Teammate Q&A with Marquis Dendy

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Hey it’s Hana Sladick again giving you the report on Gator Track and Field up and coming star, Marquis Dendy. Marquis Dendy, or as the team likes to call him, Dendy, is a sophomore who competes in the long and triple jump events.

He recently had a personal record in the long jump of 27 feet 2 inches, making him the National Champion at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships and school record holder in the event. To find out a little more about Dendy I caught up with him one day after practice.

Where is your favorite place you’ve ever competed/country/arena?
Osaka, Japan; for the USA, Japan, and Germany Trilateral Meet on the USA Junior Worlds Team.

Favorite and least favorite part of track and field?
Competing is my favorite part of track and field. My least favorite part of track and field is preseason training and training without competing.

Greatest challenge you have ever faced with the track and field?
Making the USA Junior Worlds Team.

What other sport would you have been interested in outside of your respective sport?
If I had to play another sport it would probably be basketball because I’m tall, coordinated, and know how to sprint short distances. I also like the basketball shoes [laughs].

If you could have a super power what would it be and why?
Telepathy or reading other peoples’ brains would be cool.

What hobbies are you involved in?
I really like drawing and playing video games.

What was your most embarrassing moment competing?
At Junior Worlds warm up for triple jump, I jumped into another jumper coming down the other side of the runway. We collided in the air. The only thing I really remember about the incident is looking up and seeing another jumper coming straight towards me.

If you were a food what would you be?
Seafood.

Finally, what’s your favorite type of music to listen too?
I really like the oldies.

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Well I hope this shed some insight into my teammate and recent National Champion! Thanks for reading! Go Gators!

Love at First Chomp!

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Hey! I’m Hana Sladick, a freshman on the Gator Track and Field team. I’m from sunny Naples, FL where I spent most of my time laying on the beach or training on the track. Besides training, I enjoy photography and volunteering. Some of my latest shoots have been by Lake Alice during dawn when the sun is first showing. I also have been volunteering for Caleb’s Pitch every other Wednesday through Goodwill Gators, our student-athlete volunteer program. Caleb’s Pitch is an organization that works at Shands where students can volunteer an evening to do syringe art with children in the pediatric wing.

Freshman year has been a blast thus far. Some of my favorite parts have been football season, track socials, and volunteering.

To finish this introductory post up, I would like to tell you my most embarrassing and favorite moments of my freshman fall. My most embarrassing moment would have to be tripping on a speed bump at the Estates Apartment Complex in front of the basketball court and falling while a group of guys were playing and went on to start laughing at me. My favorite moment would have to be doing Gator Tracks through Goodwill Gators during Christmas time. Gator Tracks is an in-house fundraiser where student athletes purchase and distribute shoes for elementary school children that are in need of a new pair of shoes and may not be able to afford a pair for the following year.

I’ve had a great semester and I can’t wait for what the next three years have in store. I can’t wait to put up more stories, pictures, and tell you all about my experience here as a Gator. Chomp Chomp!

Hana sladick photo

Common Questions for Track Athletes

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Hi Gator Nation!

John-Logan Hines checking in for the Men’s Track and Field team. Being a distance runner, I am often asked questions by people who don’t know much about our sport. Recently, on our trip to Arkansas we had a long 15-hour detour through multiple airports to get to our final destination. The opportunity for question-asking came up often. So I thought I’d give a few answers to a couple FAQs:

What is your year and major?

I’m a Sophomore and a Political Science Major.

How many miles do you run per week? Like 30-40?

No, more like 90-105 a week. (This is always met with absolute shock and a personal anecdote about a third cousin of theirs that ran a 4-hour marathon.)

Do you know Jeff Demps?

Yep, I know Jeff. He is a really good guy and an excellent athlete but we have plenty more of those on our national championship team.

How fast do you run a mile?

I haven’t run it since high school but I ran 4:17 as a senior. Often times this is interpreted to mean I have run a 4 minute mile. I’ll take it and I don’t usually correct them but, I’m not even close.

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Gator Nation, the Grind is Back

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It’s a New Year, Gator Nation, and the Grind is back! The past fall was another successful semester for many of my fellow student-athletes in the classroom and on the field. Our mission at the Gator Grind is to bring the fans closer to Florida Athletics and give a different perspective on the lives of student-athletes. Look out for some new content that will dive deeper into the lives of the Gators. We appreciate all that our fans give up and we hope to share a little with them.

This spring is especially significant for me, as it will be my final season swimming for the Orange and Blue. I am also taking my last course and will graduate in May. I am looking forward to finishing my career with great success in the pool and to my new life to come after graduation. Hopefully you will get to know me and my fellow student-athletes as you follow the Gator Grind.

Anyone who knows me knows that I love to eat and swimmers are notorious for their diets. I chronicled all that I ate in a typical day as a fun way to get to know me as well as a way to share a little more about the sport of swimming. Food is fuel for all athletes. We pay very close attention to what we eat. We need to eat well to refuel our bodies and ensure we are recovered from workouts and ready to compete. Here is a little taste, pun intended, of my diet. Enjoy, I know I did!

Breakfast, pre-workout

Greek Yogurt and cereal with banana

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3rd Annual Track Social

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3rd Annual Team Social

Recently the track and field team had their 3rd annual team social. Three years ago Alishea Usery felt that the team felt too large and didn’t fully know one another so she asked Coach Holloway if the team could host an event that would make it possible for everyone on the team to meet and hang out. Coach Holloway told her if she came up with a good plan and put the event together that they could make it happen.

This year’s social was better than ever. Alishea put together a committee and ran the entire event. Along with the entire team they invited advisors, coaches, managers, alumni and anyone else associated with the team and their families to attend. This year, we had help from Zane Breakiron, javelin thrower, who DJ’ d the event for us and from Mike Burris, 400m sprinter, to Jayla Bostic and Hana Sladick, throwers, who took pictures.

Kaitlin Davis, Jayla Bostic and Hana Sladick pose for a picture.

Everyone on the team was divided up into four different groups for games and activities designated by the color on their nametags. The groups were mixed up so you were not on smaller teams with people you normally train with. That said it made everyone work with teammates they normally don’t associate with.

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