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Track and Field Shines to Conclude Florida Relays

by Alex Clough

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Three weeks in, the UCF track and field team has continued to see remarkable performances, and today at the Florida Relays, the Knights capped the weekend off in style. Led by blazing outings from Rayniah Jones and Kiah Williams, the Black and Gold showed out at the James G. Pressley Stadium in their first road trip of the outdoor campaign.

This was a very good weekend for the Knights. The team is stepping up this outdoor season and that’s what we want to see. Myself and my staff were pleased with everything that was accomplished at the Florida Relays. We are looking forward to the next time we come back and compete in the next two weeks.

Head coach Dana Boone

Saturday’s first event saw Jones qualify convincingly in the 100m hurdles, securing a 13.09 to place second in the field and first in her heat. Minutes later, Jones joined Ani Wells, Colleen Branch and I’Asia Wilson in the 4x100m relays finals.

The squad secured fourth with a strong 14.17 in their second meet of the season. Distance commenced with an incredible performance from Karin Dobiasch who ran the eighth-best time in program history, turning in a 2:08.88.

In the finals of the 100m hurdles, Jones smashed her prelims mark with a season-best 12.78 to take second overall. Jones, along with Florida’s Grace Stark, is the first athlete to go sub-12.80 seconds in 2024, as the eight-time All-American currently sits second in the NCAA and the world.

After garnering UCF’s first Big 12 Athlete of the Week nod, Kiah Williams displayed her best performance to date at the collegiate level, running a 51.55 in the 400m. Her performance, which saw the senior turn on the jets on the backstretch, places her third in the NCAA.

In the triple jump, Asherah Collins continued her strong form in the early stages of the outdoor season, claiming a season-best 13.30m in the triple jump. The performance is the senior's second-best at the collegiate level and just .04m from her program record of 13.34m. Collins now sits third in the nation and leads the Big 12 in the event.

Three Knights embarked on the 100m dash, led by I’Asia Wilson who continues to drop times in the event. The senior shattered her previous best with an 11.39 in heat two and moved within reach of the top-10 all-time list. Branch (11.51) and Wells (11.57) followed in 11th and 15th.

UCF will now embark on the Hurricane Alumni Invitational in Coral Gables, Florida, from April 5-6.