JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Six events, seven tickets, eight athletes… let's run it back.
In tune with many accomplishments this campaign, the UCF Track and Field team qualified eight athletes to the NCAA Track and Field National Championships for the second consecutive season. Day two of the East Preliminaries saw multiple tickets secured, with half of the athletes clinching their first appearance on the big stage.
Following their First Team All-America performance in Eugene, Oregon, last season, the 4x100 relay squad showed their prowess yet again. With Daija Lampkin on the blocks, followed by Rayniah Jones, Beyonce Defreitas, and I'Asia Wilson to cap it off, they secured second in their heat and fifth overall with a time of 43.63. Jones' second leg proved to be a catalyst for an incredible day as the senior had two more tickets in mind. For the third consecutive season, Jones qualified in the 100-meter hurdles with a sixth-place finish (12.80) in a stacked field. Minutes later, she was able to secure her first-ever ticket in the 100-meter dash as the six-time All-American finished 12th with her time of 11.23, gaining qualification through her preliminary time as it went to a tiebreak. Three events will be a new challenge for Jones, though the Order of Pegasus recipient can do it all.
Kaylor Harris and Kiah Williams both notched their first ticket to the NCAA National Championships as Harris took 12th in the 100-meter hurdles with her second-best career time of 13.02. For the first time in program history, the Knights qualified two Knights in the 100-meter hurdles, as Harris joined Jones among the region's best. Williams on the other hand continues to impress in the 400-meter dash as she qualified with a time of 52.66 to take eighth.
Asherah Collins, similar to Jones, will be back at the National Championships for the third consecutive season as she qualified in the triple jump yet again. Following her gold in the event at the conference championships, Collins finished 10th with her 13.19m mark to secure her ticket.
The Knights will now prepare for what looks to be yet another exciting finale to an incredible season as the squad will travel out to Austin, Texas, for the 2023 NCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships June 7-10.
Saturday Results
DISCUS
21. Adrienne Adams: 50.14m (164-6)
TRIPLE JUMP
10. Asherah Collins: 13.19m (43-3.25) Q
26. Jasmine Scott-Kilgo: 12.77m (41-10.75)
28. Natalia Madison: 12.77m (41-10.75)
4x100 RELAY
5. Lampkin, Jones, Defreitas, Wilson: 43.63 Q
100M HURDLES
6. Rayniah Jones: 12.80 Q
12. Kaylor Harris: 13.02 Q
100M DASH
12. Rayniah Jones: 11.23 Q
22. Daija Lampkin: 11.57
22. Kaylor Harris: 11.57
400M DASH
8. Kiah Williams: 52.66 Q
23. Latasha Smith: 54.93
200M DASH
22. Latasha Smith: 23.85
24. Daija Lampkin: 23.97