Feb. 2, 2008
LINCOLN, Neb. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF track and field team set three school records and recorded seven personal-best times Friday en route to a strong opening day at the 33rd-annual Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational hosted by the University of Nebraska at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
Junior Sheree Carter (Tallahassee, Fla.) scored a 3,600 in the pentathlon to open the day's competition with an eighth-place finish. Carter's mark set the UCF school record in the pentathlon and was just 100 points shy of an NCAA provisional qualifying mark.
Junior jumper Dione Thomas (Jacksonville, Fla.) captured the long jump with a personal-best leap of 19-11.50, to break her own school record of 19-9 set two weeks ago at the Virginia Tech Invitational in Blacksburg, Va. She was two centimeters from an NCAA provisional qualifying mark.
Freshman sprinter Lizzie Harris (Miami, Fla.), who has tied or set seven school records since beginning her collegiate career three weeks ago, broke her own school record in the preliminaries of the 400-meter dash with a time of 55.99 to advance to Saturday's final in the event.
"This was a good day for UCF Track and Field," UCF head coach Caryl Smith Gibert said. "We are headed in the right direction and, as long as we keep improving every day out, this is going to be a great year for us. I was pleased with the effort today and I look forward to seeing more improvements from our team tomorrow."
Senior thrower Virginia Traynor (Miami, Fla.) set a personal-best mark in winning the women's weight throw with a toss of 52-2.50. Sophomore Ashley Kirkpatrick (Lake Mary, Fla.) also set a career mark with a toss of 41-7.25 in the event.
Junior distance runner Jamie Rzepecki (East Aurora, N.Y.) broke her personal-best time by 23 seconds in the 5,000-meter run, finishing ninth in a time of 18:06.22.
In addition to capturing the women's long jump event, Thomas qualified for Saturday's final in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.616, as did sophomore Feyisara Adaramola (Bronx, N.Y.), who finished in 7.71. Senior Victoria Chin (Orlando, Fla.) will compete in tomorrow's 200-meter dash final after finishing 15th in the preliminaries with a time of 25.713. She also will compete in the finals of the 60-meter hurdles after finishing sixth in 8.78 in the preliminaries.
The Knights conclude the two-day Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational on Saturday, beginning at 11 a.m. EST.
For the latest news and information on the Knights, tickets or apparel log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. Also check out UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational (Bob Devaney Sports Center - Lincoln, Neb.)
Results - Friday, January 31, 2008 - Event - (NCAA Qualifying Marks ) - Time
Pentathlon
8. Sheree Carter - 3,600 - 8.85 60 H, 1.61m HJ, 9.18 m SP, 5.53 m LJ, 2:27.29 800m
Long Jump
1. Dione Thomas - 19-11.50 /6.08m
Weight Throw
1. Virginia Traynor - 52-2.50/15.91m
7. Ashley Kirkpatrick - 41-7.25/12.68m
60-Meter Dash Preliminaries
10. Dione Thomas - 7.616 p q
13. Feyisara Adaramola - 7.71 p q
60-Meter Hurdle Preliminaries
6. Victoria Chin - 8.78 p q
400-Meter Dash Preliminaries
8. Lizzie Harris - 55.99 p q
27. Sade Nero - 59.25 p
31. Samantha Shields - 1:00.83 p
32. Katorie Stinney - 1:01.68 p
200-Meter Dash Preliminaries
15. Victoria Chin - 25.713 p
5,000-Meter Run
9. Jamie Rzepecki - 18:06.22