JACKSONVILLE (UCFKnights.com) – The smile spread across Loren Gallmon’s face as she was crossing the finish line in the 4x100 relay on Saturday evening at the NCAA East Preliminary Round.
As the anchor, the junior secured the squad’s spot in the semifinals at the NCAA Championships in Austin for the sixth time in the last eight years, clinching the automatic berth as the third-place team in the heat.
“It was a great day for the program,” UCF head coach Dana Boone said. “It was a great step to move forward and make it to nationals with this relay. I’m super proud of the girls and how they performed. We had to make a substitution this week, but they didn’t let that bother them; they handled it well. Now we’re on our way to Austin. I’m super proud of the ladies.”
Shaniya Williams jumped out to a strong lead before handing the baton off to Ciara Holback for the second leg. Holback, running a 100-meter for the third straight day, kept the Knights on pace before passing the baton to Beyonce Defreitas.
Defreitas handed off to Gallmon, who joined the group this week but is no stranger to the 4x1 relay. The last time UCF punched its ticket in the 4x1, Gallmon was a freshman on the 2017 squad.
UCF finished eighth overall with a season-best time of 43.72.
Jhane’ Carter concluded her career with the Black and Gold with a 35th place finish in the shot put, landing at 49-9.75/15.18m.
The Knights’ 4x1 squad will line up in semifinal action on Thursday, June 6 at 8:02 p.m. at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas.