USF Athletics

Bulls Have Strong Day One at American Outdoor Championships

May 11, 2018

CINCINNATI, Ohio, MAY 11, 2018 – Day one of the American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships is in the books, and it was a good one for USF track and field. The Bulls concluded day one with three marks on the top-10 charts and an all-conference performance from Zach Diaczynsky. 

Senior thrower Diaczynsky (Naples, Fla.) received all-conference honors for his third-place finish in the men's hammer throw. He set a new personal best in his final conference meet, posting a mark of 189-2.00. The mark moves him into third place all-time on the USF outdoor charts. Diaczynsky also earned the Bulls six points in the men's team competition for his effort.

The first day of the three-day championships also marked the start of the multi-events, and the Bulls' representation of Kaitlyn Kirby and Raekwon Scott both shined on day one. The heptathlon got off to a winning start for Kirby (Tarpon Springs). She took the first event, the 100-meter hurdles, with a time of 14.28 seconds. Kirby also finished third in the shot put with a mark of 39-3.00 and took second in the 200 meters with a time of 25.72 seconds. The freshman will hold the lead overnight, as she's currently in first place through four events with a score of 3,166. She leads the second place athlete by 25 points.

In the decathlon, Scott (Deland, Fla.) sits in second place through five events on day one with 3,919 points. He posted a trio of second place finishes on the day. His best result came in the long jump, where he finished second with a mark of 24-0.25. The jump gives Scott the eighth-best performance on the USF outdoor charts. Scott also placed second in the shot put with a mark of 44-8.00 and the high jump, clearing a height of 6-6.00. 

On the track Friday evening were the preliminaries of six events. Junior Chelsea Francis (Jacksonville) impressed in the 200 meters, winning her heat to advance to the finals on Sunday. She ran a time of 23.42 seconds, which is a new personal best and moves her into second place all-time on the USF outdoor charts. The time is 0.02 seconds behind the school record. Francis was third overall among 28 runners in the preliminaries.

Junior Maurice Nock (Sanford, Fla.) joined Francis in qualifying for Sunday's 200 meter finals, posting a time of 21.01 seconds, finishing seventh. The time is 0.05 seconds behind Nock's personal best, set earlier this season. 

Up Next
The three-day American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships continue Saturday at Gettler Stadium on the campus of the University of Cincinnati. Day two events kick off at 10:30 a.m. with the continuation of the men's decathlon.

Visit the championship central page to view the event schedule, live results, photos and video of each day of competition. The conference will also broadcast the event live on their Facebook page.

About USF Track and Field
Led by 13th-year head coach Warren Bye, the USF track and field team has produced 22 All-America selections since 2008 and at least one All-American in nine of the last 10 years. 2016 graduate Matthew O'Neal is USF's first six-time NCAA All-American. USF has posted two NCAA runner-up finishes since 2013 - O'Neal (triple jump, 2016) and Courtney Anderson (high jump, 2013). The Bulls are home to the 2018 NCAA Track and Field East Preliminary.