ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico – For the second consecutive season, Rayniah Jones is set to represent UCF at the NCAA D1 Indoor Track and Field Championships. This year's rendition will take place at the Albuquerque Convention Center in New Mexico on Friday and Saturday.
Jones is set to begin her meet on Friday at 6:55 pm ET in the 60-meter hurdles as she will look to return to the finals and defend her podium position at 6:40 pm ET the following day. Both days will be available to stream on ESPN+. Friday's broadcast will begin at 11:30 am ET, followed by Saturday's 1 pm ET start time.
The returning All-American put in yet another outstanding season with the Knights, continuing to solidify herself as a staple in both the American Athletic Conference and the nation. She repeated as the AAC 60-meter hurdles champion two weeks ago in Birmingham, Alabama, taking gold with her 8.10 time in the finals. Her qualifying time for this weekend came in the last regular season meet at Clemson for the Tiger Paw Invite. Her 8.08-time places her 13th in the nation.
In 2022, Jones competed in both the 60-meter dash and hurdles, shinning in her first-ever NCAA D1 Championships appearance. She qualified for the hurdles finals with a time of 7.96 before finishing third in the finals with her impressive 7.85 time. She is the fourth Knight to ever podium in the event at the NCAA Championships, an incredible feat for one of the program and school's most decorated athletes.
Jones will run in the second heat of Friday's prelims alongside the nation's leader, Kentucky's Masai Russell, who broke the NCAA 60-meter hurdles record with her groundbreaking 7.75 performance earlier this season.