Track and Field Impress to Open Tyson Invitational and Music City ChallengeTrack and Field Impress to Open Tyson Invitational and Music City Challenge

Track and Field Impress to Open Tyson Invitational and Music City Challenge

by Alex Clough

ORLANDO - The first dual-match weekend of the season got underway Friday as the UCF track and field team authored standout performances at both the Tyson Invitational and Music City Challenge.

Tyson Invitational

The former serves as one of the premier events during the indoor season, as top athletes from across the nation make the trip to Fayetteville, Arkansas. Hosted at the Randal Tyson Track Center, the Knights displayed multiple eye-catching times.

Kiah Williams, who has been emphatic during her final collegiate campaign, dropped her 400m time once again, clocking a 52.51 to finish 11th among a stacked invitational field. Trailing closely behind, Kansas State transfer Twaneise Johnson continues to show her value with another personal best in the event, placing 28th with her time of 53.70, rising to fourth in the program record books.

A quartet of events preceded the tandem’s outing, with four Knights landing among the top 20 in the 60m, headlined by Coco Branch’s 8th-place finish (7.55). Natalia Madison tallied a pair of promising marks in the long jump (5.71m) and 60m hurdles (8.86).

In the first 400m, Jazmen Newberry jumped into seventh all-time in UCF history with her 54.49 performance, placing fourth.

After smashing her record at Texas Tech two weeks ago, Adaobi Tabugbo returned to the track with a trio of solid showings. The Nigeria native paced the Knights’ field in the first round of the 60m hurdles, clocking an 8.23 to advance to the semis. An eventual 8.12 and fourth-place finish would propel the senior into a stacked final.

Competing against four professional athletes and an Arkansas duo, Tabugbo led the collegiate field and finished in third, dropping her time to 8.11. 

Music City Challenge

Competing on the flat track of the Multipurpose Facility in Nashville, Tennessee, it was familiar faces who led the way. In the mile, Kendall Hughes secured her position in yet another top-10 list, running a 4:57.83 in the fifth heat. The performance stands ninth in program history, as the junior continues to impress.

The short-distance tandem of Karin Dobiasch and Raquel Edwards each tallied strong finishes in the 600m. Edwards led the way in fifth with a personal-best 1:33.32, while Dobiasch followed in seventh with her time of 1:35.69.

Three Knights embarked on the day’s final event, with the Jaszczak twins providing the photo finishes. Paige shattered her personal best with a 17:34.04, the eighth-best performance in program history, while Riley also set a new record with her 17:52.76.

UCF will be back in action tomorrow for another pair of enticing outings at Arkans and Vanderbilt.