2024 United States Olympic Trials Preview: Multiple Knights Set to Embark on TrackTown USA

ORLANDO – For track and field athletes nationwide, one goal exceeds all – the opportunity to represent your nation at the highest stage.

Over the next two weeks, a trio of current Knights will look to book their ticket to Paris for the 2024 Olympics. Hosted at the historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, commonly tabbed as ‘Track Town USA,’ the United States Olympic Trials will serve as the platform for hundreds of Americans, including Rayniah Jones, Asherah Collins and Kiah Williams to achieve stardom.

Broadcast by the NBC family of networks (USA and Peacock), the Trials will run from Friday, June 21 to Sunday, June 30. Joining the current group in Black and Gold will be former Knight and program legend, Anne-Marie Blaney, who a few months after competing in the marathon trials, will embark on the 10000m.

Below is a breakdown of each athlete who will represent UCF at one of the most renowned events in the world:

Rayniah Jones (100m Hurdles)

• Friday, June 28 (8:28 p.m. ET): First Round – USA/Peacock
• Saturday, June 29 (8:04 p.m. ET): Semifinals – NBC/Peacock **
• Sunday, June 30 (8 p.m. ET): Finals – NBC/Peacock **

A now 10-time All-American, Jones concluded her storied career in Black and Gold earlier this month with a program-record 12.59 and a third overall finish in the 100m hurdles at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships. The performance was a rather fitting conclusion to a vibrant half-a-decade in Orlando, commencing her collegiate campaign in a similar fashion to her second overall finish at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Championships.

For those who have followed the Miami native’s journey since arriving at UCF ahead of the 2020 campaign, she has surely impressed you at one time or another. From a remarkable four first-team All-America honors to her plethora of conference championships, she solidified her place in the record books with her title in the 100m hurdles in May, the first to claim a Big 12 trophy in school history.

Her journey has led her to Hayward Field numerous times, including her first appearance at the United States Olympic Trials in 2021 ahead of the Tokyo Games. A former program-best 12.64 qualified the freshman to the semifinals in fifth, before later missing the finals by just one spot.

Jones will join former Knight Jackie Coward as the only athletes to appear at the trials in the 100m hurdles on two separate occasions. A year ago, Jones represented Team USA at the NACAC (North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association) U23 Championships in Costa Rica where she won gold in the event.

Asherah Collins (Long Jump and Triple Jump)

• Friday, June 21 (9:50 p.m. ET): Triple Jump Qualifying – NBC/Peacock
• Saturday, June 22 (9:20 p.m. ET): Triple Jump Finals – NBC/Peacock **
• Thursday, June 27 (9:18 p.m. ET): Long Jump Qualifying – USA/Peacock
• Saturday, June 29 (8:20 p.m. ET): Long Jump Finals – NBC/Peacock **

Fresh off a pair of second-team All-America honors at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships, Collins will make history when she steps on the runway once again in Eugene. After becoming the first Knight to qualify for nationals in both the long and triple jump, she is now the first athlete in program history to compete at the United States Olympic Trials in the triple jump and just the second in the long Jump (Sonnish Williams, 2012).

The opportunity has come following a brilliant four years in Orlando, filled with growth in both events. The Lake City, Florida, native qualified for nationals in each season for the triple jump. In her senior campaign, Collins pushed the needle with her first qualification in the long jump, eventually garnering a second-team All-America nod.

With five total to her name, she will look to continue an historic 2024 slate at a familiar place. Similar to Jones, she earned a spot on the podium at the 2023 NACAC U23 Championships with a third-place finish in the triple jump representing the United States.

Kiah Williams (400m)

• Friday, June 21 (6:48 p.m. ET): 400m First Round – USA/Peacock
• Saturday, June 22 (10:14 p.m. ET): 400m Semifinals – NBC/Peacock **
• Sunday, June 23 (9:58 p.m. ET): 400m Finals – NBC/Peacock **

In stride with her fellow national companions, Williams has continued to drop times and break records through her senior campaign. A year removed from her first qualification to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, the first Knight in program history to appear in the 400m, Williams garnered her second career All-America honor with an honorable mention nod earlier this month.

The Hallandale, Florida, native has climbed to second all-time in program history with a 51.32 at the Tom Jones Memorial in April. At the school’s inaugural Big 12 Outdoor Championship, she scored in both the 200m (sixth) and the 400m (fourth), tallying eight points for the Knights.

Alongside Jones and Collins, Williams also attained experience in the Stars and Stripes at the 2023 NACAC U-23 Championships where she won gold as a member of the women’s and mixed 4x400m relay squads.

 

Anne-Marie Blaney

• Saturday, June 29 (9:09 p.m. ET): 10000m – NBC/Peacock

The 5000m and 10000m program record holder, Blaney led the distance squad in style from 2013-17. In February, she recently returned to Orlando for her first Olympic trial of the year, placing 16th in the marathon with a time of 2:03.43.

A native of Ocala, Florida, Blaney won multiple conference championships while in The American, including back-to-back crowns in the indoor 5000m and a pair of 10000m titles during outdoor.

She competed alongside Jones at the 2021 edition of the United States Olympic Trials, placing 16th in the 10000m.