TAMPA, Fla. - Four-peat complete.
For the second consecutive year, UCF track and field swept the American Athletic Conference Indoor and Outdoor Championships. In another dominant performance, the Knights tied their own conference record with 163 points to win the championship in impressive fashion, finishing 58 points higher than second-place Houston with 105.
Junior Rayniah Jones was named the Most Valuable Performer for the second consecutive year, along with head coach Dana Boone and her staff who was tabbed AAC Coaching Staff of the Year.
"What can I say about this team! They competed with everything they had and we came out with our fourth championship," said coach Boone following her fourth consecutive triumph. "There were some mind blowing performances and records set this weekend and I think we are still processing them. I want to thank this team for embracing the vision we set and then fully executing it to the fullest. I also want to thank my staff, they all work so hard and selflessly for this team and this championship could not have been won with out them. This was one Happy Mother's Day!"
In the program's swan song with the AAC, it was all UCF from the jump on championship Sunday. Adrienne Adams claimed her highest conference finish in the senior's last season with the Knights, as the Jamaican native took silver in the discus throw with her 53.13 mark, securing the Knights eight points. The field squad then saw two massive performances in the triple jump as Asherah Collins and Jasmine Scott-Kilgo, who both had podium finishes in the long jump the night before, replicated their brilliance once again. Collins set the new program record with a jump of 13.30m (43-7.75) to take gold, her third career win in the event. Jasmine Scott-Kilgo wasn't far off as she took silver with her 13.05 jump, yet another repeat of her Indoor Championships performance.
The sprints squad was led by Jones and Latasha Smith, as the tandem took home four events. To put their brilliance into words would be an understatement, as those present at the USF Track and Field Complex in Tampa, Florida simply watched in awe. Smith began her day by defending her title in the 400-meter dash with her record-breaking time of 51.21, as she's now set the program best twice this season. The momentum grew stronger and after she crossed the finish line following the 200-meter dash, she had broken yet another program record with the nation's second-best time of 22.09. The performance is the first sprint record topped in the Coach Boone era at UCF, an amazing feat for the All-American.
Jones stood on the podium on three separate occasions today as she was awarded the meet's highest honor once again. The hurdles "queen" defended her crown, to the surprise of none, with a dominating 12.66 performance. Though for the Miami native, the climax came in her conference record-breaking time of 10.94 in the 100-meter dash. A new personal and championship best, the time is just the second sub-11 performance in program history as Jones claimed her second gold medal. The All-American capped her day off with a bronze medal in the 200-meter dash as her time of 22.64 saw her join Smith on the podium for the first time this weekend.
All four performances set both the conference and championships record.
The 4x100 relay squad was one of many to defend their crown as they fended off a strong Houston performance to claim gold with a time of 44.06.
The Black and Gold now stand alone atop the AAC as their farewell tour resulted in their fifth conference championship, the most of any program. UCF will now shift focus onto the NCAA Regionals in Jacksonville, Florida in two weeks, with hopes of sending a strong squad to Austin, Texas for the NCAA Track and Field Championships in June.
