Bulls represented by seven women and two men at premiere college track and field meet
TAMPA, Fla., June 8, 2021 – The USF track and field team, led by second-year head coach Erik Jenkins, will send nine athletes to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore., June 9-12.
The Championships, which begin Wednesday, will be broadcast on ESPN+.
“I am proud of the way everyone competed in Jacksonville during the NCAA preliminary round,” Jenkins said. “We saw several school records fall and personal bests achieved in an incredibly competitive meet. It takes a lot to advance and qualify for the national championships in Eugene.”
Seven USF women will compete in the championships held at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field. Freshman Shaniya Benjamin (Tampa, Fla.) leaped a personal best – and school record – 21-5 ¾ inches on her third and final attempt to finish fifth at the NCAA East Regional Prelims and secure her spot in the championships. Her record, jump surpassed the previous mark, of 21-4 inches, that she set at the AAC Championships and held with USF Hall of Famer Kerine Black. Benjamin will also compete on the women’s 4X100 and 4X400 relay teams.
Benjamin is scheduled to compete in the long jump on Thurs., June 10, at 8 p.m. ET.
“This is a positive step forward in the continued evolution of our program here at USF,” Jenkins said. “Fortunately, many of our performances cemented the opportunity to compete at the national championships. We are excited but focused on competing to the best of our ability in this meet.”
Both women’s relay teams qualified with school-record performances at the NCAA East Prelims in Jacksonville. The 4×100 team, consisting of Zahria Allers-Liburd (Miami, Fla.), Benjamin, Gabrielle DesRosiers (Chicago, Ill.), and Kadesha Prescott (Port of Spain, Trinidad), posted a school-best time of 43.95, good enough to place eighth in the regional quarterfinals and advance to the championships.
The 4X100 relay seminfinals will be run on Thur., June 10 at 6:32 p.m. ET.
In the 4×400 relay, DesRosiers, Benjamin, Patricija Roshofa (Limbazi, Latvia), Jasmine Knowles (Nassau, Bahamas) and Jae’Nisa Heckstall (Phoenix) will compete. The unit set a new school mark with a time of 3:34.07 to finish 11th and claim one of the 12 spots to Eugene from the East Region.
The 4X400 relay semifinals will be run on Thurs., June 10 at 9:48 p.m. ET.
On the men’s side, Duncan Agyemang (Kumasi, Ghana) qualified in the 400-meter hurdles finishing 10th in the 400-meter hurdles at the regional in a personal best time of 50.82. He will compete at the NCAA Championships on Wed., June 9, at 10 p.m. ET in the semifinals.
Pole vaulter Stone Baker (New Port Richey, Fla.) also advanced with a new personal record height of 17-2 ¾ – tied for the fourth-best height in school history – to finish 11th at the regional. He is scheduled to compete on Wed., June 9, at 8:30 p.m. ET.
USF NCAA SCHEDULE
Wednesday, June 9
8:30 p.m. ET – Pole Vault – Stone Baker
10:00 p.m. ET – 400-meter Hurdles – Semis – Duncan Agyemang
Thursday, June 10
6:32 p.m. ET – Women’s 4X100 Relay – Semis
8:00 p.m. ET – Long Jump – Shaniya Benjamin
9:48 p.m. ET – Women’s 4X400 Relay – Semis
Friday, June 11
9:27 p.m. ET – 400-meter Hurdles – Finals
Saturday, June 12
6:02 p.m. ET – Women’s 4X100 Relay – Finals
8:21 p.m. ET – Women’s 4X400 Relay – Finals
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About USF Track and Field
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 11 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 hosted the 2018 NCAA Track and Field East Preliminary at the USF Track and Field Stadium and will host the 2021 AAC Outdoor Championships.
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