MIAMI, Fla. – The UCF track and field team wrapped up their fourth meet of the outdoor season this weekend at the Hurricane Alumni Invitational with yet another strong showing during the two-day meet. Just six athletes made the trip south for the Knights, yet with a record-shifting Holly Cassels and Natalia Madison performance in the heptathlon, the squad secured a phenomenal 13 personal bests on an eventful two days at the University of Miami.
"Today was awesome for track and field," said head coach Dana Boone. "We leave this meet with a bunch of personal best and season best, I'm very pleased with the effort of the athletes that competed."
In their first heptathlon performances of the season, Cassels and Madison were flawless from the first event to the last. The multis duo, who both set new personal records at the AAC Indoor Championships in the pentathlon wasted no time this weekend. Madison won four of the seven events, highlighted by multiple season bests and a dominating showing in both the long (5.96m) and high (1.73m) jumps. She finished the meet in second with 5,234 points, the second most in program history. Cassels too climbed up the record books as she's now fourth in program history with her new personal best of 5,102 points. She set six PRs in seven events, an incredible outing that saw her set four on Friday and two on Saturday. Cassels landed right behind Madison in third.
Three athletes represented the track squad as Kaylor Harris, Kai'lyn Kirkland and Paige Archer all set new personal records in their events. Harris competed in both the 100-meter dash and hurdles as her time of 13.26 gave her a third-place finish in the latter along with a new personal best. Archer continues to grow in her first year at UCF as she smashed two previous bests in the 100 and 200-meter dash. In the 100, her time of 11.62 gave her a seventh-place finish. The freshman then followed that up with a fourth-place finish in the 200 with a time of 23.66. Kirkland too secured a top-five finish in the 400-meter dash with her new best of 54.87.
Ashlyn Green continued her strong start to the season as she set a new personal record for the second consecutive meet. She finished seventh in the hammer throw with her 53.34m (175-0) mark.
The Knights look to continue not just a strong outdoor season, but an incredible year, in Gainesville next weekend at the Tom Jones Invitational.
Heptathlon
2. Natalia Madison: 5234*
- 100-meter Hurdles: 14.21 (1)
- High Jump: 1.73m (1)
- Shot Put: 11.46m (5)
- 200-meter Dash: 24.84m (1)
- Long Jump: 5.96m (1)
- Javelin Throw: 25.38m (9)
- 800-meter Run: 2:34.18 (4)
3. Holly Cassels: 5102*
- 100-meter Hurdles: 14.81* (4)
- High Jump: 1.67m* (4)
- Shot Put: 11.46m* (4)
- 200-meter Dash: 26.12* (5)
- Long Jump: 5.65m* (3)
- Javelin Throw: 30.44m (6)
- 800-meter Run: 2:23.53* (2)
Hammer Throw
7. Ashlyn Green: 53.34m* (175-0)
100-meter Hurdles
3. Kaylor Harris: 13.26*
400-meter Dash
5. Kai'lyn Kirkland: 54.87*
100-meter Dash
7. Paige Archer: 11.62*
9. Kaylor Harris: 11.65
200-meter Dash
4. Paige Archer: 23.66*