USF Track and Field Heads to Wichita for AAC Outdoor Championships
MEET: AAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships
DATE: May 13-15
LOCATION: Wichita, Kan.
SCHEDULE
ESPN+
RESULTS
WICHITA, Kan., May 12, 2022 – The University of South Florida track and field team will compete this weekend at the American Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Wichita, Kan.
"We work hard for the opportunity to compete well in championships," head coach
Erik Jenkins said. "We are excited to be here and look forward to three great days of competition."
Friday
Alliya Boothe (Bloomfield, Conn.) kicks off the meet for the Bulls, competing in the women's hammer throw at 12 p.m. on Friday. Boothe currently sits at No. 9 all-time on USF's top ten list. At 2:30 p.m.,
Eron Carter (Palatka, Fla.) starts the meet for the men's team in the hammer throw. The current USF record holder will look to improve on his season-best mark of 59.45 meters (195-0) that ranks fourth in the conference this year.
Romaine Beckford (Portland, Jamaica),
Johann Jeremiah (St. George's, Grendada) and Carter wrap up the day's field competitions in the javelin at 6:30 p.m. At the same time,
Arden La-Rose (Toronto, Canada),
Sydney Granack (Bradenton, Fla.) and
Grace Johnson (Naples, Fla.) start the track events in the 1,500 meters.
In the 200-meter dash, an eight-runner USF contingent competes, with
Hannah Connell (Bridgetown, Barbados),
Shaniya Benjamin (Tampa, Fla.) and
A'Kyrah O'Banner (Tallahassee, Fla.) look to improve their times on this year's AAC performance list as they all currently sit in the top 25 in the league.
Danelson Mahautiere (Roseau, Dominica) immediately follows in the men's event. He currently sits at No. 7 on USF's all-time list.
At 7:30 p.m.,
Sanique Walker (Manchester, Jamaica),
Shaneylix Davila (Kissimmee, Fla.),
Chakiya Plummer (Hoover, Ala.) and
Jae'Nisa Heckstall (Phoenix, Ariz.) all run in the 400-meter hurdles trials. All four runners sit in the top 10 all-time at USF with Heckstall holding the USF record with a 56.94 that she ran last year.
Michael Bourne III (Midlothian, Va.) follows in the men's event. His season-best of 54.03 is the ninth best time in the conference this season.
Mikhail Kakoulin (Gettysburg, Pa.),
Sebastian Edwards (Celebration, Fla.),
Ben Kailes (Jacksonville, Fla.) and
Nickolas Kamen (Naples, Fla.) close the day in the 10,000-meter run trials at 8:35 p.m.
Saturday
Competition begins on Saturday at 3 p.m. in the women's long jump. Benjamin,
Annia Ashley (Kingston, Jamaica),
Jadaja Baxter (Sandy Springs, Ga.) and
Loren Johnson (Orange Park, Fla.) all jump in the event. Benjamin currently holds the USF record at 21-5.75 that she jumped last year.
Boothe is back in action at 3:30 p.m. in the shot put, followed by a three-Bull contingent in the women's pole vault. At 5 p.m., the men's long jump begins with
David Ajama (Lowell, Mass.) and
Victor Steiner (La Libertao, El Salvador) representing South Florida. They've posted the third and fifth best marks in the conference this season, respectively.
Jeremiah and Carter close the field events at 5:30 p.m. in the men's shot-put trials and final. Also at 5:30 p.m., Davila, Connell, Plummer, Heckstall and Wright run in the 100-meter hurdles trials. Davila and Connell sit at third and fourth in the conference this season in the event.
Bourne and Steiner represent USF in the 110-meter hurdles at 5:45 p.m. Bourne posted the 10
th best time in program history earlier this season with a 14.32.
Elijah Wright (Naples, Fla.),
Joshua St. Clair (Trinidad and Tobago) and
Monte Parker (Plantation, Fla.) run for USF in the 400-meter trials at 6:45 p.m. All three runners are currently placed on USF's top-10 list.
Four Bulls, led by Connell and
Kadesha Prescott (Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago), compete in the 100-meter dash trials at 7 p.m., followed by Mahautiere and
Tyler Dunigan (Sarasota, Fla.) in the men's event to wrap up the day at 7:15 p.m.
Sunday
The final day of the meet begins at 2:30 p.m. with Beckford,
Kendell Mosley (Niceville, Fla.) and Ajama competing in the men's high jump at 2:30 p.m. Beckford's 7-3.75 mark at the Penn Relays currently sits at No. 2 in the NCAA East Region qualifying list. Ashley and L. Johnson jump in the women's triple jump at the same time.
Stone Baker (New Port Richey, Fla.) and
Kobe Babin (Niceville, Fla.) jump in the men's pole vault at 3:30 p.m. The pair enters the AAC Championships with the fifth and sixth best marks in the league this season, respectively.
At 4:30 p.m., the field events conclude with Ashley and
Kendall McDaniel (Loganville, Ga.) participating in the women's high jump, Ajama competing in the triple jump and Carter, Jeremiah and Beckford throwing in the discus.
The final day of track events begins with the 4x100 meter relay in both the men's and women's competitions. Both teams have moved up the program's all-time lists this year and will look to build on last year's success at the AAC Championships.
The meet continues with finals in many events after trials earlier on Friday and Saturday.
The meet closes with the 4x400 relays starting at 7:35 p.m., followed by the awards ceremony at 8:05 p.m.
About USF Track and Field
The USF track and field team has earned 53 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 –
