 "Photo: Courtesy UCF Athletics")
UCF now has another top-25 athletic program to brag about. Improving from a 46th-place finish last year, the outdoor track & field team finished 17th in the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, with four athletes earning All-American honors in five events.
"All season we talked about teamwork and making sacrifices, so mentally we were solid," head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert said in a release. "It has been a season packed full of ups and downs, good days and bad days; but in the end, our consistent hard work landed us among the top 20 programs in the U.S., and I am very proud of the black and gold."
Jackie Coward became the Knights' first outdoor track athlete to earn First Team All-American honors more than once. Coward placed third in the 100-meter hurdles after clocking in at 12.78 seconds, a new UCF record.
Along with Coward, members of the 4x100-meter relay team also earned All-American honors. Coward, who took over for the injured Dominique Booker, led off the relay. Coward was followed by Aurieyall Scott, Lynne Layne and Sheila Paul, who combined for a fourth-place time of 43.67 seconds.
Paul and Scott also earned All-American honors in the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash, respectively.
"What an exciting day for these young women and our program," Smith Gilbert said. "Jackie [Coward] and the 4x100 ran very well today and that is a credit to hard work and perseverance. I am positive this meet is another step to building a championship program."
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