March 10, 2005
ORLANDO - After a successful season debut at the UCF Invitational on March 5, the UCF women's track and field team travels down I-4 to the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex for the Disney Relays this weekend.
Competition begins on Friday with the hammer throw and pole vault, events in which the Knights' are well-represented. Junior Tiffany Roebuck headlines the hammer throw lineup as she broke her own school record in mid-February with a mark of 56.64m (185-feet, 10 inches), which also qualified her for her second consecutive NCAA Regional. She is joined by classmate Rian Thomas, who owns the second best throw in the school record books at 54.33m (178-3). Freshman Kendra Howell has already thrown 45.75m (150-1.25) this season, good enough for fourth all-time. With a personal best of 42.87m (140-8), sophomore Anna Baker will also compete in the event.
Seven Golden Knights will compete in the pole vault, including 2004 Atlantic Sun Champion and NCAA Regional competitor Katie Fowke. The sophomore has a season best of 3.50m (11-6), four inches short of the school record she set a year ago. Atlantic Sun bronze medalist Tracy Fischler is also in the lineup along with rookie Kelsey Bealert, who has the season's second best mark of 3.00m (10-0).
In the high jump, senior Ann-Louise Larsen earned an NCAA Regional qualifying mark of 1.75m (5-8.75) to take top honors at the UCF Invitational. Sophomore and 2004 NCAA Championship finalist LesSundra Ford was second in the event with a leap of 1.70m (5-7). The duo will be joined by freshman Alison Shoemaker in the event.
Also on Friday, freshman Allison Palmer leads a pack of eight Knight runners in the 3000m, while two relay teams make their 2005 spring debut in the 4x1600m. After winning the 400m hurdles at the UCF Invitational with a season best of 63.06, freshman Vicky Chin headlines the list of Knights, which also includes veterans Kylene Colasanti and Melody Parry, competing in the event.
Saturday features the Golden Knights in five more relays as well as both Palmer and junior Michelle Brouillet in the 5000m run. In the field events, Vicky Chin makes her outdoor debut in the triple jump along with junior and older sister Diana Chin, junior Tavia Record and freshman Chastity Rivers. The elder Chin will also compete in the long jump. Last weekend, she fell three centimeters short of the NCAA Regional qualifying standard of 5.95m (19-6.25).
Roebuck, Thomas and Baker also return to the throwing events in the second day. The trio will be joined by freshmen Virginia Traynor and Lauren Johnson in the shot put. Roebuck finished fourth in the event with a mark of 13.47m (44-2.50) at the UCF Invitational.
Finally, freshman Sade Kusimo will be trying to better her mark in the discus. A week ago, she placed second at 42.83m (140-6), a mark that ranks third all-time at UCF. Roebuck, Baker, Johnson and junior Michelle Olandese round out the lineup.