March 21, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. -
Complete Results in PDF Format
Sophomore Lizzie Harris (Miami, Fla.) posted NCAA Regional qualifying marks on both the high jump and the 100 meter hurdles to highlight the UCF track and field team's participation on Saturday in the Black & Gold Challenge at the UCF Track and Field Complex.
The event, UCF's first outdoor competition of the spring season, also featured Bethune-Cookman, Florida and Texas. It was not team scored.
Harris cleared 1.80 meters (5'10.75") in the high jump and clocked in at 13.88 in the 100 meter hurdles to earn her regional qualifying marks. Freshman Aisha-Maree Frazier (Marietta, Ga.) posted a regional qualifying time for the Knights with her 1:00.46 clip to win the 400 meter hurdles.
UCF also produced both a school record and an NCAA Regional qualifying mark when Sheila Paul (Lauderdale Lakes, Fla.), Jackie Coward (Knoxville, Tenn.), Tiki James (Miami, Fla.) and Dione Thomas (Jacksonville, Fla.) completed the 4x100 meter relay in a time of 45.22 seconds.
It was also a good day for UCF's throwers as junior Kelsey Poljansek (Milton, Kan.) and junior LaKendra Thames (Winter Garden, Fla.) won the discus and hammer throws, respectively. Also, senior Shantile Blackburn (Brooklyn, N.Y.) narrowly missed the regional qualifying cut with the 2:10.33 that she ran to win the 800 meters. Sophomore Ocean Cohen (Sarasota, Fla.) set a personal-best time in the 5,000 meters by nearly a minute with her meet-best time of 18:31.52.
"We did a good job today," said UCF head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert. "We weren't focused on time as much as we were focused on effort. The first meet is usually for workout purposes, getting in shape and seeing where your flaws are. It's still early so nobody's really peaked. All four of these teams have a lot of freshmen and we were just trying to get some good competition in this good weather by going heads up and having some fun."
The Knights will remain in Orlando this week to host the UCF Invitational on March 27-28.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to 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 UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.