Feb. 25, 2011
Complete Results from C-USA Championships - Day 1
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By Pat Salvas
UCFAthletics.com
HOUSTON (UCFAthletics.com) - With one day completed at the 2011 Conference USA Championships at Houston's Yeoman Fieldhouse, the UCF indoor track & field team is in contention to take home its first league title. The Knights finished with 13 points Friday and earned 14 scoring opportunities in the finals of five different events set to conclude Saturday.
The 13 points have the Knights in ninth place after one day. After earning 14 scoring opportunities Friday, UCF will have 20 opportunities to score points Saturday in Houston in an effort to win the league title.
"Overall it was a good day," head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert said. "We have to show up tomorrow if we are going to earn the points we need.
"Everyone on this team should be trying to win a championship in every event they enter. That should be how each individual looks at their opportunity."
Sophomore Sonnisha Williams claimed six points with a third-place finish in the long jump Friday afternoon with a mark of 19-5.25/5.92m. Junior Jacquelyn Gilchrist and senior Lynne Layne finished fifth and sixth, respectively, with jumps of 18-9.0/5.71m. Gilchrist finished in the scoring in the event for the first time as she earned four points with her finish, while Layne earned three. Junior Tomika Story was tenth in the event with a jump of 18-1.0/5.51m.
In the preliminaries of the 60-meter hurdles, junior Jackie Coward set a new meet record with a first-place finish in 8.15. She will be joined in Saturday's final by three other members of the Knights as all four UCF entrants qualified with strong showings Friday.
Senior Mica Wimberly won her heat in a personal-best time of 8.34, while fellow senior Karessa Farley also won her heat in 8.43. Junior Ashley Bolling finished behind Farley in the third heat with a time of 8.50 to round out the four Knights that qualified for Saturday's final.
UCF claimed five of the top six spots in the preliminaries of the 60 meters led by freshman Aurieyall Scott who placed first overall in a field of 26 runners with a personal-best time of 7.27. Fellow freshman Dominique Booker was third in 7.35, while senior Shelia Paul qualified fourth in 7.41. Scott, Booker and Paul all claimed first-place finishes in their respective heats. Layne also qualified with a 7.37.
Wimberly and freshman Tyler Smith rounded out the Knights in the event. Smith was 12th in a personal-best time of 7.55 with Wimberly's 7.63 good for 15th overall.
Scott also claimed first place in the 200 meters with a time of 23.24. Paul was fourth overall in a personal-best time of 23.67, while Booker's fifth-place finish of the same time rounded out the three Knights moving on to Saturday's final. Smith also ran in the event, finishing 13th in 24.50.
Senior Champelle Brown also placed first overall in the preliminaries of the 400 meters on Friday. Brown's time of 54.44 was good the top mark in a field of 21 competitors. Winning her heat and finishing fourth overall was freshman Afia Charles. Charles will also run in tomorrow's final after posting a 55.62 Friday at Yeoman Fieldhouse.
In the 800 meters, senior Carley Dart continued UCF's trend of first-place finishes with a personal-best 2:12.89 to take the top spot in the preliminaries. Despite running a personal-best time of 2:16.30, freshman Ne'Ausha Logan did not qualify for Saturday's finals as she placed 13th. Fellow freshman Erica Winston was 14th in 2:17.43.
In the pentathlon, UCF was represented by freshman Sandy Jean. Jean, who set a freshman indoor record earlier this season with 3,303 points at Penn State, finished ninth Friday. The first-year Knight set personal bests in two events with a 2:27.47 in the 800 meters and a mark of 16-5.25/5.01m in the long jump.
The Knights will look to move up the standings as they will chase for the championship Saturday with the finals of nine events. Aside from the qualifying events from Day 1, UCF will also compete in the including the 4x400-meter relay, the triple jump, pole vault and shot put.
UTEP is in first place after the first day with 39 points, while SMU's 33 are good for second. ECU, Tulsa, Southern Miss, UAB, Marshall and Memphis round out third through eighth through one day. Houston, Tulane and Rice are the three teams that are chasing the Knights headed into Saturday.
UCF Day 1 Results:
Pentathlon
Event/Place Time/Mark Points Earned
Overall
Sandy Jean - 9th 3,220
60 Meter Hurdles
7th 9.18 (873)
High Jump
7th 5-1.75/1.57m (701)
Shot Put
16th 24-10.0/7.57m (372)
Long Jump
11th 16-5.25/5.01m! (562)
800 Meters
5th 2:28.47 (f 2:27.47)! (712)
800 Meters
Preliminaries
1. Carley Dart 2:13.89 (f 2:12.89) ! - Q
13. Ne'Ausha Logan 2:17.30 (f 2:16.30) !
14. Erica Winston 2:18.43 (f 2:17.43)
60 Meters
Preliminaries
1. Aurieyall Scott 7.27 ! - Q
3. Dominique Booker 7.35 - Q
4. Sheila Paul 7.41 - Q
5. Lynne Layne 7.37 - q
12. Tyler Smith 7.55 !
15. Mica Wimberly 7.63
400 Meters
Preliminaries
1. Champelle Brown 55.17 (f 54.44) - q
4. Afia Charles 56.32 (f 55.62) - q
60 Meter Hurdles
Preliminaries
1. Jackie Coward 8.15 - Q (m)
2. Mica Wimberly 8.34 ! - Q
3. Karessa Farley 8.43 - Q
5. Ashley Bolling 8.50 - q
High Jump
12. Sonnisha Williams 5-3.75/1.62m
Long Jump
3. Sonnisha Williams 19-5.25/5.92m (6)
5. Jacquelyn Gilchrist 18-9.0/5.71m (4)
6. Lynne Layne 18-9.0/5.71m (3)
10. Tomika Story 18-1.0/5.51m
200 Meters
Preliminaries
1. Aurieyall Scott 23.84 (23.24) - q
4. Sheila Paul 24.17 (23.67)! - q
5. Dominique Booker 24.17 (23.67) - q
13. Tyler Smith 25.00 (24.50)
Editor's Key
! - Personal Record
^ - School Record
# - UCF Freshman Record
Q - Qualified for finals (won heat)
q - Qualified for finals
m - C-USA Championship meet record
f - time converted from flat track time to banked time