Nearly four years ago, when Erik Jenkins was hired as USF's track and field coach, he knew there was work to be done. The stagnant program needed an awakening. He was realistic.

"It wasn't going to change overnight,'' Jenkins said.

But Jenkins made his priority clear to everyone: USF's program WAS going to change. Step by step. Lap by lap. Recruit by recruit. The Bulls were moving forward. Maybe not as rapidly as Jenkins wanted, but every day was another opportunity to chase success.

"It was a program that was perennially at the bottom of its league, so we had to challenge the mindset of people and say, 'Hey man, we want to be good. This isn't a club sport. We don't just want to be here. We are going to win,' '' Jenkins said. "It was asking people to have faith in something they just couldn't see — or hadn't imagined in a long, long time.''

The latest milestone occurs this weekend, when USF hosts the American Athletic Conference Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships, a three-day event that begins Friday.

The USF men have never captured an outdoor conference team championship and the USF women last won a league title in 2003. Neither team is the AAC front-runner — a status that Jenkins ultimately craves — but the Bulls have enough talent, skill and depth to showcase the program's improvement.

In the two non-COVID outdoor seasons under Jenkins, the Bulls have produced six conference event champions and nine NCAA All-Americans. Meanwhile, Romaine Beckford, the AAC outdoor high-jump winner in 2022, won the NCAA indoor championship two months ago.

"We continue to do good things as a program and we continue to attract more and more great athletes,'' Beckford said.

In the summer before her senior season at Alonso High School, Shaniya Benjamin already had established herself as her school's most celebrated female track and field performer, drawing interest from programs in the SEC, Big Ten and Big 12. "USF wasn't recruiting me at all, and I really didn't know why,'' Benjamin said.

Not long after Jenkins was hired at USF, he and his assistants walked into an Alonso conference room to meet with Benjamin and her high-school coach. Within five minutes, Jenkins offered Benjamin a scholarship.

"They were very open about what they thought of me, how they planned to rebuild the program and how I would fit in,'' said Benjamin, a four-time NCAA All-American and the 2021 AAC Outdoor long-jump champion as a freshman. "It was nice to see that they actually wanted me to stay home and I was happy to feel so wanted.''

"This is an excellent place to be,'' USF men's hurdler Michael Bourne III said. "I'm from Virginia and this place definitely caught my eye. Great weather. Nice facilities. Good competition on our schedule. We're not all the way there yet, but we're getting there.''

The Path To USF

Jenkins, from the Panhandle town of Quincy, was a long-jumper at Western Kentucky University, then spent 17 years on the Hilltoppers' staff. He was the head coach for 11 seasons and, all told, was part of 30 conference championships.

In 2016, the WKU track and field budget was cut in half and Jenkins figured he needed another opportunity. He was selective and wanted the right spot. Because of his success recruiting Florida athletes and his state ties, USF was particularly intriguing — and mystifying.

"The opportunities seemed abundant — the chance to work in one of the coolest places in the country, a lot of sunshine, a lot of good people in the area, a great airport to get you anywhere in the world, a central location in the state,'' Jenkins said. "I'm not into making excuses. I just know we've got everything we need to be great. We also have a forward-thinking athletic director in Michael Kelly. There were challenges to work through before we saw daylight, but with Michael at the forefront, really listening to us and always asking what we needed, we had a chance.

"If you're at USF with all the obvious advantages athletically and academically, if the administration gives you a chance and you work at it, we can be as good as anybody on a given day. We are changing the trajectory. And once it gets set, we'll really have something here in the conference and national picture.''

Benjamin was the first target for Jenkins because of her versatility. Jenkins loves versatility.

"She's an elite jumper, she can sprint, run you a relay,'' Jenkins said. "She's going to score points. I like the athletes you can keep on the track all day long. Sometimes, you can win a big track meet with the right four to six athletes if you play your cards right.

"At some point, when you get more depth, you can narrow the scope and focus on specific events. But if you have a lot of multiple-event athletes at your starting point, I think you can be smart about it, find some added points, do a better job of finishing higher in the standings.''

Beckford, a national champion who will defend his AAC outdoor high-jump championship, will also throw the javelin this weekend.

"Whatever I can do to help out,'' Beckford said. "We have a lot of options on this team. It makes it very fun.''

Athletes Make It Go

Ideally, Jenkins said he'd love to keep home all the elite track and field talent in the Tampa Bay area.

"We want you to stay,'' Jenkins said. "As long as you fit what we're trying to do, you have a place here. But if a kid calls me from Brazil and they have the grades, they've got the right kind of personality and other measurables, then we will take that kid. We want to be attractive to the world. Look at the success Jose Fernandez (USF women's basketball) has with international kids.

"We want good people, good students and good athletes. If they're homegrown, too, that's just ideal.''

When Jenkins first arrived at USF, he couldn't take his eyes off the words he kept seeing on automobile license plates.

Endless Summer.

"I think back to being in Kentucky, snow on the ground, freezing rain … and we've got sunshine here all the time,'' Jenkins said. "I think that's a draw. So many people are moving to Tampa every day. Why not? You've got beaches, amusement parks, professional sports, you can go downtown and listen to the symphony. And our unbelievable airport can get you anywhere in the world quickly.

"We have things to sell here. Once we get sustained success, I believe we'll be able to accomplish our goals. No question.''

Meanwhile, USF's track has been resurfaced (with the same surface that exists at elite track and field programs such as Oregon and Texas). It's the first phase of a renovation plan that will include new locker rooms, a refurbished press box and a state-of-the-art video board.

"It's a fast track,'' Jenkins said. "We had a good track before but we were getting some injuries and the surface had run its course. Everybody who runs at our track just loves it and the USF athletes certainly love it, too.''

"You get on our track and you have confidence that you're going to get a P.R. (personal record),'' Bourne said. "I think you're going to see some great times this weekend.''

Jenkins said he hopes the Tampa Bay area fans will support the AAC championships. He believes in a strong relationship with the track and field community — particularly with continual outreach to AAU clubs and by staging events such as the "Fastest Kid In Tampa.''

"We're going to get there,'' Jenkins said. "I promise you if you come out and watch our meets, you will be entertained. We have a high-octane sport. It's like watching a three-ring circus.

"We've got kids who can score some points and win some events. I'm really proud of our facility and I'm even more proud of the USF kids who use that facility. It's coming together every day and here's a chance to see where we stand in our league. We're ready to attack it.''

USF's ultimate goal remains in the distance, but within sight.

For now, it's full speed ahead.

USF Track and Field

The USF track and field team has earned 56 All-American selections and at least one All-American in 10 of the last 12 years, including a record eight athletes claiming 11 honors in 2021. Romaine Beckford won the 2023 NCAA Indoor Championship in the men's high jump. 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. 

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