May 15, 2016
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - The UCF track & field program grabbed a runner-up finish at the 2016 American Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Sunday at the UCF Soccer-Track & Field Complex.
RELATED: Championship Central | Final Results | Photo Gallery
The Knights accumulated 98 points to finish second behind Cincinnati, who tallied 111 points. UConn, who won the AAC indoor title, finished third with 97 points. The Black & Gold leapfrogged the Huskies on the final race of the night, grabbing two more points in the 4x400-meter relay, which was the final race of the night.
BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK
For the third consecutive season, the Knights claimed the 4x100-meter relay title. The foursome of Briana Vaughn, Christal Peterson, SheKara Martin and Alissa Williams broke the tape with a new AAC record time of 44.14, which ranks them ninth in the NCAA East Regional. Vaughn and Peterson have run on all three of the UCF's championship relays.
100M DOMINANCE
The Knights accumulated 18 points in the 100-meter dash with four UCF runners earning points. Martin led the pack, earning a runner-up finish with a time of personal best of 11.48. Peterson and J'Nea Bellamy finished fourth and fifth, respectively, while Alissa Williams, who was injured earlier in the day, jogged to the finish for eighth place.
800M SEASON SWEEP
Rosie Chamberlain capped off the AAC 800-meter run sweep, running away with the event title with a conference record time of 2:04.62. The sophomore also won the 800m crown during the indoor season.
RACKING UP MILEAGE
After winning the 10,000-meter run Thursday night, Anne-Marie Blaney returned on Sunday in an attempt to double with the 5,000-meter run. The redshirt junior came up short, claiming second with a time of 16:15.59 just one second behind Temple's Blanca Fernandez. Blaney led the race from the start, but Fernandez passed the 5,000-meter AAC indoor champion halfway down the homestretch.
BREAKING RECORDS
Jhane' Carter broke a six-year old UCF record in the shot put, hurling the implement 51-7.75/15.74m on her first throw to earn third place. The freshman's mark topped LaKendra Thames' previous school record of 51-4.25/15.65m set in 2010.
AAC PODIUM FINISHERS
First Place
Rosie Chamberlain - 800m
Anne-Marie Blaney - 10,000m
Briana Vaughn, Christal Peterson, SheKara Martin, Alissa Williams - 4x100m
Second Place
SheKara Martin - 100m
Anne-Marie Blaney - 5,000m
Third Place
Jhane' Carter - Shot Put
Chelsea Gobourne - Hammer
NEXT UP
The Knights now wait until later this week for the NCAA to release the list of athletes that qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Round in Jacksonville, Florida, May 26-28. The top 50 individuals and top 24 relays qualify for the regional meet.