Darby Native Propels Florida to Back-to-Back NCAA Track and Field Championships

By

Eric Futch
Images of Eric Futch via the University of Florida.

Darby native and Penn Wood High School graduate Eric Futch, a redshirt senior at the University of Florida, won the 400-meter hurdles at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., on Friday, thus propelling his Gators to their second-consecutive NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field championship.

Futch, the reigning champion in the 400-meter hurdles from last year, ran a personal-best 48.32 seconds, and secured critical points for his team, which edged out SEC rival Texas A&M, 61.5 to 59.5, for the national crown.

Although Futch’s time was the 10th fastest in the event in collegiate history, he only beat UCLA sophomore Rai Benjamin by .01 seconds.

“I didn’t think I lost,” Futch said. “I never think that I can lose. At the line, I didn’t know who won. I was happy to fight for what was mine and go home with an NCAA title.

“(It was) kind of relief (when the time came up). Down in the tunnel, I went in the corner by myself and prayed, and I asked God just to help me through this race, and get me through my senior year as a Gator.”

Futch also ran on Florida’s 4×400-meter relay team.

The 2012 Gatorade Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year in Pennsylvania, Futch began his collegiate career at the University of Houston under the tutelage of former Penn Wood star and Olympic gold medalist Leroy Burrell. Burrell, who grew up in Lansdowne, twice held the title of “Fastest Man on the Planet,” as he broke the world record for the 100-meter sprint in 1991 and 1994.

Futch transferred to Florida after his freshman year at Houston, and will now set his sights on the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

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