Beckford Sets New Personal Best as Bulls Finish First Day of Split Meets
Tampa, Fla., April 15, 2022 – The University of South Florida track and field team wrapped up its second day at the Mt. Sac Relays and its first at the Tom Jones Memorial this evening with multiple posting season bests in competition.
"We had good performances at both meets," head coach
Erik Jenkins said. "Splitting the team can create unique challenges but can also create unique opportunities. I believe both meets are being executed well and we are taking advantage of each situation."
Mt. Sac Relays
In the 400-meter hurdles,
Sanique Walker (Manchester, Jamaica) finished with a time of 59.30 seconds, giving her fourth all-time at USF.
Hannah Connell (Bridgetown, Barbados) posted a time of 13.75 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles preliminary, moving her into seventh on the school's performance list. Connell carried her success into the 100-meter dash, posting a time of 11.74 seconds to move into tenth in program history.
Annia Ashley (Kingston, Jamaica) posted a mark of 1.70 meters (5-7) in the high jump, good for eighth all-time at USF.
In the 400 meters,
Patricija Roshofa (Limbazi, Latvia) ran a season's best time of 55.64 seconds.
The 4x100 relay team of
Jadaja Baxter (Sandy Springs, Ga.),
Shaniya Benjamin (Tampa, Fla.), Connell and
Zahria Allers-Liburd (Miami, Fla.) also advanced to tomorrow's finals.
Kobe Babin (Niceville, Fla.) jumped a season-best of 5.15 meters (16-10.75) in the pole vault to place fourth in the event. In the triple jump,
David Ajama (Lowell, Mass.) also jumped a season-best with a mark of 15.13 meters (49-7.75).
Eron Carter (Palatka, Fla.) finished eighth in the discus finals after advancing in preliminaries yesterday. He posted a throw of 56.01 meters (183-9). Benjamin finished fifth in the women's long jump, with a 6.38-meter (20-11.75) leap.
Tom Jones Memorial
In the high jump,
Romaine Beckford (Portland, Jamaica) set a new personal record with a mark of 2.21 meters (7-3). This gave him first in the event and third in the program record lists.
Chakiya Plummer (Hoover, Ala.) finished with a time of 1:00.08 in the 400-meter hurdles, moving into fifth all-time at USF.
The Bulls are back in action tomorrow for the final day of the Mt. Sac Relays and Tom Jones Memorial.
About USF Track and Field
The USF track and field team has earned 54 All-America selections and at least one All-American in 10 of the last 12 years, including a record eight athletes claiming 11 honors in 2021. Tampa native Shaniya Benjamin set a program record earning three All-American honors during the 2021 outdoor season, while triple jumper Matthew O'Neal, a 2016 graduate, became USF's first six-time NCAA All-American. Bulls have posted two NCAA runner-up finishes since 2013 - O'Neal (triple jump, 2016) and Courtney Anderson (high jump, 2013). Head coach Erik Jenkins took over the program in 2020 and in the 2021 outdoor season the Bulls posted seven program records and 40 top 10 all-time program marks. USF hosted the 2018 NCAA Track and Field East Preliminary and the 2021 AAC Outdoor Championship at the USF Track and Field Stadium located on the east end of campus.
– #GoBulls –
