March 16, 2005
ORLANDO - The UCF women's track and field team makes its annual visit to the FSU Relays in Tallahassee this weekend. Competition begins on Thursday and continues through Saturday at Florida State's Mike Long Track.
Fresh from her school record tying mark (46 feet, 10 inches) in the event at the Disney Relays on March 12, junior Tiffany Roebuck starts off Thursday in the shot put along with freshman Virginia Traynor. Later in the afternoon, junior Michelle Olandese will try to better her season best of 36.34m (119-3) in the javelin.
The competition becomes even more heated on Friday as Roebuck, Traynor, Olandese and freshman Sade Kusimo step into the ring for the discus throw at 10 a.m. Kusimo's effort of 42.83m (140-6) at the UCF Invitational ranks third all-time in the program's history.
Roebuck returns on Saturday to compete in the gold section of the hammer throw along with freshman Kendra Howell. At Clermont in February, Roebuck broke her own school record with a mark of 56.64m (185-10), an effort that also qualified her for her second consecutive trip to the NCAA Regional. Howell is third on the UCF depth chart in the event with a throw of 47.75m (150-1.25).
Also on Friday, sophomore Katie Fowke leads a talented group of pole vaulters, the majority of whom earned season bests at the Disney Relays a week ago. Fowke, who is also set for the gold section competition on Saturday, won the Disney event after narrowly missing an attempt at beating her own school record. Freshman Michelle Teuton beat her previous personal record with a mark of 3.24m (10-7.50) and another rookie Kelsey Bealert also had a season best mark of 3.09m (10-1.25).
The junior duo of Diana Chin and Lynnsey Hicks go head-to-head in the triple jump on Friday. Hicks, who is scheduled to compete in both the gold and the garnet sections, tops the UCF performance list in the event with a mark of 11.30m (37-1). Although she is in third place in the triple jump, Chin sits in first with a team-high 5.92m (19-5.25) mark in the long jump, which she contests on Saturday. She will also run the 100m hurdle event on both days.
Meanwhile, freshman Vicky Chin competes along side her older sister in the garnet section of the 100m hurdles before going solo in the gold division of the 400m hurdles on Saturday. Her time of 62.40 at the Disney Relays ranks highest on the Knights' depth chart. Second in UCF's rankings, junior Kylene Colasanti lines up for the garnet section of the event.
High jumpers Ann-Louise Larsen and LesSundra Ford are looking to duplicate their results from a year ago in Tallahassee when Ford set a new record of 1.78m (5-10) en route to a first place showing. Larsen earned a regional qualifying mark as she finished second.
Friday also features the Knights in the individual sprinting and middle distance events. Sophomores Jenny Rogan and LaToya Green race in the 100m and 200m dashes. In the 800m run, reigning Atlantic Sun Champion and sophomore Karen Kozub joins junior Astrid Claessens and sophomore Christina Jones, while junior Andrea Morrow and freshmen Kristen Zeiminski and Elizabeth Miller line up for the 1500m.
UCF also competes in the sprint medley relay and the 4x1500m relay on Saturday.