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Track and Field Finishes Strong at Corky Classic and Vanderbilt Invitational

by Alex Clough

ORLANDO, Fla. – It was another dominating performance from the UCF track and field team at the Corky Classic and Vanderbilt Invitational on Saturday. Yet another program record was topped as Charlotte Crook broke her own best in the 1000m by a slim .04 seconds in just her second race back after missing the 2023 campaign.

 

This weekend was a good step in the right direction for our program. We had a lot of personal bests and some season bests this weekend. We are looking forward to going back to training next week and ironing out some things so we can line up Feb. 2 and really get our season going.

Head coach Dana Boone

The Knights made their first of two trips to the sight of the 2024 Big 12 Indoor Championships in Lubbock, Texas, this weekend. Both the distance and sprint squads competed among the top competitors in the nation at one of the premier meets this season.

Just before noon, Crook hit the starting line in the 1000m for the first time in over two years. Her last outing in the event saw the English native set the program record, a milestone that would be broken this afternoon. Crook eventually took third with her new best of 2:52.16, a monumental moment for the fifth year who currently holds two program records to her name.

Freshman Janiah Pulliam shinned in the 200m (Section B), claiming her first event win at the collegiate level with her time of 24.00.

In her first of two events on the day, Rayniah Jones qualified in the 60m dash with her time of 7.40, following that up with another qualification in the 60m hurdles, claiming second with her 8.07 performance.

Later in the day, Jones capped off a phenomenal meet, running a season-best 8.01 in the finals of the 60m hurdles, taking second. The times are her fastest since the 2022 NCAA Indoor Championships when she took home bronze in the event. In the 60m finals, she claimed third with her time of 7.25. The senior has yet to finish outside of the top three in any event she’s competing in through the early stages of the 2024 campaign.

Another standout performance in the hurdles came from BYU transfer Adaobi Tabugbo who set a personal best in the event with a time of 8.20 and a sixth-place finish.

In the 400m, Kiah Williams led three Knights with a strong performance, running a 53.89 to take third. Freshman Abigail Stratton shinned in the 800m, notching a top-five performance with her time of 2:11.04.

Sophomore Isabella Richardson led the UCF charge in the 3000m, finishing in third with a time of 10:03.04.