Records set over weekend in Arkansas

The women's indoor track and field team had a record-setting weekend in Arkansas at the Tyson Invitational. Senior Champelle Brown, junior Jackie Coward, and freshmen Afia Charles and Aurieyall Scott broke a school record in the 4x400-meter relay  on Saturday, running a combined 3:36.03.

The record-setting performance was just another highlight of an already-stellar year for the indoor track team, ranked No. 17 nationally. The record time was good enough to finish fifth in the tournament, and it's the sixth-fastest recorded time in the country this season.

"This weekend was a great test for our team," said head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert in a release. "We broke several school records and ran against some of the best teams in the United States."

The same quartet also set the previous school record, 3:40.15, last month at the Kentucky Invitational.

"The ladies did a great job today," said assistant coach Jeff Chakouian. "The last few meets have been challenging, but they never gave up. They competed well and made technical adjustments during the meet. It was a big step in the right direction and they need to keep improving every day over the next two weeks to be where we want to be at the C-USA meet."

Sheila Paul, junior, also had an impressive performance over the weekend. The junior set a new personal-best record in the 200-meter, finishing 12th with a time of 23.68.

"Sheila Paul's 200-meter time improved dramatically and the mile relay team ran a competitive race against very reputable teams," Smith Gilbert said.

The Knights have a few weeks to prepare before they travel to Houston for the Conference USA Championships on Feb. 26. After the C-USA Championships, the Knights will set their sights on the NCAA Indoor Championships in March.

"I am pleased with the way the team competed today and all weekend," Smith Gilbert said. "This meet was a great preview for the NCAA Championships, but now we have to go back to Orlando and focus our preparation on the C-USA Championships in two weeks."