May 31, 2008
Complete Results in PDF Format
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - UCF junior Dione Thomas (Jacksonville, Fla.) recorded a personal-best and school record leap of 42-9/13.03m (+1.9) in the triple jump Saturday as the Knights wrapped up competition in the NCAA East Regional at Mike Long Track on the campus of Florida State University.
Thomas finished eighth in the triple jump and will now wait to see if she qualifies for the NCAA Championships, which take place June 11-14 in Des Moines, Iowa. Thomas will learn of her postseason fate on Monday when the NCAA releases its descending-order lists. Thomas' mark bested her previous personal and school record leap of 42-4.25/12.91m, accomplished at the Penn Relays in late April.
"Today was a better day," UCF head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert said. "Dione had a PR in the triple jump, which was great to see. She probably has an opportunity to qualify for the NCAA Championships. We will find out on Monday, when the NCAA releases the descending-order list and takes out the automatic qualifiers to see where her mark ranks. The mile relay ran very consistent today with great legs by Fey and Lizzie. We have to continue to work on our confidence, but this meet gave us an opportunity to see that we have the ability to compete with the best teams in the nation. Again, this is a great way for our program to move into next year."
The 4x400-meter relay team of senior Victoria Chin (Orlando, Fla.), sophomore Feyisara Adaramola (Bronx, N.Y.), junior Shantile Blackburn (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and freshman Lizzie Harris (Miami, Fla.) continued its strong performance, finishing in a time of 3:40.84. That is just shy of the school record of 3:40.31 set in that event two weeks ago at the Conference USA Championships.
Harris, a 2008 NCAA Indoor All-America selection in the high jump, was unable to clear the initial height in Saturday's high jump competition to open the day's activities for the Knights.
The NCAA East Regional was another notable accomplishment for UCF in an incredible season of firsts in 2008 under Smith Gilbert's direction. This season, the Knights notched a school-record 12 NCAA regional-qualifying marks/times, UCF broke 22 total school records including 10 during the outdoor season, finished in third place at the Conference USA Championships (best in school history) and had the school's first indoor (Lizzie Harris - High Jump) and outdoor (Sheree Carter - Heptathlon) C-USA individual event champions in program history.
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UCF Competitors at the NCAA East Regional (Saturday, May 31, 2008 - Tallahassee, Fla.)
High Jump (RQS: 5-8.75/1.75m) - 1 p.m.
-- Lizzie Harris XXX
Shot Put (RQS: 46-11/14.30m) - 4 p.m.
21. LaKendra Thames - 45-5.25/13.85m
Triple Jump (RQS: 40-5/12.34m) - 4 p.m.
8. Dione Thomas - 42-9/13.03m (+1.9)
4x400-Meter Relay (RQS: 3:41.56) - 7:15 p.m.
11. UCF `A' - Victoria Chin, Feyisara Adaramola, Shantile Blackburn, Lizzie Harris - 3:40.84
-UCF Athletics-