March 27, 2012
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By Jenna Marina
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Senior All-American hurdler Jackie Coward was named the Conference USA Track and Field Female Athlete of the Week, the conference announced Tuesday. Coward earns the first honor of the outdoor season for the No. 12 UCF track and field team after her stellar outdoor debut at the UCF Invitational on Senior Day last weekend.
In a stacked 100 Hurdles race, Coward ran a time of 13.05 (+1.9) to rank second in the country. Her time was .01 shy of first place and the nation's leading mark.
Coward has already qualified for a spot to compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials in June, but Saturday's performance again met the provisional standard for the Trials and was .05 short of an automatic qualifying time.
Coward also subbed in at the last minute for Sheila Paul to run the anchor leg of UCF's 4x100 team, which posted a time of 43.58. The time was good for second place in the UCF Invitational and the third-best mark in the country.
This is the second outdoor weekly honor of Coward's career and the second time she has been recognized in 2012. Coward was praised on Feb. 7 as the C-USA Indoor Athlete of the Week.
The Knights will enjoy a week off from competition as they prepare for the Pepsi Florida Relays held April 6-7 in Gainesville, Fla.