Florida women finish 7th at NCAA track and field meet

EUGENE, Ore. — Florida’s women placed seventh Saturday at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, finishing with a total of 28 team points.

In the 400 meters, Talitha Diggs exploded in the straight away to secure a second-place finish and give Florida an eight-point boost. The freshman clocked a personal-record time of 50.74 seconds, which ranks second on UF’s All-Time Outdoor Top 10 list.

Diggs was joined by fellow sprinter Taylor Manson, who finished eighth in the race with a time 51.55 seconds and added one point to the team tally.

SEC champion (1,500m) Gabrielle Wilkinson finished third nationally in the 800 meters. The redshirt sophomore, who already ranked second in school history, improved her personal-record time to cross in 2:01.20.

Meanwhile, redshirt freshman Grace Stark contributed five team points with a fifth-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles. Stark, who had tied the school record during the semifinals round (12.73), crossed in 12.89 [+0.4] seconds Saturday.

The Gators’ 4x400-meter relays team — formed by Manson, Sterling Lester, Doneisha Anderson and Diggs — took fourth place with a season-best time of 3:26.31. That time ranks second in school history.

Out on the field, redshirt senior Natricia Hooper finished 10th with a mark of 13.42 meters (44 feet, 0.50 inches) [+0.5] in the triple jump.

The Gators finished tied for seventh place with Texas. Southern California won its third outdoor women's national title, with Texas A&M finishing second.