Men's 4x400 relay brings another national title back to USF

USF men's 4x400 relay wins another national title

FOX 13's Sean Barie shares how the nationally ranked USF Bulls track team pulled off some late race heroics to secure another national title.

TAMPA - On his final day running with the Bulls, USF senior Gabe Moranta experienced not the thrill of victory, but the agony of defeat.

"There was definitely a lot going through my head," Moranta said.

The backstory:

Taking second in the 400-meter national championship race, the sprinter wound up disqualified for crossing lane lines.

"I just had to lock back in and deal with those emotions and just focus on what's next," he said.

Just 45 minutes after his DQ, Moranta was back on the track competing in the 4x400M relay finals.

"I was really just trying to let everything go and have no regrets when I finished that line and know I gave everything I had for my teammates and my school," Moranta said.

Running the final leg of the relay, Moranta did just that by passing the two runners in front of him to hand USF its newest national title.

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"I wasn't hearing anything. I was just kind of blanked out," Moranta remembers.

"Then, those last 50 meters, I heard everybody and just embraced the moment."

READ: The 'Tiger Woods of India' will compete for USF one last time

After spending much of the season ranked in the Top 5 nationally, the USF men's track and field team is on the rise.

What they're saying:

"We understand that a lot of people still view South Florida as a person that's not supposed to be there or a team that's not supposed to be there, but we are working diligently that we can compete," said head coach Eric Jenkins.

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The Source: Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Sean Barie.

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