April 22, 2011
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By Pat Salvas
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF outdoor track & field team will enjoy a weekend off coinciding with the Easter holiday. The Knights will head into the weekend break with just two meets remaining prior to the Conference USA Championship in Houston beginning on May 12.
Following this weekend, UCF will head to the historic Penn Relays in Philadelphia next week. The three-day meet is scheduled to start on Thursday April 28 and run through Saturday April 30 at Franklin Field.
This past Tuesday, junior Jackie Coward was named the C-USA Female Outdoor Track & Field Athlete of the Week for her record-setting performance at Florida's Tom Jones Memorial. Coward set new school records in both the 100- and 400-meter hurdles Saturday afternoon in Gainesville. She ran a 12.96 in the finals of the 100m hurdles to take the win and set the fastest wind-legal time in the nation this season. Her 57.78 in the 400m hurdles was also good enough to claim first place and eclipse the old UCF mark by more than a second.
Freshman Aurieyall Scott was also named the C-USA Female Outdoor Track & Field Athlete of the Week in early April after a strong showing at the Florida Relays. Scott broke the school record in the 200 meters (22.98), while also running in both the 4x100- and 4x200-meter relays, which also set school records.
In all, seven new school records and three freshman records have been broken during this outdoor season. Coward's marks in the 100- and 400-meter hurdles, along with Scott's 200 meters and Sonnisha Williams' mark in the long jump (20-11.75/6.39m) are four new individual records for 2011. The Knights' relay teams have also set new marks in the 4x100 (43.53), the 4x200 (1:32.81) and the 4x400 (3:39.60).
Besides her school record in the 200 meters, Scott has also set a new UCF freshmen mark in the 400 (53.96) while at the UCF Invitational on March 26. This past weekend in Gainesville, Ne'Ausha Logan also set a freshman record in the 800 meters, running a 2:11.95.
Looking ahead past the Penn Relays next week, the Knights will host the one-day UCF Twilight which will also mark the opening of the new UCF Track Stadium on May 5. They will then look to defend their 2010 C-USA Championship at Rice's Track/Soccer Stadium at this year's championship meet May 12-15 in Houston. Afterwards, UCF will head to the NCAA Regionals (May 26-28), the NCAA Championships (June 8-11) and the USATF Sr. & Jr. Championships (June 22-26).