ORLANDO – The UCF track and field squad is up and running in their 2023 campaign with a stellar day at the Jimmy Carnes Invitational in Gainesville, Florida at the brand-new Alachua County Sports Complex. A total of 10 Knights set new personal records, with seven taking first place in their respective events.
"Today was a very solid opener for the team," head coach Dana Boone said. "We came in looking to shake the rust off from not competing in a while and I think we accomplished that. We leave with several personal best and several opening best marks. Now we turn our focus to our next meet and look to improve on what we started."
The day got going with Natalia Madison's PR 1.7-meter high jump, securing fourth and leading the Knights in the competition. Holly Cassels, who came in eighth, was on the front end of her perfect return to the track. In a roughly 30-minute span, Cassels set PRs in the long jump with her 5.37-meter mark and in 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.47.
The distance squad had themselves a great start to the indoor season. Four Knights set PRs with three freshmen smashing their personal bests. In the mile, Rachel Wheatley led the way in third with her time of 5:10.6. Freshman twins Riley and Paige Jaszczak followed with their new highs in 6th and 7th at 5:14.6 and 5:13.4. Tampa native Kendall Hughes rounded out the exciting freshman group in the 800m with her new record of 2:15.29.
The Black and Gold took home the top two spots in both the 60 meters hurdles and dash. Rayniah Jones led the way in her anticipated return to the event, she won her preliminary heat by nearly a second before taking first in the finals with a time of 8.21. She was followed by Kaylor Harris at 8.36 and Alicia Coleman in third who set her PR with a time of 8.72. The two transfers made their new presence heard immediately, as Daija Lampkin took the top spot in the 60m at 7.41, with Janyah Jasper right behind her at 7.42. In the prelims, Latasha Smith and Leiya Green set PRs with times of 7.68 and 7.70.
Jones also topped the field in the 200m dash with a solid mark of 24.49. Beyonce Defreitas was the only Knight to compete in the 400m dash as the All-American led the field with her time of 56.92. The day was rounded out with Asherah Collins bringing home the Knights sixth victory with her 12.94'm Triple Jump which was followed by UCF's seventh and final first-place finish of the day in the 4x1600m relay. The squad of Kiah Williams, Defreitas, Lampkin, and Smith led the competition by almost eight seconds with a time of 3:41.6.
It was a superb day for the Knights to kick off their final season in the American Athletic Conference before transitioning to the Big 12 next year. The team will split up next weekend, with sprints traveling out to Lubbock, Texas for the Red Raider Open and others to Nashville, Tennessee for the Vanderbilt Invitational.
High Jump
Natalia Madison 1.7 5' 7" 4th*
Kaliah Jones 1.7 5' 7" 5th
Holly Cassels 1.6 5' 3" 8th
Mile
Rachel Wheatley 05:10.6 3rd*
Mackenzie Czurak 05:12.8 5th
Paige Jaszczak 05:13.4 6th*
Riley Jaszczak 05:14.6 7th*
Weight Throw
Ashlyn Green 5.28 6th
Long Jump
Jasmine Scott-Kilgo 5.88 19' 3 1/2" 1st
Holly Cassels 5.37 17' 7 1/2" 5th*
60H Prelim
Rayniah Jones 8.29 1st
Kaylor Harris 8.42 2nd
Alicia Coleman 8.93 3rd
Natalia Madison 9.06 5th
Holly Cassels 9.47 11th*
60H Final
Rayniah Jones 8.21 1st
Kaylor Harris 8.36 2nd
Alicia Coleman 8.72 3rd*
Natalia Madison 9.14 6th
60M Dash Prelims
Daija Lampkin 7.47 1st
Janyah Jasper 7.51 2nd
Ani Wells 7.65 6th
l'Asia Wilson 7.66 7th
Latasha Smith 7.68 9th*
Leiya Green 7.7 11th*
60M Dash Finals
Daija Lampkin 7.41 1st
Janyah Jasper 7.42 2nd*
Ani Wells 7.66 6th
400m Dash
Beyonce Defreitas 56.92 1st
200m Dash
Rayniah Jones 24.49 1st
Janyah Jasper 24.86 2nd
Kiah Williams 24.9 3rd
Ani Wells 25.25 4th
Kaylor Harris 26.14 9th
800m
Kendall Hughes 2:15.15 2nd*
Paige Kelly 2:25.30 7th
Triple Jump
Asherah Collins 12.94 42' 5 1/2" 1st
Natalia Madison 12.02 39' 5 1/4" 5th
Shot Put
Holly Cassels 9.78 32' 1" 9th
1600 Relay
Williams, Defreitas, Lampkin, Smith 03:41.6 1st
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