AUSTIN, Texas. – Florida senior Yanis David captured the program’s first long jump national title Thursday night at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
David had far and away the best series of her career, as she topped her personal record three times, with the final of those efforts reaching 6.84 meters (22 feet, 5.25 inches). The jump tied the No. 7 performer on the collegiate all-time top 10, broke Shara Proctor’s 10-year-old school record by 13 centimeters (5 inches), and topped her own personal record from last year’s SEC Outdoor Championships by 17 centimeters (6.5 inches).
Only two jumps in NCAA Outdoors history remain farther than David’s, and the women who hold them went on to win Olympic gold medals. LSU’s Sheila Echols leapt 6.94 meters (22 feet, 9.25 inches) in 1987, and Ole Miss’ Brittney Reese jumped 6.93 meters (22 feet, 9 inches) in 2008.
Florida also advanced two of its track entries to Saturday finals.
Senior quarter-miler Sharrika Barnett easily advanced to the 400 meters final, as she won her heat and automatically qualified. It is the third consecutive year Barnett advanced to the NCAA Outdoors final. She finished fourth last year and fifth in 2017.
Barnett came back later in the evening and anchored Florida’s 4×400 relay team to the final via a runner-up finish in their heat. Freshman Doneisha Anderson led off the relay, followed by sophomores Taylor Manson and Nikki Stephens.
Although neither Imogen Barrett, nor Gabrielle Wilkinson advanced to finals, they were the only freshmen competitors in their respective events. Wilkinson finished 15th overall in the 800 meters, while Barrett placed 19th in the 1,500 meters.
Today’s TV viewing: 8:30 p.m. ESPN
Saturday: 6:30 p.m. ESPN2
Whenever I read an article with incongruent statements like : jump tied the No. 7 performer on the collegiate all-time top 10; Only two jumps in NCAA Outdoors history remain farther than David’s; I wait for the writer to explain, yet so many never do?… Now sure, Im smart enough to come up with several explanations but I want the truth and its a sorry journalism style to write like that!
Daz, I read it as this:
– Tied No. 7 on collegiate all time list
– #3 on all-time NCAA Outdoor Championships history.
I didn’t walk away with the same question, as there is an intuitive process of reading the short-version that leaves out the word “Championships”.
And congrats to Yanis! Well done! Amazing!