The women’s 5k race will feature UCF, Bethune-Cookman, Edward Waters, FIU, Johnson and Wales, Rollins, and Stetson. The race is set to begin at approximately 7:40 a.m. following the men’s 8k race which is slated for 7 a.m. Competing on the men’s side will be Bethune-Cookman, Edward Waters, FIU, Rollins, and Stetson.

Last year, Anne-Marie Blaney led the Knights to a second place finish in the women’s 6k after having commanded the field with a time of 21:34.56 and a first place finish of her own.

Looking to capitalize on the home course advantage again this year, and with the majority of the track and field team joining the squad on the course, Blaney hopes the Knights race to the top at this year’s invite.

“I think we are all definitely going to step it up,” said Blaney. “We have our team coming to run the first mile with us so that will be really encouraging.”

With a first place finish for the third consecutive year at the , Blaney, along with Laura Korsmit, who placed in the top ten in her first race as a Knight, were named the UCF Cross Country Student-Athletes of the Week. With some pre-race jitters last week, Korsmit stepped it up come race time.

“Going into it I was really nervous, it being my first race as a Knight,” said Korsmit. “It was kind of different because at home I haven’t really run on a team before for cross country. It is more of individual racing, so getting here and trying to learn to go out with the team, it is definitely a learning experience.”

Last week being the first meet of the season, the Knights set a great foundation, which they look to continue to develop upon each race.

“I feel like no one really knew what to expect out of each other, but we just went out there and tested the field,” said Blaney. “I don’t think we ran to the best of our ability and we definitely could have won. But I think it was a good feel out meet so we could see where we are and what else we need to do to get better.”

Follow the Knights on Twitter @UCF_Track for updates during the meet, and check UCFKnights.com for complete results following Saturday’s race.

“This is the best finish ever by UCF. This is the best they’ve ever done and we’ve very happy. We just go out and do our best, and that’s all I can ask for as a coach. Just give me your best and we’re happy and they’ve all done that,” said Knights’ head coach Johnny Gray.

Five Knights contributed points in UCF’s top-five finish as they set new personal records. Sophomore Heather Classe was the Knight’s second top finisher with her time of 21:42.45 for 21st place.

Amelia Williams (37th) and Senior Erica Winston (38th) emerged as UCF’s third and fourth finishers with times of 22:41.51 and 22:46.86, respectively, while sophomore Jocelyn Adona rounded out the Knights’ top-five with a time of 23:11.59 to place 45th overall.

“Everyone set personal records from our fifth place finisher on up,” said Gray. “All of our top runners set personal records by huge margins. Anne-Marie finished 24th last year in the (C-USA) championship, and placed first this year. Heather (Classe) took 21st, which is a huge improvement, too. I would have love to have Amy, but she is injured. If we had her we probably would have finished in the top three.”

Next up, the Knights will prepare for the NCAA South Region Championships, which will take place on Nov. 15 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Freshman Anne-Marie Blaney pulled out a gutsy performance in the 10,000 meters with a new school-record time of 35:03.62 to become UCF’s first long-distance medalist at a C-USA Outdoor Championship. She led for 23 of the 25 laps before seniors Risper Kimaiyo (UTEP) and Rhiannon Johns (UAB) – who both rank among the NCAA’s top 20 this season – were able to capitalize off the final kick.

Blaney shaved roughly 36 seconds off her personal best to erase UCF’s 12-year-old record and claim the bronze medal. Her performance impressed Johns, who approached the freshman after the race to commend her for spirited run.

Sophomore Precious Ogunleye and redshirt freshman Kalen Hambrick became the first throwing duo in program history to medal in the same event at a C-USA Championship meet thanks to their outstanding performances in the hammer throw.

The Knights kept loose and had to adapt to several schedule changes after flash flood warnings in the area turned the sky black early. Luckily, by the time the hammer was supposed to begin at 3:30 p.m. ET, the sun came out and the Knights were ready to make their mark.

Ogunleye recorded her best throw on her final attempt (55.70m/182-09) to clinch silver for the best finish of her career. She finished third in the shot put at last year’s outdoor meet. Hambrick bested her personal record by nine feet, posting 54.60m/179-02 for the first medal of her career. Both became the first Knights to medal in the hammer at a C-USA meet.

After their first day of competition, the Knights are in second place with 20 points, trailing leader SMU by eight points. Competition begins Saturday at 5 p.m. ET with the long jump.

Sunday, all events are final with the championship set to conclude with the awards presentation at 10 p.m. ET. Both @UCF_Track and @ConferenceUSA1 will provide updates on Twitter, and the official hashtags of the championships are #CUSAChamp and #CUSATF.

Live results will be posted at the C-USA Outdoor Track and Field Championship Central and provided by Flash Texas. The Knights hope to become the first women’s program in conference history to clinch four-straight outdoor crowns.

Last year, Octavious Freeman announced her presence in her collegiate outdoor debut with a Florida Relays meet record in the 100 meters with the then-world’s fastest time. On Friday, she decided to one-up herself by besting her meet record and rewriting a 15-year-old Percy Beard Track record in her first 100M race of 2013.

Her first-place, personal-best and new-school-record 11.02 (+1.2) is currently the fastest time in the world this year. It not only leads the NCAA but also matches the ninth-best time on the all-time collegiate performance list.

And her day wasn’t over, yet.

Freeman also shined in the 200 meters two hours later when she matched the NCAA’s top time this season with a wind-legal 22.85 (+1.8). She held off three-time World and Olympic gold medalist Natasha Hastings for first place.

Freshman Anne-Marie Blaney made quite a statement in the first 5000-meter race of her career by setting a new school, freshman and personal record. Her fourth-place time of 16:40.31 erased the 14-year-old school record by more than 23 seconds and currently ranks third in Conference USA. Her classmate Heather Classe also improved her personal record by roughly 30 seconds, crossing the line in 17:43.13.

Despite facing a headwind, Sonnisha Williams won the university division long jump for the second-straight year with a season-best leap of 6.15m/20-02.25 (-1.1), which ranks third in C-USA and among the NCAA’s top 20.

Sophomore Precious Ogunleye recorded the second-best discus throw of her career with a fourth-place finish of 46.03m/151-00 to jump into the top 10 of the C-USA standings.

Junior Ne’Ausha Logan continued her strong start to the outdoor season by improving upon her C-USA-best 800M time for the third-straight week, crossing the finish line in 2:09.27 for 15th place.

Sandy Jean posted the best performance by a runner in C-USA this season and jumped into the NCAA’s top-25 list this year. She narrowly missed her personal best with a season-best time of 58.96 for ninth place.

Junior Afia Charles held on firmly to her No. 2 spot among Conference USA leaders this season in the 400M with a season-best 54.01 for 18th place.

Freshman Alexis Faulknor finished 12th in the 100M with a wind-aided time of 11.61, and junior Jen Clayton produced an all-conditions personal-best 11.87 (+2.1).

Senior Erica Weiss matched the second-best mark of her career in the pole vault, breaching C-USA’s top-five leaders this season by clearing 3.75m/12-03.50 to tie for ninth place.

The Knights captured the title with 132.5 points, besting runner-up Memphis by 39.5 points. Junior Aurieyall Scott earned Performance of the Meet, Alexis Faulknor won Freshman of the Meet and Caryl Smith Gilbert earned her fifth C-USA Coach of the Year honor.

In perhaps the most defining moment of the day, the sprinters swept the podium of the 60 meters. Scott bested the meet record, the school record and her personal record with a blistering performance of 7.13, which ranks as the NCAA’s new leading time. Octavious Freeman earned silver at 7.22 and Faulknor clinched the first medal of her career with a bronze finish and new PR time of 7.43. Senior Lutisha Bowen also scored points in seventh place at 7.52, giving UCF a whopping 26 points in the event.

Scott continued to impress in the 200 meters with her second meet record in the event in as many days. This year’s world leader posted the second-best time of her career (22.91) for gold. Freeman’s season-best time of 23.35 picked up a silver medal, and Faulknor hit a new personal best 24.10 to score points in fifth place.

Bowen earned her first C-USA medal with her runner-up finish in the 60 hurdles with a time of 8.27.

Junior Afia Charles rewrote her own school record in the 400 meters with a personal-best 54.02, which won her heat and was six-hundredths of a second short of the leader. Her time was better than the previous meet record.

The throwers excelled with a school-record performance and two personal bests in the shot put. Precious Ogunleye captured her second school record of the weekend with a monster personal best of 15.17m/49-09.25 for fourth place. Destinee Romain topped her personal record with a mark of 14.06m/46-01.50 to tally more points in seventh place.

Freshman Anne-Marie Blaney picked up her second school record in as many days, shaving time off her precious 3,000-meter record with a sixth-place finish of 9:43.59.

The 800-meter runners had a productive day, as well, as Ne’Ausha Logan secured a bronze medal with the second-best time of her career, 2:09.77. Erica Winston fell in step behind her at 2:10.88, shaving nearly three seconds off her previous personal record.

Two jumpers added points in the high jump for the Knights. Freshman Allison Lampert produced a career-best day with a sixth-place showing of 1.68m/5-06.00. Sonnisha Williams missed her personal best by half-an-inch with a season-best leap of 1.68m/5-06.00.

Scott, Charles, Sandy Jean and Logan comprised the 4×400 relay that capped the day with a first-place finish with its second-best time of the season, 3:40.83.

UCF now sets its sights on the NCAA Indoor Championships behind held at Arkansas on March 8-9. A season ago, the Knights earned their highest finish in school history (eighth place) at the meet.

WOMEN’S TEAM FINAL

1. UCF – 132.5

2. Memphis – 93

3. UAB – 83 4. East Carolina – 59

5. SMU – 52

6. UTEP – 46

7. Houston – 44

8. Tulsa – 37

9. Southern Miss – 30

10. Tulane – 29

11. Rice – 28

12. Marshall – 26.5