifying mark for the triple jump.

MEN’S 200 METER DASH (Semifinals)
Freshman Dedric Dukes – 9th – 20.70 – Eliminated

MEN’S 110 METER HURDLES (Semifinals)
Sophomore Eddie Lovett – 17th – 13.60 – Eliminated

Swimming
MEN’S 200 METER BACKSTROKE
Ryan Lochte – 1st – 1:54.54 – Qualified for Olympics
Rex Tullius – 6th – 1:59.16 – Did not qualify

MEN’S 200 METER INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
Ryan Lochte – 2nd – 1:54.93 – Qualified for Olympics
Conor Dwyer – 3rd – 1:58.92 – Did not qualify

MEN’S 50 METER FREESTYLE (Semifinals)
» Did not advance to semifinals: sophomore Bradley deBorde (Heat 10 – 22.76), Matthew Norton (Heat 3 – 23.30)

WOMEN’S 200 METER BACKSTROKE (Semifinals)
Sophomore Elizabeth Beisel – 2nd – 2:08.41 – Advanced to finals
Senior Teresa Crippen – 7th – 2:12.21 – Advanced to finals
» Next competing: Sunday, July 1 from 8-9 p.m. live on NBC
» Did not advance to semifinals: sophomore Trish Regan (Heat 18 – 2:19.73)

MEN’S 100 METER BUTTERFLY (Semifinals)
Ryan Lochte – 6th – 52.47 – Advanced to finals
» Next competing: Sunday, July 1 from 8-9 p.m. live on NBC
» Did not advance to semifinals: junior Cameron Martin (Heat 7 – 54.50)

WOMEN’S 800 METER FREESTYLE (Preliminaries)
» Did not advance to finals: junior Jamie Bohunicky (Heat 3 – 8:48.42), sophomore Alicia Mathieu (Heat 7 – 8:50.14)

QUALIFIED ATHLETES

Track & Field
Junior Tony McQuay – Men’s 400 Meter Dash
Will Claye – Men’s Long Jump, Men’s Triple Jump
Christian Taylor – Men’s Triple Jump

Swimming
Ryan Lochte – Men’s 400 Meter Individual Medley, Men’s 200 Meter Freestyle, Men’s 200 Meter Backstroke, Men’s 200 Meter Individual Medley
Conor Dwyer – Men’s 400 Meter Freestyle, Men’s 800 Meter Freestyle Relay
Sophomore Elizabeth Beisel – Women’s 400 Meter Individual Medley

Read about the Upcoming Events and Eliminated Athletes…after the break!
Continue Reading » 6/30: Gators at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials

Tags: Alicia Mathieu, Bradley deBorde, Cameron Martin, Christian Taylor, Conor Dwyer, Dedric Dukes, Eddie Lovett, Elizabeth Beisel, field, Jamie Bohunicky, Matthew Norton, Omar Craddock, Rex Tullius, Ryan Lochte, swimming, Teresa Crippen, track, Trish Regan, Will Claye

Seventeen current and former Florida Gators track & field athletes 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. Simultaneously, 35 current and former Gators swimmers are in Omaha, NE working toward the exact same goal.

Below is an update on how each has performed through the seventh (track & field) and fourth (swimming) days of the events as well as a schedule for the remainder of the trials.

EVENT RESULTS – JUNE 28

Track & Field
MEN’S DISCUS THROW
Wes Stockbarger – 8th – 59.19m/194-2 – Did not qualify

WOMEN’S 1,500-METER RUN
Sophomore Cory McGee – 25th – 4:17.76 – Eliminated

MEN’S TRIPLE JUMP
Christian Taylor – 1st – 17.27m/56-8 – Advanced to finals
Will Claye – 2nd – 16.80m/55-1.5 – Advanced to finals
Junior Omar Craddock – 8th – 16.45m/53-11.75 – Advanced to finals
» Next competing: Saturday, June 30 at 7:40 p.m.

MEN’S 400-METER HURDLES
Kerron Clement – 1st – 49.37 – Advanced to semifinals
» Next competing: Friday, June 29 at 6:35 p.m. live on NBC Sports Network

Swimming
WOMEN’S 200 METER INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
Sophomore Elizabeth Beisel – 5th – 2:12.37 – Did not qualify
» Beisel qualified previously in the 400 Meter Individual Medley.

MEN’S 100 METER FREESTYLE (Semifinals)
Ryan Lochte – 5th – 48.91 – Advanced to finals but withdrew
» Did not qualify for semifinals: Conor Dwyer (Heat 16 – 50.12), sophomore Bradley deBorde (Heat 16 – 50.48), freshman James Turner (Heat 2 – 51.05)

WOMEN’S 200 METER BUTTERFLY (Semifinals)
Senior Teresa Crippen – 3rd – 2:09.59 – Advanced to finals
» Next competing: Friday, June 29 from 8-9 p.m. live on NBC.
» Did not qualify for semifinals: junior Jamie Bohunicky (Heat 13 – 2:14.01), freshman Molly Dubrasky (Heat 7 – 2:15.12)
» Scratched: sophomore Elizabeth Beisel

MEN’S 200 METER BREASTSTROKE (Semifinals)
Freshman Matt Elliott – 8th – 2:12.00 – Advanced to finals
» Next competing: Friday, June 29 from 8-9 p.m. live on NBC
» Did not qualify for semifinals: freshman Ricky Munch (Heat 2 – 2:20.49)

QUALIFIED ATHLETES

Track & Field
Junior Tony McQuay – Men’s 400 Meter Dash
Will Claye – Men’s Long Jump

Swimming
Ryan Lochte – Men’s 400 Meter Individual Medley, Men’s 200 Meter Freestyle
Conor Dwyer – Men’s 400 Meter Freestyle, Men’s 800 Meter Freestyle Relay
Sophomore Elizabeth Beisel – Women’s 400 Meter Individual Medley

Read about the Upcoming Events and Eliminated Athletes…after the break!
Continue Reading » 6/28: Gators at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials

Tags: Bradley deBorde, Christian Taylor, Conor Dwyer, Cory McGee, Elizabeth Beisel, field, James Turner, Jamie Bohunicky, Kerron Clement, Matt Elliott, Molly Dubrasky, Olympics, Omar Craddock, Ricky Munch, Ryan Lochte, swimming, track, USA, Wes Stockbarger, Will Claye

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 fourth day 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.

Two Gators qualified for the Olympics on Sunday: junior sprinter Tony McQuay (400-meter dash) and former Florida jumper Will Claye (long jump).

EVENT RESULTS – JUNE 24

MEN’S 100-METER DASH
Senior Jeff Demps – 2nd (Heat 2) – 10.10 seconds – Advanced to finals
Senior Jeff Demps – 7th – 10.27 seconds – Eliminated

MEN’S 400-METER DASH
Junior Tony McQuay – 2nd – 44.49 seconds (PR) – Qualified for Olympics

MEN’S LONG JUMP
Will Claye – 2nd – 8.23m/27-0 – Qualified for Olympics
Christian Taylor – 4th – 8.12m/27-7.75 – Eliminated
Freshman Marquis Dendy – F – three fouls – Eliminated

EVENTS IN PROGRESS

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

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)

NO LONGER IN CONTENTION

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

MEN’S 400-METER DASH
Calvin Smith – 5th (Heat 1) – 45.61 seconds – Eliminated (Saturday)

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

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

Tags: Christian Taylor, Jeff Demps, Marquis Dendy, Olympics, Tony McQuay, USA, Will Claye

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

1 » Former Florida Gators guard/forward Corey Brewer celebrated mightily Sunday evening as his team, the Dallas Mavericks, captured the 2011 NBA Championship with a 4-2 series win over the Miami Heat. Out partying until all hours of the night, Brewer tweeted around 2 a.m.: “Yeah we are the champs its all said and done and yes to all the haters I can say it I’m a world champion.” He then brought it all together, reminiscing about his days at Florida. “We coming back to dallas with the chip,” he said, “be ready dallas let’s go mavs I love winning 2 national championships now a world.” Brewer, who was signed as a free agent after he was cut by the New York Knicks in a trade at the deadline, has not played a minute of basketball since May 17. He participated in six total playoff games, averaging 3:47 of action in those contests, after many thought he would be a key defender in Dallas’ postseason run.

2 » Faced with the opportunity to capture the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Championship on Saturday, the men’s track and field team wound up finishing third in the event after blowing a chance to win the title in the final portion of the meet. Having already lost out on a 100-meter title when junior sprinter Jeff Demps cramped up and failed to qualify for the final heat, the Gators did not finish the 4×100-meter relay and only won a single individual title when junior Christian Taylor defeated fellow junior teammate Will Claye for the triple jump championship with a distance of 17.80m/58-4.75 (+2.3). It all came down to the 4×400-meter relay; if Florida finished in the top-four places in the event, the Gators would take home the title. Instead Florida came in sixth and never had a legitimate shot at winning the race, finishing with 53 points and handing the title over to Texas A&M (55), which stood just in front of Florida State (54).

Tags: Christian Taylor, Corey Brewer, Dallas Mavericks, field, Jeff Demps, Miami Heat, National Championship, NBA, NCAA, NCAA Outdoor Championship, New York Knicks, track, Will Claye

1 » Over the weekend, the Florida Gators men’s and women’s track and field teams both turned in second-place finishes at the 2011 Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships. Though both squads fell short of team titles, Florida student-athletes took home seven individual SEC titles. Junior Gray Horn (decathlon), junior Will Claye (long jump, triple jump), senior Terrell Wilks (100-meter dash), freshman Fawn Miller (javelin) and junior Genevive LaCaze (steeplechase) all won SEC Championships, as did the men’s 4×100-meter relay team. Horn now holds the unique distinction as only the second athlete in SEC history to win three consecutive league decathlon titles. His total of 7,828 points over the weekend also set a school record for the event.

2 » As part of the continuing series “Parting Shots” on InsideTheGators.com, I sat down with former Gators defensive end Duke Lemmens for an extensive interview which spanned his entire career in the orange and blue. Lemmens spoke with me candidly about a number of topics including former head coach Urban Meyer, his place at Florida, thoughts of transferring and much more. Part one of the two-part series is available free to OGGOA readers. You can check it out by clicking here.

3 » If it was up to Florida’s four-star running back commitment Mike Davis (Stone Mountain, GA), all of his top high school teammates would be committing to the Gators this year. Though some have already made declarations for other colleges, four-star linebacker Raphael Kirby (Stone Mountain, GA) is set to announce his decision at his team’s spring game Tuesday night and is believed to have Florida as his leader. Kirby told InsideTheGators.com that both offensive coordinator Charlie Weis and offensive line coach Frank Verducci will be in attendance Tuesday for the “first time to see me in person.” Kirby also had this to say about the Gators:

“I had a great visit when I went down there it was awesome, I got to meet all the coaches and go into The Swamp. The Swamp was awesome. I love the atmosphere down there I could definitely see myself fitting in there. I have two teammates there so it would be cool to go there with them; we have definitely talked about it. As far as football goes they have a great defense that really gives you an edge when it comes to getting into the NFL. I like Coach Muschamp as well as he is a very straight forward coach who has a lot of intensity about himself. He will have an immediate impact on the program.”

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Tags: Charlie Weis, Duke Lemmens, Fawn Miller, field, Frank Verducci, Genevive LaCaze, Gray Horn, Keviron Rollins, Raphael Kirby, SEC, SEC Outdoor Championship, Terrell Wilks, track, Urban Meyer, Will Claye