Feb. 22, 2007
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF women's track and field team chases its first league title when the Golden Knights compete in the 2007 Conference USA Indoor Championship from Friday, Feb. 23 through Saturday, Feb. 24 at the University of Houston's Yeoman Fieldhouse.
Kicking off the meet is a trio of Golden Knights in the pentathlon. After finishing fifth in the multi-events at last year's league championship, sophomore Sheree Carter (Tallahassee, Fla./Godby HS) is ranked third this season with a point total of 3,366 - an effort that is also second all-time at UCF. She is joined by sophomore Natalie Braddock (Callahan, Fla./West Nassau HS) and junior transfer Tia Harwood (Wyanadach, N.Y./Half Hallow Hills East HS). Both competed in the pentathlon at the Gladstein Invitational, earning 2,749 and 2,687 points, respectively.
Carter is also slated for the high jump along with freshman Katorie Stinney (Rockledge HS), who leaped 5-feet, 4.25 inches twice this season and is ranked eighth in C-USA.
Led by senior and three-time NCAA Regional qualifier Katie Fowke (Tampa, Fla./Riverview HS), the Golden Knights are well-represented in the pole vault. Fowke enters the weekend tied for fifth on the conference depth chart with junior teammate Kelsey Bealert (Orlando, Fla/Oak Ridge HS) at 10-11.75. Sophomore Brittney McDermott (Oviedo HS) is also among the league's top 10 athletes in the event at 10-6.
In the horizontal jumps, sophomore Dione Thomas (Jacksonville, Fla./Raines HS) owns the conference's sixth best mark in the triple jump at 39-5.25 and ranks 10th in the long jump with a leap of 18-10.75. Freshman transfer Ricki Sullivan (Santa Cruz, Calif./Harbor HS) goes head-to-head with Thomas in both events.
UCF also boasts a strong line-up in the throws. Both freshman LaKendra Thames (Winter Garden, Fla./West Orange HS) and senior Virginia Traynor (Miami, Fla./Westminster HS) are listed at ninth and tenth among C-USA in the shot put. Thames also owns the program's second-best mark and freshman record in the weight throw at 49-11, while Traynor is third all-time at UCF with a toss of 49-7. Freshman Jessica Francis (Orlando, Fla./Boone HS) competes in the shot put as well.
Both finalists in the 800m indoor a year ago, senior Karen Kozub (Alden, N.Y./Alden HS) and sophomore Shantile Blackburn (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Laughlin HS) race in the event again this weekend. Kozub, who also leads off the distance medley relay, has a season-best time of 2:15.16, while Blackburn has clocked in at 2:17.40.
In the sprints, Feyisara Adaramola (Bronx, N.Y./Trevor Day School) has run well in her rookie campaign, breaking the school's freshman record in both the 60m (7.71 seconds) and the 200m (25.25). She lines up for both events this weekend.
Freshman Jenny Clausen (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial HS) enters the weekend ranked fifth in the conference with a time of 17:29.55 in 5,000m, while she has a season-best of 10:14.88 in the 3,000m, an effort that broke the school record in the event. An all-conference honoree in cross country, she looks to earn spot in the top three in both races.
Although hampered with an injury that will keep her out of the 60m hurdles, junior Victoria Chin (Orlando, Fla./Oak Ridge HS) is slated to run a leg of the 4x400m relay with the intent of duplicating the bronze medal-winning performance from the 2006 outdoor championship.
During their inaugural season in C-USA, the Golden Knights finished seventh of 12 teams at the 2006 conference championship.
Fans can follow this year's competition live by visiting the 2007 Conference USA Indoor Track and Field Championship website at http://www.flashresults.com/flashtexas/cusaindoor07/ for real-time results.
For the latest news and information on the Golden Knights, tickets or apparel log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF athletics.