San José, COSTA RICA - The conclusion to the 2023 outdoor season saw an excellent display from four athletes on the UCF Track and Field team in Costa Rica at the U23 NACAC Championships. In all, every Knight competing medaled, with two taking home gold. It was the largest representation at the NACAC Championships, as the Black and Gold will now officially shift focus to the inaugural season in the Big 12.
Representing Team USA; Rayniah Jones, Kiah Williams and Asherah Collins all collected points for the stars and stripes. Competing in both 4x400 relays, Williams garnered her first gold medal on Friday night, winning the mixed race with a time of 3:14.71. On Saturday, she ran the second leg as the United States held off the Jamaican squad, taking gold with a time of 3:26.83.
On the back of yet another incredible season, Jones concluded her summer with two gold medals. The Miami native won the 100m Hurdles with a time of 12.78, one of her best performances of the season. Jones then secured a relay sweep for the United States, running the second leg of the 4x100 relay squad and securing gold with a strong performance of 42.74.
In Austin, Texas, last month, Collins showed why she’s one of the best jumpers in the United States, as she garnered her first Second Team All-America honor in her third appearance at the National Championships. On Sunday, her 13.04m mark in the triple jump was enough to secure a bronze medal, a fitting conclusion to a breakout season for the Florida native.
Representing the British Virgin Islands, Beyonce Defreitas won two of the four medals that the Caribbean nation garnered. The sprinter shinned in both the 100m and 200m dash, taking bronze on Friday in the 100m with a time of 11.41. After qualifying for the 200m finals on Saturday (23.42), Defreitas took home a silver medal in the finals with her 23.59 performance.
RESULTS
100m Dash (Semifinals/Finals)
3. Beyonce Defreitas: 11.37/11.41
200m Dash (Semifinals/Finals)
2. Beyonce Defreitas: 23.42/23.59
100m Hurdles (Finals)
1. Rayniah Jones: 12.78
4x100m Relay
1. United States (Kalia Jackson, Rayniah Jones, Sophia Beckmon, Mia Brahe-Pederson): 42.74
4x400m Relay
1. United States (Ziyah Kolman, Kiah Williams, Jan ‘Taijah Ford, Jermaisha Arnold): 3:26.83
4x400m Relay (Mixed)
1. United Staes (Caleb Cavanaugh, Kiah Williams, William Sumner, Bailey Lear): 3:14.71
Triple Jump
3. Asherah Collins: 13.04m
TEAM RESULTS
1. United States (23 Gold | 16 Silver | 8 Bronze): 47
10. British Virgin Islands (1 Gold | 1 Silver | 2 Bronze): 4