Tampa, Fla., Feb. 19, 2023 – The University of South Florida track & field team completed their first outdoor meet of the season at the Tampa Track Classic on Saturday afternoon.
 
Arden La-Rose won the women's 800m event with a personal best of 2:13.4, followed by Victoria Valdez in third place with 2:18.96.
 
In the men's competition, Troy Llanos also claimed first position with a time of 1:56.86.
 
Alyssa Wyatt and Cora Kolodge finished in fourth and fifth position with times of 4:49.92 and 5:54.00, respectively, in the women's 1500m competition.
 
The Bulls will be back in action on Friday, February 24 for the American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Ala.
 
 
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.