“We enjoyed welcoming these talented teams and athletes from around the country to our campus and facility,” said head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert. “I thought our team had a strong day for the first meet of the outdoor season. We are excited to host another meet next weekend.”
Paul had two first-place finishes Saturday, winning both the 100- and 200-meter dash. In the 100, Paul posted a time of 11.79. In the 200m, Paul broke her own school record, posting a time of 23.92 to win the event.
Champelle Brown (Oakland, Calif.) and Jackie Coward (Knoxville, Tenn.) fared well in the 400-meters. Brown claimed third place by finished in 55.34 while Coward took fifth with a personal-best 56.26.
Two Knights shattered personal bests in the 5,000-meter run. Senior Erica Weitz (Morganville, N.J.) took fourth in the event and bested her previous personal best by nearly 10 seconds with a time of 18:05.30 while junior Ocean Cohen (Sarasota, Fla.) finished fifth in 18:20.03, 11 seconds better than her previous best.
Senior Carley Dart (Whitby, Ontario) notched a personal best in the 1,500-meters, finishing fifth in 4:50.95.
The throwers and jumps posted a number of top-three finishes: Taylor Bartolotta (Javelin, 119-3/36.34m, 1st); LaKendra Thames (Hammer, 155-9/47.48m, 2nd) and (Discus, 161-10/49.32m, 2nd); Jessica Francis (Hammer, 152-4/46.43m, 3rd) and (Shot Put, 40-11.5/12.48m, 2nd); Sonnisha Williams (Long Jump, 18-7.25/5.67m, 1st); Jacquelyn Gilchrist (Long Jump, 18-1.75/5.53m, 3rd) and (Triple Jump, 37-2.25/11.33m, 2nd).
UCF assistant coach Jeff Chakouian competed as an unattached entry in the men’s shot put on Saturday and performed well. Chakouian, in his first season at UCF, threw a top mark of 65-2.0/19.86m.
The Knights will host another meet next weekend with the UCF Invitational on Friday and Saturday.