ORLANDO – For the second consecutive season, the UCF track and field team has been ranked in the top 10 following the USTFCCA’s first outdoor national rating index of 2024, checking in at No. 10. Led by head coach Dana Boone, the Knights are one of seven Big 12 conference squads in the top-25 following their debuts.
UCF opened the second portion of its inaugural campaign in the Big 12 with back-to-back home meets at the Track and Field Complex, accumulating multiple event wins and personal bests. The ranking leads the south region.
Kiah Williams led the charge as she ran conference-leading times in both the 200m and 400m, also ranking in the top three in the nation in each event. The senior took home the win in the former with a personal-best 22.95, then followed up the performance with her first sub-52-second debut in the 400m (51.90).
Another Knight who soared into national lists was Asherah Collins, who claims top-10 marks in both the triple and long jump. In 2023, Collins secured her first outdoor second-team All-America honor and carried the momentum over. The senior is one of six athletes to have already surpassed 13 meters in the triple jump (13.01m).
Rayniah Jones finished first in her outdoor hurdles debut after garnering her eighth All-America honor at the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships in Boston earlier this month. In the 100m hurdles, Jones ran an opening 13.09 to rank sixth through the first two weeks of the outdoor season.
The Knights’ first 4x100m squad of the season also checked in at 13th in the nation following a first-place finish and 44.36 performance.
Following the homestand, the Black and Gold will embark on the Florida Relays, one of the premier meets of the outdoor season, in Gainesville, Florida, this weekend from March 29-30.
Rankings update‼️
— UCF Track & Field/XC (@UCF_Track) March 26, 2024
After a revision yesterday, we open the outdoor season 10th in the nation 🫡 pic.twitter.com/dplBCYjQ8O