Jan. 13, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF track and field team has been slated for a fourth-place finish in the Conference USA Indoor Championships according to the preseason coaches poll, the C-USA office announced today. The coaches slated Rice, who received 11 of the 12 first-place votes, to defend its indoor titles from 2007 and 2008.
UTEP was tabbed to finish second while Houston was picked third right in front of the Knights. UAB and Memphis rounded out the top six of the poll.
"We are really excited for the upcoming indoor season," head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert. "It is good to see how things are viewed around the conference, and we will look to improve each week in both our practices and meets in preparation of a strong performance at the C-USA Indoor Championships."
With a school-record four all-conference indoor honors, UCF finished eighth at the C-USA indoor meet a season ago. In just her freshman campaign, Lizzie Harris (Miami, Fla.) excelled at the meet, claiming first place in the high jump to become the first female athlete in school history to win a C-USA Indoor Individual Event Championship.
Also at the meet, Dione Thomas (Jacksonville, Fla.) earned all-conference honors in both the triple jump and long jump while Micaela Wimberly (Miami, Fla.) was an all-conference performer in the 60-meter hurdles.
The Knights will get their 2009 indoor season underway this weekend, competing in the Kentucky Invitational in Lexington, Ky., on Friday and Saturday.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to www.UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit www.UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.