Jan. 14, 2005
ORLANDO - The UCF women's track and field team is looking to open the 2005 season with a strong debut at the Florida Intercollegiate Meet at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center in Gainesville on Saturday.
Leading the lineup for the Golden Knights, which features six NCAA Regional qualifiers, are sophomore LesSundra Ford and senior captain Ann-Louise Larsen in the high jump. Both athletes are eyeing NCAA qualifying standards in the event with 5-10 as the provisional mark. The school record holder with a leap of 5-11.25 a year ago, Ford became the first in program history to advance to the event finals at the NCAA Championships. Larsen, meanwhile, has earned all-conference three times and qualified for the NCAA Regional in the outdoor event twice. She ranks second all-time at UCF with a mark of 5-9.25.
Another NCAA outdoor qualifier in 2004, sophomore Katie Fowke will be a contender in the pole vault, where she posted a school best of 12-0 and won the event title at both the Disney Relays and the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship. Fowke is joined in the competition by rookies Kelsey Bealert and Michelle Teuton.
In the throws, junior Rian Thomas participates in the weight throw competition this weekend after posting an NCAA Regional standard in the outdoor hammer throw last season. She is second all-time at UCF in that event with a mark of 178-3 and also earned all-conference honors. Freshman Virginia Traynor makes her collegiate debut in the shot put, an event in which she won the state championship.
On the track, junior Andrea Morrow and sophomore Karen Kozub will be going head-to-head in the mile. Morrow has twice qualified for the NCAA Regionals and holds the school record in the steeplechase, while Kozub was the conference champion in the 800m during 2003. Kozub also teams up with junior Tavia Record, sophomore LaToya Williams and freshman Victoria Chin in the 4X400m relay.
Chin, Record, Williams, junior Kylene Colasanti and senior Melody Parry are among UCF's representatives in the 400m. Rookies Elizabeth Miller and Allison Palmer, who both excelled for UCF during cross country season, will be racing in the mile and 3,000m, respectively. Junior transfer Marivi Mercado will also run the 3,000m.
In the sprints, sophomores Kaprice Williams, Jenny Rogan and LaToya Green are set to compete in the 55m and 200m dashes.