Feb. 18, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Junior UCF jumper Dione Thomas (Jacksonville, Fla.) has been named the Knights' track and field athlete of the week as decided by the team's coaching staff on Monday, following her weekend performances at the prestigious Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark.
Thomas broke UCF's school record in the triple jump with a leap of 41-4.50 to break LaTrica Firby's previous record setting mark of 41-1, set in the 2001 season. Her jump, equivalent to a metric measure of 12.61, was four centimeters shy of notching the team's second NCAA provisional-qualifying mark of the season.
Thomas' third-place finish in the triple jump this past Saturday came one day after finishing second in the long jump with a leap of 19-11.00 on Friday evening. That jump was just shy of her school-record leap in the event of 19-11.50 that she set on Feb. 1 at the Frank Sevigne Invitational in Lincoln, Neb.
Thomas' school-record leap in the triple jump marked the 11th event this season in which a UCF athlete has broken the previous school record. Thomas currently holds school records in the long jump and triple jump.
Following each week of competition, head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert and her staff will nominate an athlete to be the school's track and field athlete of the week based on the previous weekend's meet. That athlete will then be eligible to be considered for the Conference USA Athlete of the Week, announced each Tuesday afternoon by the league office.
Team Notebook
The UCF track and field team sent split squads to the prestigious Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., and the Carolina Chick Fil-A Classic in Chapel Hill, N.C., this past weekend ... Two school records fell for the Knights at the Tyson Invitational as Dione Thomas broke a seven-year old school record in the triple jump, while Shantile Blackburn broke her own school record in the 800-meter run ... The Knights have now broken 11 different school indoor records so far this season, including besting several records on multiple occasions this season ... The Knights set six personal-best marks at the Chick Fil-A Classic on Saturday ... UCF returns to action this weekend when athletes travel to the Dick Taylor Relays in Chapel Hill, N.C., and the Virginia Tech Challenge in Blacksburg, Va.
Recent Results
Competition: Tyson Invitational
Date: Friday, Feb. 15 - Saturday, Feb. 16
City: Fayetteville, Ark.
Placing/No. of Teams: No Team Score
Competition: Carolina Chick Fil-A Classic
Date: Saturday, Feb. 16
City: Chapel Hill, N.C.
Placing/No. of Teams: No Team Score
Upcoming Competitions
Feb. 22-23 - Dick Taylor Relays - Chapel Hill, N.C.
Feb. 22-23 - Virginia Tech Challenge - Blacksburg, Va.
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