The UCF Knights women's track and field team achieved a strong performance in a split competition across two states on Friday. They broke nine personal records and four program records against Ohio State, Texas Tech, and Florida Atlantic. Highlights included standout times in distance events and field competitions.
The UCF women's track and field team divided its efforts between Gainesville, Florida, for the Alachua County Sports and Event Center Invitational, and Lubbock, Texas, for the Stan Scott Invite. This approach allowed the distance runners to focus on their events while the sprinters and field athletes competed elsewhere.
In Gainesville, the 3,000-meter race featured eight Knights. Junior Lexi Raquet set a personal record of 9:29.11, the second-best time in program history, behind only Anne-Marie Blaney's 9:18.87 from 2017. Four other athletes also achieved personal bests: senior Paige Jaszczak at 10:06.52, freshman Masha Dorofeev at 10:06.79, freshman Daisy Ross at 10:10.55, sophomore Ava Quattrocchi at 10:12.76, and sophomore Madison Patchan at 19:11.17.
The 1,000-meter event saw further success, with one athlete establishing a new program record of 2:51.71 and Raquet recording 2:53.05, the third-best in UCF history.
In Texas, senior Kimberly Smith jumped 5.97 meters in the long jump, securing third place and the 10th-best mark in program records, just nine centimeters shy of first.
Sophomore Aaliyah Gipson set personal records in the 60 meters (7.54 seconds, 14th place) and 200 meters (24.17 seconds, eighth place). In the 200 meters, senior Collen Branch also hit a personal best of 24.06 seconds, while junior Janiah Pulliam led the Knights with 23.84 seconds for sixth place.
The 4x400-meter relay team—senior Twaneise Johnson, Pulliam, junior Genelle Stephens, and senior Jazmen Newberry—clocked 3:38.26, the ninth-best in program history, finishing second behind Ohio State by less than a second.
Freshman Lilou Lapeyrie took second in the high jump with 1.66 meters. Other podium finishes included freshman Lida Besila's 12.43 meters in triple jump, freshman Morgan Rothwell's 1:24.77 in the 600 yards, and Newberry's 54.44 seconds in the 400 meters.
The team now prepares for the Charlie Thomas Invitational on February 6 in College Station, Texas.
