April 22, 2008

Track and Field Heads to Prestigious Penn Relays

April 23, 2008

ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF track and field team heads to Philadelphia on Thursday to begin competition in the 114th-annual Penn Relays hosted by the University of Pennsylvania at historic Franklin Field. The three-day event begins on Thursday at 10 a.m. and continues through Saturday. Live results will be available at www.thepennrelays.com.

The Knights are one of four Conference USA schools who are participating in the Penn Relays, as East Carolina, Houston and Marshall all head to the nation's first capital to compete in the meet. A number of nationally ranked teams are also participating in the meet, including Auburn, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Penn State, Southern Cal, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M and Virginia.

"The Penn Relays are a great opportunity for us to take on the best competition in the United States," UCF head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert said. "It is also a good opportunity for us to showcase this new era of UCF track and field. This will give us a chance to recruit kids on the east coast. We are really looking forward to having some great performances, running some fast times, recording personal bests and learning a lot from this experience."

UCF has notched six NCAA regional-qualifying scores so far on the season and has broken school records in seven outdoor events during the 2008 campaign. Last weekend at the Vanderbilt Invitational, the Knights broke the school's 4x100-meter record and senior Karen Kozub (Alden, N.Y.) ran the second-fastest 1,500-meter time in program history.

The Penn Relays will provide UCF the opportunity to compete in a number of different baton events that aren't always part of standard track and field meets. In addition to the 4x100 and 4x200 relays, UCF's school-record-setting sprint medley relay team will compete for the first time since the Pepsi Florida Relays in early April. Additionally, the Knights will compete in the distance medley relay and the shuttle hurdles for the first time in 2008.

UCF also will run athletes in the 10,000-meter event for the first time this season as freshman Ocean Cohen (Sarasota, Fla.) and senior Allison Palmer (Oviedo, Fla.) are scheduled to compete in the 10K at the Penn Relays.

The objective of the Penn Relays, which began in 1895, is to provide the best competition for the greatest number of participants of all levels, ages and abilities. In its 113-year history, the Penn Relays have provided competition for more athletes than any other track meet in the world. In the past 10 years alone, more than 100,000 young men and women from high schools, clubs, colleges, armed services, prep schools, junior high schools, parochial schools and elementary schools have competed in the event.

In 2007, during some 34 hours of competition during a three-day span, more than 465 races were run, an average of more than one race every five minutes. In all, 936 high schools from 18 states and 245 colleges and universities participated in last season's event.

Following the Penn Relays, UCF will return home to gear up for its lone home meet of the season, the UCF Twilight Invitational at the UCF Track and Field Complex on May 10.

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.

UCF Track and Field at the Penn Relays

400-Meter Hurdles (RQS: 60.82) - Thursday 10 a.m.

High Jump (RQS: 5-8.75/1.75m) - Thursday 10 a.m.