GATOR DYNASTY: Of 42 National Titles In Florida’s Illustrious Athletic History, Ten Belong To Him
Updated: Apr 22, 2022
By LOREN MEADOWS
GatorBaitMedia.com
Head Track and Field Coach Mike Holloway has built a dynasty in Gainesville over 20 seasons. His most recent championship came earlier this year as the Florida Gator Women took home the 2022 Division I Indoor Championships. With that title, Coach Holloway became one of six coaches in the history of NCAA Track and Field to win at least 10 national championships.
Holloway is also one of two black head coaches to win 10 team titles in any sport in NCAA Division I history. Under his guidance, Florida has won 75 individual Men’s and Women’s national titles and set 11 collegiate records -- six of which stand today. He has also coached two winners of the Bowerman Award, which is the equivalent to the Heisman Trophy in football. Of the four national sweeps in both the 110-meter Hurdles and the 400-meter Hurdles, the Gators own three of the four with only the Gators winning the 60-meter hurdles as well in 2017 (Grant Holloway).
On a recent April weekend in Gainesville under the watchful eye of Holloway, the 4x400-meter relay team of Jacory Patterson, Ryan Willie, Jacob Milley and Champion Allison became the first collegiate team in history to run sub-2:59.00. The time of 2:58.53 now gives Florida the collegiate records in both the 4x400 and 4x100-meter relays both set by Holloway coached teams. Most impressive of Mike Holloway’s success at Florida may be the fact that he has maintained this level of success while working with facilities that are not on par with major schools around the country. While Percy Beard Track boast one of the faster surfaces in collegiate track and field, there is not an adequate indoor track
facility to practice in or hold meets.
In spite of the need for improvements Coach Holloway and the Gators women’s team were able to score 68 points and capture the Indoor National Title with three events to go. This was the second indoor title for the Gators and the first under Holloway.
Two women who played major roles in the Gators run (and jump) to the national title are Jasmine Moore and Claire Bryant. Once high school rivals back in Texas, these two women now make their strides and jumps together as two of the most exciting jumpers in the country.
Moore, a sophomore long jumper/triple jumper from Grand Prairie, Texas, transferred to Florida from Georgia in 2021. She is the reigning Indoor national champion in both the long jump and triple jump where she set Florida school records of 22 feet 1.75 inches and 47 feet 9.75 inches. These feats also garnered her the honor 2022 SEC Indoor Women’s Athlete of the Year. Jasmine was also a 2020 Olympian in the Triple Jump finishing 12th representing the United States.
Bryant is a sophomore long jumper/high jumper from Houston, Texas. She is second in Gator history in the indoor long jump at 21 feet 11.75 inches and 5th all-time in the high jump at 5 feet 11.5 inches. Bryant finished 3rd in the Long Jump and 5th in the High Jump at the 2022 SEC Championships. She would follow that finish with a 7th place finish in the 2022 National Championships to aid the Gators in winning the national title while garnering All-American honors.
[Both women spoke glowingly about coach Coach Holloway. “It’s great having Coach Holloway as your Head Coach,” said Moore. “If you ever need anything he’s the person to go to and he will fight for you.”
“All around he’s just a great person,” Bryant added. “He is a very intense person, but he knows how to get us focused at a meet.”
When asked about her transfer and time at Florida, Moore stated, “The athletic transition to [Florida] was pretty smooth, I mixed in well with the team.” She added, “Academically it was a bit of challenge at first but so far so good.
When asked about her time at Florida, Bryant stated, “Early on with COVID it was hard to get involved in everything that Florida has to offer.” In 2022, Bryant suggests that “this team has meshed well together, is a lot more cohesive” and is quick to give Moore and (fellow jumper) Natricia Hooper credit for pushing one another and building team chemistry.
Both athletes admit that they did not know one another very well prior to coming to Florida due to their prep rivalry and success in high school. Now both in Gainesville, they have developed an admiration and even at times a dependency of one another.
Claire describes Jasmine as “very intense on the track someone who won’t let anyone get in the way of her being her best self. “Jasmine is always willing to go one more rep, and that’s helped my training,” she said. Jasmine’s intensity is offset by Claire’s “lighthearted” down-to-earth nature. While encouraging Jasmine to have fun, she knows “Claire is always pushing me and I can never slack off and having the competition in practice is exciting.”
The mutual admiration for one another is what helps the Gators go. However, the two athletes shared their admiration for other sports as well. When asked if they could compete in another sport outside of track, Jasmine expressed the desire to play for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team. “I love everything about them, everything they stand for. More eccentric of the duo, Claire desires to try fencing as a second sport. “I had friends that participated, but I never got to do it because of track,” she said. Bryant would even encourage her friends to “parry” her because she thought it was so much fun.
The friendship that has developed between the two has also created evidence of a swagger that shows these two are at the top of their game. So much swagger that they both suggested what their “walk out” or “pre-jump” music would be if given the option. “Let It All Work Out by Lil Wayne,” said Jasmine, drawing encouragement from one of hip-hop’s giants. “Midnight Sky by M83” stated Claire, even humming the melody as she described the song. The ability to keep things light goes a long way during the grind of a collegiate track season.
It is evident that Mike “Mouse” Holloway has built a pantheon of track excellence that is unrivaled. In an athletic program and region where football reigns supreme the “Ol’ Track Coach” has silently cemented a 20-year legacy that could continue to lend some female hardware to an already stuffed men’s trophy case. While track usually reigns supreme for one week every four years, the Gator Men and Women should be able to keep your attention until then.
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