March 9, 2006
ORLANDO - The UCF women's track and field team focuses on building upon its strong performance in the outdoor season opener when the Golden Knights compete at the Disney Relays in Lake Buena Vista on Friday and Saturday.
Although some athletes continue to be missing from the lineup because they are on hiatus after a competitive indoor campaign, the Golden Knights are represented by a formidable group that includes five past NCAA Regional qualifiers - seniors Tiffany Roebuck, Rian Thomas and Andrea Morrow and juniors Katie Fowke and Karen Kozub.
Roebuck and Thomas go head-to-head in the hammer throw. The school record holder with a career-best of 185-feet, 10-inches, Roebuck has twice qualified for the NCAA Regional in the event and posted a mark just four inches from the standard last weekend at the UCF Invitational. She is also set to compete in the discus, yet another event in which she owns the school record (153-8).
Thomas, meanwhile, is listed second all-time in the hammer at 178-3. After struggling with injuries last year, she opened the 2006 season with an impressive mark of 171-7, also inches from the qualifying standard.
Leading a talented group of pole vaulters are Fowke and sophomore Michelle Teuton. Like Roebuck, Fowke is a two-time NCAA Regional competitor and also owns the school record in the event at 12-0. Teuton, meanwhile, posted a UCF indoor best of 11-5.75 at the Tiger Classic in February.
Also in the field events, freshman Sheree Carter returns in the high jump competition after taking fifth place in the indoor pentathlon at the Conference USA Indoor Championship.
The Golden Knights are also set to run in both the 4x1600m and 4x800m relays. In the 4x1600m, Kozub and Morrow are joined by freshman Shantile Blackburn and sophomore Kristen Zieminski, while Kozub, Blackburn, Zieminski and junior Christina Jones race in the 4x800m.
UCF's lineup in the 400m hurdles also features tremendous depth with senior Kylene Colasanti leading the pack which also includes freshmen Natalie Braddock, Michelle Ranc and Shaneeva Patterson. All five athletes competed a week ago with Colasanti finishing fourth at 1:06.79 followed by Braddock in fifth and Ranc in sixth.
Competition at the Disney Relays begins on Friday at 1 p.m. with the hammer throw and pole vault and on Saturday at 9 a.m. with the 5,000m run.