April 12, 2007
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF women's track and field team splits into two squads this weekend as small group of runners compete at the Sea Ray Relays in Knoxville, Tenn., while the rest of the Knights head South to the Miami Elite Invitational this weekend.
UCF begins racing at the Sea Ray Relays on Friday, April 13. After breaking the school's freshman records in both the 3,000m and 5,000m this season, rookie Jenny Clausen (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial HS) is focused on owning the trifecta as she makes her collegiate debut in the 10,000m. Five members of the men's cross country team also open competition that same day with Knights racing in the 5,000m, 1500m and 10,000m races.
Junior Elizabeth Miller (Orlando, Fla./Timber Creek HS) and redshirt freshman Jamie Rzepecki (East Aurora, N.Y./East Aurora HS) take on the 3,000m steeplechase on Saturday. Rzepecki is second all-time at UCF in the event with a time of 11:14.54, while Miller is fourth at 11:37.27.
Five athletes headline the list of UCF competitors at Saturday's Miami Elite Invitational. Junior Victoria Chin (Orlando, Fla./Oak Ridge HS) recently qualified for a third consecutive NCAA Regional after finishing the 400m hurdles in a personal-best time of 1:00.79 at the FSU Relays. She is slated to run the 100m hurdles and the 200m dash in Miami.
Joining Chin in the 200m, sophomore Dione Thomas (Jacksonville, Fla./Raines HS) also competes in the long and triple jumps. At the Florida Relays a week ago, she missed meeting the NCAA Regional standard in the triple jump by three centimeters as she leaped a personal best of 40-feet, 4.25 inches. She has also earned a mark of 18-11.25 in the long jump. Sophomore Ricki Sullivan (Santa Cruz, Calif./Harbor HS) also competes in the two horizontal jumps.
Much like Thomas, senior pole vaulter Katie Fowke (Tampa, Fla./Riverview HS) has also narrowly missed the NCAA Regional mark as she went 11-11.75 at the Florida Relays. She is aiming to become the first Knight to qualify for four consecutive NCAA Regionals.
Junior Virginia Traynor (Miami, Fla./Westminster Christian HS) and freshmen LaKendra Thames (Winter Garden, Fla./West Orange HS) and Jessica Francis (Orlando, Fla./Boone HS) lead the Knights in the throws. Traynor owns the team's best effort this season in the shot put at 45-11.75, which ranks third all-time at UCF. Thames has broken the school's freshman records in both the shot put and discus throw, while Francis has the squad's second best discus mark of the season at 139-8. The trio is set to try to better their previous marks when they compete in the shot and discus.
In addition, the Knights continue to be well-represented throughout the sprints, hurdles and middle distance events.
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