Track and Field Heads to Gainesville and Lubbock for Split-Meet Weekend

ORLANDO – Indoor season rolls on for the UCF track and field team this weekend as the Knights split their squad for competition at two meets in Florida and Texas, with the distance squad making the short trip north to Gainesville for the Alachua County Sports and Event Center Invitational and while the rest of the squad travels to Lubbock to compete in the Stan Scott Invite.

The Alachua County Sports and Event Center Invitational will open competition on Friday, Jan. 23 and wrap things up the following day, while the Stan Scott Invitational will only take place on Friday.

LAST TIME OUT
The Black and Gold distance squad set the tone at the Jimmy Carnes Invitational last weekend, producing an impressive five personal records and four top all-time program marks. The 1000m highlighted the group’s success, as three Knights placed in the top 10 while Yvone Sandui, Raquel Edwards, and Bailey McLain each ran personal bests, with Sandui and Edwards posting the third- and fourth-fastest times in program history. Alexandra Raquet continued her rise within the program by finishing fifth in the mile with a personal-best 4:52.74, good for sixth all-time. 

Rounding out track events, Alexia Reid and Toni Galloway advanced to the 60m hurdles final, where Galloway placed third and Reid finished sixth. In the field events, the jumps squad showed continued progress as freshman Kaeli Powe recorded a personal-best 12.52 meters in the triple jump, ranking seventh all-time.

STARTING BLOCKS

• Sprint Speed Building: The Knights’ sprint unit continues to show early-season progress after stacking multiple personal-best performances in recent meets. Freshman Datavia Hunter leads the charge after qualifying for the 60m final in the season-opening meet with one of the top times in the conference (7.39), while veterans Jazmen Newberry and Coco Branch add depth across the short sprints as UCF looks to keep lowering times this weekend.
• Hurdles Staying Consistent: Toni Galloway and Alexia Reid both advanced to the 60m hurdle final at Jimmy Carnes, with Galloway placing third (8.38). The duo headlines a consistent hurdles unit that continues to produce scoring performances.
• Field Events Trending Upward: Assistant coach Brody Honeycutt’s jumps crew has already made an impact on the program record book, highlighted by triple jump marks from Angelina Horn (12.66m) and Kaeli Powe (12.52m) that rank among UCF’s top-10 all-time. 
• Distance Momentum Rolling: The Knights’ distance group enters the weekend fresh off a standout performance at the Jimmy Carnes Invitational that saw multiple personal records and top-10 program marks. With continued development under assistant coach Bryan Harmon, UCF looks to carry that momentum into another competitive field in Gainesville.
• Mid-Distance Depth: After three top-10 finishes and program all-time marks in the 1000m last meet, Yvone Sandui and Raquel Edwards return to the track looking to translate that speed into strong 800m and 1000m performances. 

EVENTS TO WATCH

Alachua County Sports and Event Center Invitational

• 3000m (Friday, 11:30 AM) - Eight Knights will toe the line in the longest event of the weekend, showcasing the heart of UCF’s distance squad. Masha Dorofeev, Paige Jaszczak, Avery Latto, Madison Patchan, Ava Quattrocchi, Lexi Raquet, Isabella Richardson, and Daisy Ross are all among the deep group aiming for personal bests and strong early-season times.
• 1000m (Friday, 3:40 PM) - Fresh off a program top-three all-time performance, Yvone Sandui returns in one of UCF’s strongest events. Her recent breakthrough makes the 1000m a key race to watch as she looks to continue lowering her time.

Stan Scott Invite

• Triple Jump (Friday, 2 PM) - Four Knights are entered to compete in the triple jump for the Knights as the fresh group continues to look to produce record marks
• 4x400 Relay (Friday, 3 PM) - A gold-medaling event for the Knights at the Big 12 Indoor Championship last season, this race will be a good read on the team's potential to do it again, as this year's championships will be held at the same venue 
• 60H Prelims (Friday, 11:50 AM) - Five members of the Black and Gold will be in action, highlighted by veteran hurdler Ese Awusa and freshman standout Alexia Reid.