For two years, Florida triple jumper KeAndre Bates has carried the weight of expectations that came with being the nation's best high school prospect out of Burges High and with being the scion of Florida's jumping dynasty.
This week at the NCAA Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., the sophomore took a huge step toward turning expectations into reality and in the process turned his Gators into national champions.
Two days after a surprising third in the long jump, Bates, seeded 14th in the triple jump, turned in an all-conditions personal best by more than a foot to claim second place.