June 26, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Fresh off one of the best individual seasons in the history of UCF track & field, Tiki James (Miami, Fla.) headed to Eugene, Ore., this week to compete in this weekend's 2009 USA Track & Field National Championships this weekend. Competing in the 100-meter hurdles, James will be vying for a spot at the 12th IAAF World Championships slated for Aug. 15-23 in Berlin, Germany.
While the four-day meet gets underway on Thursday, the first round of the 100-meter hurdles is scheduled for Saturday at 6:55 p.m. with the finals slated for 5:22 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.
The top three finishers in each event will advance to the World Championships in Berlin. James qualified for a spot in an elite field of competitors in the 100-meter hurdles. Her qualifying mark of 13.03 ranks her 11th among competitors overall and third among current collegiate athletes.
James, a transfer, had an impressive first season as a Knight competing for second-year head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert. The best performance of her junior campaign came at the NCAA East Regionals in late May in Greensboro, N.C. In the finals of the 100-meter hurdles, James crossed the line in second place with the time of 13.03.
The performance ranked her sixth among collegiate athletes this season and earned James a spot in the NCAA Outdoor Championships. At the national college meet in Fayetteville, Ark., she finished just outside the finals in 12th place.
During the indoor season, James advanced to the NCAA Championships and earned All-American accolades with a fifth-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles. She now owns the UCF school records in the 55-, 60- and 100-meter hurdles.
The National Championships are being held at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon. Hayward Field will also be the site of the 2010 NCAA Outdoor National Championships. For more information on this weekend's meet and to follow James, go to http://www.usatf.org/events/2009/USAOutdoorTFChampionships/. Smith Gilbert and assistant coach Tyangela Sanders will also make the trip to Eugene this weekend.
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