WICHITA, Kan. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF track and field team closed out the 2019 American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championship with a pair of even event titles and a fifth place team finish on Sunday at Cessna Stadium.
"Wow, what a roller coaster ride this weekend," UCF head coach Dana Boone said. "We had some really great performances in the throws and on the track. I was proud of how the team rallied back and made several trips to the podium today. We left a lot out there, but we also improved five spots on our conference finish from last year. We will take this as a learning experience and get better from here. The future is bright for us and we will come back stronger and better next year."
For the first time since 2016, the Knights captured gold in the 4x100 relay. The squad of Shaniya Williams, Shian Hyde, Beyonce Defreitas and Ciara Holback turned in a season-best mark and set a stadium record with a time of 44.17 to edge Cincinnati for the top spot. The squad moved up to 19th on the NCAA East Region performance list.
Devin D’Oliveira added another trophy to UCF’s case this weekend, cruising to the 400-meter hurdle title. The Pembroke Pines, Fla., native broke her own UCF freshman record, posting a time of 58.80, which is tied for the 22nd-best mark in the NCAA East Region.
Shian Hyde made her way to the podium as an individual with a second-place finish in the 100-meter dash. Her 11.29 mark – her best non-wind aided time – ties her for 11th on the NCAA East Region performance list. Ciara Holback and Shaniya Williams finished fourth and seventh, respectively, to give UCF 15 points toward its team score in the event.
Using a personal best time, Holback returned to the podium as an individual with a third-place finish in the 200-meter dash. Posting the fastest 200m time by a Knight this season, Holback’s mark of 23.51 is tied for 37th on the NCAA East Region performance list.
In her first American Athletic Conference outdoor championship, Charlotte Crook landed on the podium with a third-place finish in the 800-meter run. The freshman, who entered the meet with the fourth-best mark among league competitors, posted a time of 2:10.82.
UCF’s 4x400 relay squad of D’Oliveira, Hyde, Defreitas and Loren Gallmon added five points to the team score with a fourth-place finish in a time of 3:40.05.
The Knights finished with 64 points, tying them with Connecticut for fifth place in the team standings. The Black and Gold added 20 points and moved up five spots from their 2018 outdoor finish.
UCF concluded the third year of the War on I-4 rivalry series with its third sweep USF, as the Bulls finished 12th with 32 points. Between indoor and outdoor, along with cross country, the Knights have collected all 12 points in the three-year history of the rivalry series.
The Knights now wait until May 16 for the NCAA to release the list of athletes that qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Round that will take place in Jacksonville from May 23-25. The top 48 individuals and top 24 relays qualify for the regional meet.
UCF Results
4x100
1. Shaniya Williams, Shian Hyde, Beyonce Defreitas, Ciara Holback 44.17
400m Hurdles
1. Devin D’Oliveira 58.80
100m
2. Shian Hyde 11.29
4. Ciara Holback 11.45
7. Shaniya Williams 11.74
200m
3. Ciara Holback 23.51
800m
3. Charlotte Crook 2:10.82
4x400
4. Devin D’Oliveira, Shian Hyde, Beyonce Defreitas, Loren Gallmon 3:04.05
Discus
9. Shanell Atkins 145-9/44.43m
13. Soteria Russell 142-5/43.42m
19. Gabby Durant 129-9/39.55m
Triple Jump
11. Daneesha Davidson 39-9.75/12.13m
17. Briana Potter 38-2.75/11.65m
5000m
36. Jessica Dolan 18:42.13
37. Victoria Jung 18:47.16
Team Standings
1. Wichita State 126
2. Cincinnati 107
3. SMU 94
4. Memphis 90
T5. UCF 64
T5. Connecticut 64
7. Tulsa 53
8. ECU 52
9. Tulane 50
10. Houston 47
11. Temple 40
12. South Florida 32