Freshman Octavious Freeman and sophomore Aurieyall Scott joined senior Jackie Coward as the only NCAA Championships medalists in school history on Saturday night in the final day of the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
With just four competitors in Idaho, UCF claimed its highest finish ever at the NCAA Championships with 23 points for eighth place. It marked the highest showing of any Florida program at the championships.
A day after the Knights saw Scott break the school record in the 60 meters, Freeman topped that performance with a personal-best time of 7.15 for second place and All-America First Team honors. She narrowly missed first place by .03 seconds to become the UCF’s highest medalist ever at the NCAA Championships.
Scott followed Freeman with a third-place time of 7.20 for her first medal at the NCAA Championships. She earned her third individual indoor All-America distinction, and her performance marked the second-straight year that she emerged as a First Team All American in the event.
Coward picked up her second-consecutive and third overall USTFCCCA Indoor All-America distinction with a fifth-place time of 8.14 in the 60 hurdles.
“I was really proud of the performances today and of the weekend as a whole,” UCF head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert. “Octavious’ performance in the 60 meters is a testament to the level of success she experienced in her first indoor season. I am equally as happy for Aurieyall, who fought through some adversity this season and really battled to prove what a tough competitor she is. Once again, Jackie came out with an All American performance, and I can’t speak enough about what she means to this team.”
Up next, the Knights open the outdoor season March 17 when they host the UCF Black and Gold Challenge.