University of Florida Men's Track

Holloway a World Away from Humble Start () Gator Pride: Mike Holloway Took Long Road to Build a Championship Program at Florida () ------------------------------------------ Florida head coach , who was named the first head coach of the combined mens and womens track & field program on June 19, 2007, has directed clear course for the University of Floridas success both on and off the track, molding it into one the nations elite for the past 21 seasons.   In addition to the six NCAA Championships that Holloway and the Florida mens team has won since 2010more than any other Division I program during that spanthe Gators boast 11 runner-up finishes at the NCAA Championships during his tenure as head coach.   Moreover, Florida has finished in the top three at 15 of the last 16 NCAA Championships, including its current run of eight in a row outdoorstied for the fourth-longest streak in Division I history.   Prior to the 2016 NCAA Indoor Championships, the Gators were just the third team in Division I history to record top-three finishes at both the NCAA Indoor Championships and NCAA Outdoor Championships seven consecutive times, joining Arkansas (1992-2000) and UTEP (1975-82) as the only other programs to do so. UFs run of seven consecutive top-three finishes at NCAA Indoor Championships from 2009-15 was the third-longest streak in Division I history.   In the current mens NCAA Championship sprints (60m, 100m, 200m, 400m), hurdles (60mH, 110mH, 400mH) and sprint relay events (4x100, 4x400)all of which are Holloways primary focusFlorida boasts astonishing numbers going all the way back 1996, his first year as a mens assistant coach for the Gators:   On the womens side, with five individual national titles in the last three seasons, the Gators have become a consistent contender at the NCAA Championships, recording five top-four finishes during the Holloway era.   At the conference level, Floridas women have finished fourth or higher at 15 of the 18 SEC Championshipswinning four titleswith Holloway as head coach.   Heres a deeper breakdown of Floridas championships and All-American honors earned on Holloways watch:             Along with his collegiate achievements, Holloway has enjoyed a great amount of success internationally. As the mens head coach of the United States 2013 World Championships Team, Americans claimed 14 medalsfour gold, eight silver, two bronze. At the 2012 Olympics, Holloway coached Team USAs sprinters and relay teams, helping the 4x400 relay squad win the silver medal and Justin Gatlin nab a bronze medal in the 100 meters.   Every United States Olympic team since 1992 has featured at least one athlete coached by Holloway, with six of them going on to combine for nine medals. Most recently, at the 2016 Olympics, Holloway trained Gator Greats Kerron Clement (400 hurdles) and Arman Hall (4x400 relay), as well as George Mason alum and adidas David Verburg (4x400 relay) to gold medals. Verburg also reached the semifinals of the open 400 meters.   In addition to his head coaching experience at the 2013 IAAF World Championships, Holloway has had an athlete compete at every World Championships since 2001. Five of those athletes went on to become world champions. The most recent World Championships, held in 2015 in Beijing, featured nine former Gators.             Holloway, a native of Columbus, Ohio, is married to the former Angela Fitts. They have a daughter, Michele, a son, Michael II (MJ), and four grandchildren. Holloway earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Florida in 2000. FEATURE: story FEATURE: story FEATURE: story 28 NCAA Championships in mens sprint, hurdle and sprint relay events since 1996tied for the most in Division I 20 NCAA Outdoor Championships in mens sprint, hurdle and sprint relay events since 1996most in Division I 14 NCAA Outdoor Championships in sprints and sprint relaystied for second-most in Division I Seven NCAA Championships in mens hurdles eventsthree more than any other Division I program Six NCAA Indoor Championships in mens sprint eventsmost in Division I Six NCAA Outdoor Championships in mens sprint eventsthird-most in Division I Eight NCAA Outdoor Championships in mens sprint relayssecond-most in Division I Six NCAA Outdoor Championships in the mens 4x100 relaytied for the most in Division I Four NCAA Outdoor Championships in the mens 400 hurdlesmost in Division I Tied for the most mens 60m titles (three) and 400m titles (three) at NCAA Indoor Championships Notes: Relay teams count as one NCAA Championship, SEC Championship, and All-American honor; NCAA Regional titles only awarded through 2009. Holloways Coaching Awards Holloways United States Track & Field Coaching Experience Olympic Medalists Coached By Holloway World Championships Gold Medalists Coached By Holloway Other Notable Accomplishments During Holloways Tenure Coaching History

Welty is in her second stint with the Gators, as she previously served as an assistant coach for distance runners from 2002-03. Weltys impact on the Florida program since her return in 2008 is undeniable, especially on the recruiting trail. With Welty handling recruiting coordinator duties for Florida, the program has consistently signed top-10 recruiting classes, including a highly-touted group set to arrive in the summer of 2016. This past season, Floridas women swept the 4x100-meter and 4x400-meter relays at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, with the former being the first national title of its kind in program history. The womens 4x400-meter relay team also broke the schools indoor record, while the 4x100 crew broke the program record en route to the national title. Also, the mens and womens outdoor 4x400-meter relay teams collected SEC titles. Taylor Burkes record-breaking performance in the high jump also served as a high point for Weltys 2015 coaching campaign. Burke leapt 1.85 meters (6-0.75) at the Tom Jones Memorial, topping the programs outdoor record. Burke also earned indoor All-America honors, the fourth straight year she did so, and collected the second outdoor All-America honor of her career. In the multi-events, Brittany Harrell capped her career with the third indoor pentathlon All-America honor of her career. The year prior, Harrell broke the schools pentathlon record with 4,287 points at the 2014 NCAA Indoor Championships, and was an outdoor All-American in the heptathlon. Also in 2014, Burke broke the indoor high jump school record she previously set as a sophomore, leaping 1.87 meters (6-1.5) at the SEC Indoor Championships. Another highlight of 2014 came at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, where Weltys guidance helped the mens 4x100-meter relay team capture its second consecutive national title. The womens 4x400-meter relay claimed the SEC Indoor title as well. In 2013, Welty worked with Burke, then in her sophomore year, and helped her set a new Florida school record in the womens high jump indoors with a mark of 1.86m/6-1.25. Burke garnered All-America honors for the second straight year in the event. Welty was also instrumental in the development of junior Lorraine Graham, who competed in the multi-events for the first time in her career. Graham etched her name in the Florida record books, becoming the second-best performer all-time in the indoor pentathlon (4,010) and fourth all-time in the outdoor heptathlon (5,239). In 2012, Welty honed four SEC Champions, as junior Dwight Barbiasz and freshman Taylor Burke swept the SEC Outdoor high jump titles, and senior decathlete Gray Horn earned his second-consecutive SEC indoor heptathlon title. Barbiasz was a finalist in the mens high jump. Burke won the womens high jump at the U.S. Junior Championships and competed at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Barcelona, Spain. In 2011, Welty guided then-junior Gray Horn to his third SEC Decathlon title and a First Team All-America performance in the event with his school record of 7,914 points. Horn was also the SEC Indoor Heptathlon Champion with a total of 5,816 points. In 2010, Welty mentored sophomore Gray Horn to his second consecutive Southeastern Conference decathlon title in as many years. Horn, who consistently set personal-best marks and times, is the only athlete in mens school history to win a league multi-event crown. He also placed second in the heptathlon at the 2010 SEC Indoor Championships and won the decathlon event at the North American Central American Championships during the summer of 2010. In 2009, Welty directed then-freshman Gray Horn to the first SEC decathlon in school history as just a freshman. He went on to earn All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. Horn finished second at the SEC Indoor Championships, a meet in which another of Weltys pupils, Frankie Hammond, finished third in the high jump. Horn also was the silver medalist in the decathlon at the 2009 Junior Pan Am Championships. In just her first year back in Gainesville, Floridas sprinters and hurdlers captured a combined 25 All-America honors during the 2008 campaign, including a combined eight top-five finishes at the NCAA Championship. Welty made her way back to Gainesville after a two-year stint at Louisville, where she oversaw its short sprinters, mid-distance runners and multi-event athletes. During Weltys time with the Cardinals, her pupils broke 12 school records. Additionally, the mens team captured the 2007 BIG EAST Outdoor Championship, while the womens squad garnered runner-up honors and saw its 4x100-meter relay team qualify for the regional championships. Prior to Louisville, Welty coached sprints, jumps and multi-events at Texas Pan-American during the 2005 season, helping her athletes break 10 school records that season. The Wichita, Kan., native was an assistant at UF from 2002-03, playing an integral part in a historic 2003 campaign that saw the Florida women with the Southeastern Conference outdoor championship and the NCAA East Regional title, finish second at the NCAA Indoor Championships and take fourth at the NCAA outdoor meet. During that time, Florida runners captured 23 All-America honors, while Welty also helped the 2003 4x400m relay squad capture the conference crown. After departing Florida, Welty served as head track and field coach at Gainesvilles P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School, where she guided her team to a runner-up finish and five individual titles at the FHSAA Class A state championships. She began her coaching career in 2001 with a one-year stint as a jumps coach at Illinois State. Her tenure in Normal saw Welty develop an NCAA qualifier, three NCAA provisional qualifiers and two Missouri Valley Conference Champions. A 2001 Cum Laude graduate of Wichita State, Welty earned All-America honors in the heptathlon in 1999, one of two years in which she qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships. She also collected two Academic All-America honors, eight MVC titles, two MVC Outdoor Field Athlete of the Meet accolades and two Drake Relays heptathlon crowns during her collegiate career. Welty also earned a masters degree from the University of Louisville in 2008. Coaching Career   Team Accomplishments   Top Athletes Gray Horn  2009 and 2010 SEC Decathlon Champion; 2009 and 2010 USTFCCCA Outdoor All-American; 2009 Junior Pan Am Championships silver medalist; 2010 NACAC decathlon champion.