March 2, 2006
ORLANDO - Fresh from an impressive seventh place finish at the Conference USA Indoor Championship, the UCF women's track and field team opens the outdoor season with the UCF Invitational on Saturday at the UCF Track and Field Complex. The meet is scheduled to start at 11 a.m.
Among the teams slated to participate are combined squads from East Tennessee State and USF, while the women from Jacksonville, Florida Atlantic and Tennessee State and the men from UConn will also compete. In addition to the UCF women's track team, several members of the Golden Knight men's cross country squad race in the track events.
Although several of the Golden Knights' top performers - including sisters Diana and Victoria Chin - are taking the weekend off, senior Tiffany Roebuck is among the participants. She currently holds four school throwing records, including both the shot put (47-feet, 2.5 inches) and the hammer throw (185-10) that she contests this weekend. Senior Rian Thomas also competes in the hammer, an event in which she ranks second all-time at UCF.
Elsewhere, sophomore Sade Kusimo is listed in the discus line-up. She ranks third all-time in the school record books in the event with a throw of 140-6.
The Golden Knights feature five athletes in the pole vault, including junior Katie Fowke and sophomore Michelle Teuton. Fowke is the school recordholder in the event after jumping 12-0 in both of the previous two seasons and Teuton recently posted a UCF indoor best of 11-5.75.
A trio of Golden Knights race in the middle distance events. Junior Christina Jones and sophomore Kristen Zieminski each have experience, while freshman Kelly McNeill makes her UCF outdoor debut.
UCF also has senior Lynnsey Hicks and freshman Dione Thomas in the long jump and the sprints. In the hurdles, the Golden Knights feature senior Kylene Colasanti and freshmen Michelle Ranc, Shaneeva Paterson and Natalie Braddock in the starting blocks.
Admission to the UCF Invitational is free for all fans.