Track & Field Slated for USF InvitationalTrack & Field Slated for USF Invitational
Jon Rose / UCF Athletics

Track & Field Slated for USF Invitational

by Ainsley Keaveny
UCF Event Schedule Live Results

ORLANDO – The UCF track and field team will compete in the USF Invitational in Tampa at the USF Track and Field Stadium. The meet brings the Black and Gold into a familiar War on I-4 environment and will begin on Saturday, April 11. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Knights continued their outdoor campaign with their first road competition at the Florida Relays, recording several standout performances. Starting Friday, April 3, Kendall Hughes moved to No. 9 all-time in UCF history in the 1500 meter, finishing in 4:32.01. Bailey McLain followed closely behind, recording a personal best of 4:35.20. In the 400-meter hurdles, Genelle Stephens posted a personal best at 58.57 seconds, ranking No.4 all-time in program history. Alexandra Raquet capped the day with a first-place finish in the 5000 meters, clocking a personal-best 16:18.50 to move to No.2 all-time, while Ava Quattrocchi also recorded a PR at 17:19.89. 

On Saturday, Raquel Edwards notched a personal best in the 800 meters at 2:11.05. Jazmen Newberry placed fourth in the 400 meters with a career-best (51.87s). Datavia Hunter closed out the weekend with a personal best of 11.75 seconds in the 100 meters.

STARTING BLOCKS

  • A Return to Tampa: Last year, Bailey McLain opened up the action for the Black and Gold in the 1500m at this meet and returns to distance events this weekend. 
  • Tampa Native: Senior Kendall Hughes returns to her hometown to compete in Tampa for the second consecutive season.
  • Finding Their Mark: After competing in the triple jump the previous weekend, Jade Johnson and Kaeli Powe look to fine-tune their approach, converting consistency into bigger marks. 
  • Sprint Speed Building: After a week off from competition, Ese Awusa and Aaliyah Gipson return to the track in sprints, joined by Coco Branch in her second outdoor meet of the season. 

EVENTS TO WATCH
Triple Jump (5:00 PM) - Freshman Kaeli Powe will be the lone Knight taking the field for triple jump. She’ll look to beat her personal record of 12.84m.
1500m (5:15 PM) - Distance standout Alexandra Raquet will make her first appearance in the event this season. The sophomore, who’s set a new PR in every outdoor meet thus far will look to improve on her 4:35.02 time.
100m (6:05 PM) - A group of five Knights will take the track for this sprinting event, including Ese Awusa and Aaliyah Gipson who recently earned PRs in the event at the Knights first home meet the Black and Gold Challenge.