USF men’s and women’s 4X100 and 4X400 relays among those favored to contend for conference titles
MEET: AAC Men’s & Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships
WHEN: Friday, May 14 (10:30 AM), Saturday, May 15 (10:30 AM) & Sunday, May 16 (2:30 p.m.)
WHERE: USF Track and Field Stadium, Tampa
TAMPA, MAY 13, 2021 – With 23 top 10 program marks posted in the final two regular season meets of the season, the USF track and field team is poised for a strong performance at the American Athletic Conference Track and Field Championships this weekend in Tampa.
Attendance for the three-day event (May 14-16) at the USF Track and Field Stadium will be by team pass list only. All three days of the event will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Action begins at 10:30 a.m. Friday with the men’s decathlon getting underway, followed closely by competition in the women’s heptathlon and the men’s and women’s hammer throw and javelin. Friday’s track events start at 6:30 p.m. with the 1,500 meters and concluded at 8:35 p.m. with the 10,000 meters.
Saturday’s competition again begins at 10:30 a.m. with the second day of the decathlon and heptathlon. Field events begin at 3:00 p.m. with the women’s long jump and track events will run from 5:25 to 7:45 p.m. with trials in the 100, 400 and 800 meters, the 100 and 110-meter hurdles and finals in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
Sunday sees a full slate of track and field events from 2:30 to 7:55 p.m., highlighted by the 4X100-meter relays at 4:30 p.m. and the 4X400-meter relays at 7:45 p.m.
Both Bulls men’s and women’s relay teams will be among the favorites to claim the crown in the 4X100 and 4X400 events. The women’s 4X100-meter relay team of Zahria Allers-Liburd, Shaniya Benjamin, Gabrielle DesRosiers and Kadesha Prescott set a new program record in their last outing with a time of 44.20, which is second only to Houston in the AAC Championship field. Meanwhile, the 4X400 team of Patricija Roshofa, Jasmine Knowles, DesRosiers and Benjamin also logged a program record with a time of 3:34.88, which is tops in the AAC Championship field.
On the men’s side, the 4X100-meter team of Danelson Mahautiere, Monte Parker, Dre’Shaun Sanders and Toluwani Adebakin posted the second-best time in program history with a mark of 40.48. The 4X400 team of Parker, Stefone Moore-Greene, Duncan Agyemang and Elijah Wright also posted the second-best time in program history this season with a 3:09.41. Both relay times are second only to Houston in the AAC Championship field.
Benjamin, a freshman from Tampa, will also be a strong contender for the women in the long jump and 200 meters. Pole vaulter Stephanie Lambeth brings in a top three mark in the field, while hurdlers Shaneylix Davila and Jae’Nisa Heckstall will be strong contenders in both the 100 and 400-meter hurdle events, with Heckstall possessing the top time in the field in the 400 hurdles and Davila the third-best. Jasmine Knowles brings in contending times in the 400 and 800 meters.
For the men, pole vaulters Kobe Babin and Stone Baker bring in top six marks in the field. David Ajama brings in contending marks in the high, long and triple jumps while Johann Jeremiah has contending marks in the shot put and discus. Dee Jennings and Duncan Agyemang both bring in contending times in the 400-meter hurdles, with Jennings also holding a top four time in the AAC field in the 110-meter hurdles. Justin Bridgewater has a top five time in the 800-meter field.
Wichita State won the women’s championship, followed by Cincinnati and SMU, in the last outdoor conference championship held in 2019. Houston claimed the men’s title for the fourth-straight time and was followed closely by Wichita State and Cincinnati. USF placed 12th on the women’s side and seventh on the men’s side in 2019.
The USF women’s top finish in the AAC Outdoor Championships is seventh in 2014. USF women have claimed one AAC Outdoor title, with Courtney Anderson winning the high jump in 2014.
The USF men’s top finish in the AAC Outdoor Championships is fourth in 2016. The Bulls have claimed five individual AAC Outdoor champions – all in field events – with Erroll Ennis claiming the last by winning the triple jump in 2018 and 2019.
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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.
– #GoBulls –
