April 23, 2010
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (UCFAthletics.com) - Competing at the historic Penn Relays, the UCF track and field team had a strong opening day at Franklin Field, led by top-five finishes from senior LaKendra Thames (Winter Garden, Fla.) and freshman Sonnisha Williams (Jacksonville, Fla.) in the shot put and long jump respectively.
Williams easily surpassed her previous personal best in the long jump with a top mark of 19-9.75/6.04m to finish fourth in the college division. The freshman's mark would have set a freshman school record in the event had it not been wind-aided. Teammate Jacqueline Gilchrist (Tallahassee, Fla.) also had a personal best in the long jump, finishing ninth in the same division with a top mark of 19-2.0/5.84m.
Thames continued her impressive senior campaign by nearly missing the school record in the shot put. The Winter Garden native had a season best with a top throw of 49-4.25/15.04m to finish third.
The Knights' 4x100-meter relay team qualified for the finals of the college division with a strong outing. The team crossed with a time of 46.05, nesting the team's time in the prelims of the event a season ago.
UCF will defend its title in the shuttle hurdles relay on Friday, with the race slated to begin at 3:15 p.m. Fans can follow the results and also watch live by logging onto www.ThePennRelays.com.
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.
116th Penn Relays Carnival
Philadelphia, Pa. - April 22, 2010
4x100 Prelims
21. UCF (Coward, Williams, Wimberly, Paul), 46.05 - Q
Shot Put
3. LaKendra Thames, 49-4.25/15.04m
Long Jump
4. Sonnisha Williams, 19-9.75/6.04m (+2.3)w
9. Jacqueline Gilchrist, 19-2.0/5.84m (+1.5)
Discus
9. Jessica Francis, 143-2/43.66m
3,000m Steeple
17. Jamie Rzepecki, 11:09.89
10,000m
19. Ocean Cohen, 36:20.88