Studies show that the most common fears among people are the fear of heights, snakes, enclosed spaces, and being in a social setting.

But there’s a fear even deeper than those that most people don’t even realize until it hits them.

And that is the fear of change.

We’ve all experienced that in some form. It’s not like changes in the weather or even changes to our behavior. No, this change digs deeper because it is one we can’t stop even if we put our foot down, hoping that the friction will somehow slow it down.

No, the change I’m talking about is the change that our life’s phases bring, such as graduating or moving.

No matter what you do or don’t do, time is always ticking. It is certainly true that time waits for no one.

To help you understand more of where I’m coming from, think back to a time that you would classify as the “good old days.” It can be when you were in school, summer camp, road trips, the times when you and your friends used to hang out at your favorite spot when you were a kid.

One of mine may be the times at Â鶹ԭ´´ when my track-and-field teammates and I often used water balloons to ambush the football players, who lived in the same residence halls as us.

Remember how you felt at your “good old days.” Happy. Fun. Content. Excited. You name it. Now tell me the exact day you stopped doing those things. You may not be able to, because those experiences often just slowly faded away on their own.

In reference to the quote above, a lot of time we find ourselves connected to those “good old days” thinking that this, the moment with friends, family or a significant other will last forever.

But usually it doesn’t.

Eventually that party ends, your friends evolve, and you’re left with the decision of “to be or not to be” ready for what’s next, no matter the situation.

I remember plenty of times when I would transition to another grade level I felt like the world was ending.

What about my friends?

What was I supposed to do now?

I can’t grow up. It’s too soon, I’m not ready.

Take me back now!

I felt like I was the master of my own time, so how dare you, time?! Putting an expiration date on my good times and forcing me to remember it just as that, a “good time.”

But that’s the beauty of change, it forces you to get ready whether you like it or not, because there’s no time machine. So going back to relive those glory days is nonexistent.

So instead we make a decision to adjust to the changes happening to us, with resentment, of course — just to realize how much we’ve grown or are growing in the process.

To this day, I still have mini fits when a friend starts a new job and moves away or even when a tradition starts to cease to exist, because I know that change is coming.

And that is what is happening to me now.

My days as a Â鶹ԭ´´ student have concluded and I’m moving to Massachusetts. I’ll soon be working on an NCAA grant to start a student-athlete welfare and development office at Wheaton College.

I’m super excited about what’s to come but definitely apprehensive about all the change that is happening in my life.

But as the philosopher Shakur, better known as Tupac, once said: That’s just the way it is – things will never be the same.

So if you’re like me, even if you have to remind yourself, just know that change is good and change is needed.

Christal Peterson is a recent graduate of Â鶹ԭ´´â€™s DeVos Sport Business Management Program and was a member of the President’s Leadership Council. She can be reached at chhpeterson@knights.ucf.edu.

A mentoring relationship is one in which a more experienced or knowledgeable person helps to guide a less-experienced or less-knowledgeable person. Pretty straightforward right?

Of course, but I think sometimes one of our problems as a society – especially millennials – is that when searching for a mentor we confuse more experience or more knowledge with titles. Just because someone may have a title, their experience and/or knowledge may not equate to what you need or are looking for in a mentor.

At many points in my life I did the same thing, but I have come to believe that that technique is doing a disservice to ourselves and those we call mentors. This should be transformational on both ends and not just for one.

Our mentors should not be looked at as someone who can fix all our professional and personal challenges or help us up the corporate ladder to our dream job.

They may be able to help alleviate those challenges but only by us taking into account their past and current knowledge of what it is that we are seeking to obtain from them in the long run. A lot of times the very thing we discover is not what was originally hoped to gain in the first place.

I have been blessed to have a lot of mentors in my life, some good, some bad, some current and some who came in and out of my life like seasons in the year. But one thing that they share is that they have all helped shaped me into the person I am today.

I am not a completed package and I do not know if I ever will be, but I know for sure that I am a work in progress, like we all are.

I lean on my mentors, intentional ones or not, to help me achieve the ultimate goal for my life, which is to positively impact those around me by empowering them to become the best version of themselves, while also being and remaining full myself.

In today’s world, a good work-life balance may be as hard as finding a needle in a haystack, but that is one area I look for in a mentor: someone who is healthy mentally, physically and emotionally outside of their career, because what you are filled up with, you pour out onto others.

Be intentional on what gets poured into you, that it is something of substance and not just the watered-down stuff.

I have mentors that grew into being mentors through babysitting their children and I saw a glimpse at the fellowship they have with their children and one another in their marriage. Through this mentorship I am experiencing what a healthy marriage is, which in turn makes me strive to be compassionate, understanding, selfless, patient and so many other important characteristics that are foundations for any successful relationship –and I expect the same in return.

I have mentors that are some of my closest friends simply for the fact that we all have different stories, which means that we all have experience in situations that the others do not. Through the growth of our friendships and sharing our journeys, whenever I am confronted with a situation that I may not be able to handle or feel caught off guard, I use bits and pieces from what they did successfully in similar situations in hopes that a similar outcome happens for me – and hoping in return mine do the same for them.

“Teachable moments,” a mentor once told me.

That’s what a mentorship is all about: building a genuine relationship by taking something you cannot feel or see, and building you up as a person. They challenge you in ways that through their knowledge, experience and interactions, lift you to your full potential.

Christal Peterson is a graduate student in Â鶹ԭ´´â€™s DeVos Sport Business Management Program and a member of the President’s Leadership Council. She can be reached at chhpeterson@knights.ucf.edu.

I love quotes.

I love the different meanings they can have.

I love the effect they can have on a person.

And I love how they can serve as a significant guide in your life when you come across a good one.

Just recently I decided to start this: When anybody steps into my office, they cannot leave until they write a quote they live by or that they think is significant for another to read.

Day by day the Post-it notes grew and eventually word got out about the office where the wall full of vibrant color notes was dropping life gems on those unexpected. Soon I became accustomed to the occasional “ohhhh” or “ahhhhh” from individuals that I was mentoring whose eyes happened to fall on a quote, or I’d see someone standing at the entrance of the door trying to grab a little inspiration.

Below are some of my favorite quotes from the wall and why these hold special meanings in the current chapter of my life:

“Don’t let the lack of confidence be the death of your calling.”

Being confident in one’s self and ability is something you are either born with or constantly working on. I would like to categorize myself as the latter. But what if it’s not just the self-confidence piece that plays a part in how you see yourself? Having self-confidence and self-esteem are two totally different terms.

Self-esteem is being satisfied with yourself overall; this is something you develop through experiences and situations. Self-confidence is how you feel about your abilities, which can vary from time to time depending on the situation.

The two intermingle together because if your self-esteem increases then so will your confidence, and when you are confident about different areas in your life then your overall self-esteem increases more. I believe at different points in our lives, whether it be personal or professional, we always have a checklist for reasons why we should not apply for that job or explore that new opportunity, and that shouldn’t be the case.

Why think things like “Do I check all the boxes?” or “What if I am not the right fit?” when in the pursuit of something we love?

Yes, you are qualified. And yes, you are the right fit. And if you are not, look at everything through a lens of understanding because the only way to grow is through mistakes and being confident in yourself to see the teachable moments so that it won’t happen. Let’s face it: People are afraid of failure but fail to realize that through failure comes understanding, and when you fully understand something you become more confident in yourself and abilities.

“Comparison is the thief of joy.”

No one can do what you can do, and you can’t do what someone else is doing. We all have our unique skills and/or talents but when it comes to the job hunt or even taking on a task, that phrase can be easier said than done.

It is hard to see the progress we are making or the breakthrough we have been asking for when all you see is rejection because you see someone else have an easier time obtaining or achieving the very thing you want. We must remember that everyone has their own start and journey in life and no two paths are ever the same.

We know that comparing ourselves to another almost seems foolish but we still do it. Yeah, that person may seems to have it all but what’s the background story to what you are really seeing. Does that person really have it all and if so, are they truly happy. Instead of being so focused so much on another’s pursuit to happiness, why not focus on inquiring our own happiness through what actually brings us joy and not on what appears to be the world’s view of joy.

“Your network is your net worth.”

In all aspects of life, one must ensure that they are networking with those around them. Coming from someone who classifies herself as an introvert, this can be as hard as public speaking.

“Who do I talk to?” and “What do we even talk about?” are many questions that can sometimes cloud our minds so much so that we end up denying ourselves a genuine connection.

Your networking skills are basically how you are branded in other people’s eyes. Maya Angelou stated that people will forget what you said and what you did, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel. Creating relationships, whether personal or professional, are vital for the course of life.

Meaningful relationships that are transformational and not transactional make you worth more as a person, which makes people more willing to invest in you.

“Be faithful in the seeds you plant.”

This one hits home. In reference to what was said above, you too will ultimately end up being somebody’s net worth in terms of their network. So whether you deal with people, numbers or objects, being intentional on what you are crafting and/or who you are affecting should be a top priority because you want be sure that whatever you are impacting goes on to improve the lives of others.

Ultimately, you pour into others what you are filled with.

So what quotes are you using at the moment to guide you through your journey and why?

A wall can never have too many quotes.

Christal Peterson is a graduate student in Â鶹ԭ´´â€™s DeVos Sport Business Management Program and a member of the President’s Leadership Council. She can be reached at chhpeterson@knights.ucf.edu.

I always look forward to this time of year because for me when I was growing up I was taught to believe that once the ball drops and the clock strikes midnight, that it was like pressing the restart button on a video game. The previous year never existed, so who cares if I did not accomplish one thing on that list I made from last year. I can definitely regroup, try again and succeed this year.

Maybe I will learn a new language, or maybe I’ll stop being a couch potato and actually renew that gym membership, maybe I’ll finally find love, or maybe I will just start saying “yes” to the opportunities that take me outside of my comfort zone.

Whatever it is, sometime we sit down and come up with a list so long that even Santa Claus would be proud of us. And we don’t just stop there. Next we make sure to post it in places like our phones or walls, where it can be seen as a constant reminder of what we have promised will be accomplished when the 365 days are over.

But during those first few weeks of a new year when many of us may be starting to have a hard time working on our resolutions, something seems to always happen.

Our work/school load starts to increase and overwhelm the motivation we once had. It is no wonder that researchers say only 8 percent of people actually see their New Year’s resolutions all the way through.

But if that’s the case with you, it’s not too late to reset your course. Now is the time to do that before things are completely dropped.

Part of the problem is that we as humans want instant results. We live in a time when the hottest inventions and devices coming into the market are designed to cut waiting time in half. We have become so prone and used to having results as soon as possible that it somehow trickles into our personal and professional life that we expect the same to happen there.

The importance of the journey is now clouded and all we are really worried about is how good it is going to feel or how life will suddenly change for the better once we reach a certain goal.

New Year’s resolutions should be looked at as a placeholder for growth, not just as a task list that we check off once completed and never to return to or reflect upon.

So how can we adjust our direction before it’s too late?

Since I was little I have always had my head stuck in a book, but as I got older and had more obligations I have drifted away from a passion that was once an escape route. So one of my resolutions is being intentional on reading more.

I just came across an article that helped me take a different approach to accomplish my resolutions and hopefully these tips can help you better evaluate and dissect what yours are and how you can stay intentional on seeing them through.

First, I looked at my prior 12 months and had a review session by asking myself these simple questions which I encourage you to do:

Next ask yourself: “Who do I want to be by the end of the year? That’s a pretty vague question because you can want to be a lot of things: a better friend, spouse, parent, coworker, leader, etc. But hopefully the review of the past 12 months will serve as a guide where you would like to see yourself improve by the end of this year.

Because every action taken from that point on isn’t something you just simply do, it’s a part of who you are.

Often it’s not that we can’t reach our resolutions because they are hard, it’s usually because we just jump into them blindly without actually charting out an action plan. Setting a goal and then listing out relevant projects that correlate with that goal are the key ingredients to success.

Things happen and often when they do, you have to take a step back, re-evaluate the situation, and adjust your action plans.

And be sure to celebrate your successes along the way, not just your end-goal successes.

We often become so focused on what’s at the end of the tunnel that we don’t ever take a step back to see how far we have come—y0u may be closer than you think.

Christal Peterson is a graduate student in Â鶹ԭ´´â€™s DeVos Sport Business Management Program and a member of the President’s Leadership Council. She can be reached at chhpeterson@knights.ucf.edu.

In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina ripped through New Orleans leaving nothing but endless flooding, destroyed homes, lost lives and displaced families throughout the United States. A year later, 10 graduate students from Â鶹ԭ´´â€™s DeVos Sports Business Management program, director Richard Lapchick and his family were repairing bicycles and cleaning up parks at a church in the city’s hardest-hit area, the Lower Ninth Ward.

As the trip went on, the group was approached by many in the community about a man named Stanley Stewart, whose house – like many others – was heavily damaged. Stewart, who embodies the spirit and optimism of New Orleans, said he was not going to let the hurricane run him out of his home. He stayed put with his family, but the aftermath of Katrina proved to be more than what he could have imaged.

After the levees were breached by the flooding, his family was left stranded on the top of their two-story house for a day and half before they were rescued and taken to the city’s convention center for shelter. In all the confusion and without identification, they were inadvertently separated in the packed convention center for a while before they were reunited and later returned to their neighborhood to live in a FEMA trailer. Two years after the hurricane and 10 months after the DeVos program used that first hammer to start rebuilding Stewart’s home, he and his family were able to return to the home they thought had been taken from them forever.

Soon afterward an idea was born and in February 2007, with the help of the New Orleans City Council president Arnie Franklin, the DeVos program founded the Hope for Stanley Alliance. Since then, volunteers have made 52 trips to New Orleans and Baton Rouge, LA, and Tuscaloosa, AL, to help residents get back on their feet. Hope for Stanley volunteers have given more than 50,000 hours of service and have worked on 140 homes. No other organization from another state has done more.

That’s where my story comes into play. I am currently in the business program coming up on my last semester before I receive my MBA and also one semester out from getting my second master’s in sports business management. What really caught my attention about the program was the impact the program had not only our Orlando community, but in places across the United States. It’s just something about sports that has the power to change the world, and this statement still holds true to this day.

Out of 52 trips, I have been fortunate to go on three, which all hold a special place in my heart and have affected my outlook of life.

Here’s a glimpse into my heart:

During each day in New Orleans my physical, mental and emotional toughness was tested. Painting, scrubbing mold, and learning to install drywall took me out of my comfort zone and put me in a position to grow as woman, as a teammate and as a volunteer.

Though the work was obviously rewarding, it was the long talks and heart-to-hearts with the homeowners about their personal stories throughout Hurricane Katrina that gave me more insight. As the week passed, we were greeted by the residents with encouraging words and constant appreciation for what we were doing for them.

But the people of New Orleans never skipped a beat. We were always greeted with the biggest smiles, they cooked for us (and you know the food was bomb), and we even saw children from the neighborhood playing basketball in the streets like there was never a ravaged city.

This trip put a lot of things into perspective for me. It taught me that in a matter of seconds your life can change. It shouldn’t take a natural disaster to build a personal connection with someone you’ve never met, let alone an entire community.

For me, walking around the Lower Ninth Ward a dozen years after Hurricane Katrina reminded me a lot of my own childhood neighborhood, which I appreciate for the many things it offered me.

What really made this moment resonant with me was the mixture of positive and negative comments from those working around me. Even though New Orleans’ revitalization is not where it needs to be, it has definitely improved since 2005. Being able to take a step back to realize that many of my classmates come from different walks of life and that some have never experienced being in conditions similar to those in New Orleans has turned into a teachable moment for everyone.

Even when they were down, the people of New Orleans showed us their positive energy and a hospitality like no other.

Hope for Stanley is always a trip I look forward to every semester because not only do I get to be a part of something bigger than myself by helping others, I get to do it alongside my classmates – building lasting friendships and memories that will never lose significance in the years to come.

And to think it all started with the hammer…

Christal Peterson is a graduate student in Â鶹ԭ´´â€™s DeVos Sports Business Management Program and a member of the President’s Leadership Council. She can be reached at chhpeterson@knights.ucf.edu.

The Knights claimed the title with 160 team points, besting C-USA Indoor Champion East Carolina by nearly 28 points.

Octavious Freeman was named the Freshman of the Meet, Aurieyall Scott won the High Point Scorer of the Meet for the second year in a row and head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert was awarded her third-consecutive Coach of the Year accolade.

Freeman set a meet record, school record, freshman record and personal best in the 100 meters with a blistering performance of 11.09 (+1.5) for first place. The time ranks second in the NCAA and 11th in the world this year. Scott finished in step behind her and also tied the previous meet record of 11.21 (+1.5), which ranks among the top 10 in the NCAA.

Senior Sheila Paul and sophomore Dominique Booker scored points in the 100 meters as well with fourth and fifth place finishes, respectively. Paul registered a season-best time of 11.40, which ranks among the NCAA’s top 25, and Booker clocked 11.59.

As a unit in the 4×100 relay, the group clinched Â鶹ԭ´´’s first gold medal of the day by churning out a time of 43.47, which fell just .05 shy of the squad’s Conference USA Championship meet record in 2011. The performance ranks among the top 15 in the NCAA this year.

The quartet also shined in the 200 meters as the Knights swept the podium. Scott reclaimed her gold medal in the event with a time of 23.13 (+0.8), which ranks among the top 15 in the NCAA. Paul and Freeman went neck and neck for silver and bronze as both clocked a time of 23.53. Rounding out the bunch, Booker scored points in seventh place with a time of 23.98.

Senior Tomika Story earned all-conference third team honors in the triple jump with a personal-best leap in all conditions of 12.74m/41-09.75 (+2.6). Competing in the event for the first time of her collegiate career, Scott also scored points in eighth place with a mark of 12.25m/40-02.25 (+2.0), which topped her heat.

Junior Sonnisha Williams recorded a personal-best 11.92m/39-01.25 (+1.7) to finish second in her heat behind Scott and 12th overall. Williams also hit a personal-record 1.73m/5-08 in the high jump to match her best showing in the event at the Outdoor Championships in fifth place.

A day removed from setting a personal best in the 800 meters, Ne’Ausha Logan led the finals from start to finish and again shaved nearly two seconds off her PR for the first gold medal of her career with a time of 2:07.25.

Two seniors medaled and recorded times among the NCAA’s top 25 in the 100 hurdles. Jackie Coward retained her title as the 100 hurdles champion by picking up her third gold medal of her career in the event with a time of 13.10 (+1.1), and Karessa Farley posted a season-best time of 13.34 (+1.1) for third place.

Coward also defended her gold medal in the 400 hurdles with a season-best time of 58.35, and fellow senior Aisha-Maree Frazier joined her on the podium with a third-place, season-best time of 59.46.

Satrina Oliveira set a personal best en route to winning her heat and finishing fourth in the discus with a mark of 46.80m/153-06. A day after earning all-conference honors in the shot put, Precious Ogunleye also scored points in the discus with a sixth-place finish of 45.10m/147-11.

Junior Erica Weiss tallied a point in the pole vault with a mark of 3.60m/11-09.75 for eighth place.

The 4×400 relay of Afia Charles, Christal Peterson, Erica Winston and Williams closed out the evening with a season-best time of 3:38.69 for fourth place. Earlier in the day, Charles scored points in the 400 meters with a fifth-place time of 54.03.

Complete coverage of the final day of competition will air on tape delay on Fox Sports Florida on Friday at 2 p.m. and on SportSouth on Sunday at 8 p.m. Up next, the Knights will travel to Jacksonville for the NCAA East Preliminary Round of the Outdoor Track and Field Championships on May 24-26.

Champion Event(s)

Team Points

1. Â鶹ԭ´´ 160
2. East Carolina 132.16
3. Southern Miss 81
4. Houston 74
5. Rice 60.50
6. SMU 60
7. UAB 58
8. Memphis 55
9. UTEP 54
10. Tulane 33.33
11. Marshall 28
12. Tulsa 23

Williams impressed in the high jump by tying for second place with a personal-best leap of 1.70m/5-07.

The throwers represented the Black and Gold well as freshman  earned her best finish of the season thus far in the Hammer with a third-place toss of 48.09m/157-09. She went on to record personal bests and fourth-place finishes in both the Shot Put and Discus. She nearly topped the Â鶹ԭ´´ freshman shot put record with a mark of 14.12m/46-04.00 and bested her personal record in the discus by nearly 13 feet with a toss of 47.75m/156-08.

Not to be outdone by her teammate, sophomore  recorded a personal best in the Shot with a throw of 13.92m/45-08.00 for fifth place and recorded her best discus mark of the season (35.90m/117-09).

Seniors and  held their own in the long jump as the top two collegiate finishers in the event behind France’s Eloyse Lesueur and Great Britain’s Jade Johnson. Gilchrist posted a wind-aided 6.16m/20-02.50 (+3.0) with Story right behind her in fourth place with a mark of 6.07m/19-11.00 (+2.9), which is a personal best in all conditions.

Freshman  jumped out to a great start in the 3000 Steeple and never lost her momentum to claim the first win of her collegiate career with a personal-best time of 11:48.06.

In her first appearance in the 3000 Meters this season,  ran a personal-record 11:02.14.

The No. 12 Â鶹ԭ´´ track and field team will split between the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pa., and the Memphis Invitational in Memphis, Tenn., on April 27-28.

Freshman earned herself a spot at the U.S. Olympic Trials in both the 100 and 200 Meters thanks to her buzzworthy performances at the Pepsi Florida Relays in Gainesville on Friday.

In her first 100M race as a Knight, Freeman was not daunted as the only collegian in her heat, blowing by her professional competitors with a new world-leading time of 11.10 (+1.2). Her personal-best performance shattered the Florida Relays, Â鶹ԭ´´ and freshman records and automatically qualifies her for a spot to compete alongside teammate in the event at the Trials this summer.

She struck again in the 200 Meters, this time clocking a personal-best 22.80 (+0.5) for the world’s second-fastest time and the top time in the U.S. Her first-place finish is a new school and freshman record.

Freshman dashed to a season-best time of 11.70 (+0.2) for 16th place overall in the 100 Meters, and junior fell in step behind her in 17th place with the second-fastest time in her heat of 11.72 (+3.4).

Senior finished fourth with a time of 13.37 (-0.5) in the 100 Hurdles, narrowly missing the podium by .01 behind third-place finisher Nike’s Loreal Smith. Coward’s performance ranks among the top 20 in the nation at time of publication. Senior made her return to the track for her first race of 2012 and finished 16th with a time of 13.91 (-1.0).

In her first 400 Hurdles appearance of 2012, Coward led her heat and finished 12th overall with a time of 59.01.

Â鶹ԭ´´’s jumps crew witnessed the return of two of their top performers in the long jump, and the duo did not disappoint. In her first appearance in the event since claiming All-America honors at the NCAA Indoor Championships, junior earned a silver-medal finish in the invite section of the Long Jump with a respectable first attempt of 6.34m/20-9.50. The mark ranks among the nation’s top 10 in the NCAA.

Sophomore also announced her long-awaited return to the long jump with authority, busting out of the gate with a mark of 6.14m/20-01.75. She took bronze in the university section of the event, followed closely by senior fourth-place showing of 6.07m/19-11.00.

Freshman bettered her personal record by more than a foot in the discus with a toss of 43.82m/143-09 for ninth place. Sophomore paced the Knights in the event with a mark of 44.75m/146-10 for fifth place.

Freshman topped her personal record by more almost a minute in the 5000 Meters with a time of 18:15.10. Meanwhile, ran a season-best 2:13.00 in the 800 Meters for the third-fastest time in her heat and 22nd place overall.

The No. 13 Â鶹ԭ´´ track and field team will resume action at the Relays on Saturday with the hammer throw starting things off at 11:30 a.m.

“Today was a good starting point for the season and we’re going to build off of this meet,” Â鶹ԭ´´ head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert said.

Â鶹ԭ´´ shined in the 100 Meters by recording the top-three finishes with times that all rank among the top 10 in the nation at time of publication. Sophomore Dominique Booker led the way with a time of 11.74 (0.9), followed by Amanda Leland’s personal-best 11.76 (1.8) and Sheila Paul rounded out the trio with a time of 11.81 (0.9).

The Knights also clinched three of the top five spots in the 200 Meters with marks that rank among the nation’s top 10. Sheila Paul emerged as Â鶹ԭ´´’s best finisher of eight competitors with a second-place time of 23.75 (-0.3). Junior Sonnisha Williams fell in step behind her at 23.89 (-0.3) while Booker also finished among the top five with a time of 24.12 (-0.3).

Leland recorded a personal best 24.74 (-0.1) in the race for 10th place and Jen Clayton won her heat with a time of 24.76 for 11th place.

Sophomore Afia Charles came up with a first-place time of 53.73 which currently leads the country in the 400 Meters.

Â鶹ԭ´´’s jumps crew represented the Knights well by taking gold in both the triple jump and long jump. Jacquelyn Gilchrist bested her personal record in the long jump with a leap of 6.17m/20-03 (0.8), which ranks second in the country, to defend her first-place finish from last year’s meet.

Tomika Story took first place in the triple jump with a wind-aided mark of 12.40m/40-08.25 (2.5). Gilchrist claimed second place in the event with a jump of 12.27m/40-03.25 (+0.0) to rank second in the country.

After clearing the bar and hitting the cushion on landing, Erica Weiss sprang up with a smile on her face and clapped her hands to celebrate her new personal best in the pole vault with a mark of 3.77m/12-04.50. The junior bested her competitor by more than two feet to rank among the top 15 in the country.

Sophomore Destinee Romain earned two third-place finishes on the day in the hammer and the shot put. She topped her personal best in the hammer by nearly 40 feet, recording 48.74/159-11 before posting 12.85m/42-02 in the shot.

In her first collegiate hammer throw appearance, Precious Ogunleye posted a mark of 45.47m/149-02 to fall less than a foot shy of the Â鶹ԭ´´ freshman record. Ogunleye also finished third in the discus with a toss of 42.40m/139-1.

Â鶹ԭ´´’s distance crew saw a number of personal-best performances. Freshman Cody Castillo had a memorable debut in her first collegiate outdoor meet with two personal-best outings. Castillo earned fourth place to pace five Knights in the 1500 Meters with a time of 4:44.60. She followed that up with a personal record 2:20.28 in the 800 Meters for 10th place.

Jessica Pachay ran a personal best 19:27.08 for fourth place in the 5000 Meters. Erica Winston took fourth place in the 800 Meters with a time of 2:13.84 to qualify as Â鶹ԭ´´’s best finisher in the race.

Â鶹ԭ´´’s 4×100 Relay team of Christal Peterson, Tyler Smith, Clayton and Leland combined to run a fourth-place time of 44.84, which at the time of publication ranked sixth in the nation.

Â鶹ԭ´´ closed out the day with the top 4×400 Relay performance as Charles, sophomore Aurieyall Scott, freshman Christal Peterson and sophomore Erica Winston combined to clock 3:42.78, which ranks third in the nation.

Up next, the Knights will host the Â鶹ԭ´´ Invitational on Friday and Saturday. Saturday will also serve as Senior Day to recognize the Knights’ outstanding Class of 2012.

Â鶹ԭ´´ swept the podium in the 200 meters with sophomore Aurieyall Scott leading the way in first place with a time of 23.56 – the nation’s fastest performance at the time of publication. Sheila Paul clocked in at 23.95, which ranks seventh in the nation, for second place.

Freshman Octavious Freeman ran the eighth fastest time in the country at 24.01 for third place and a personal record. Freshman Christal Peterson clocked a personal record 24.49 in the event, which ranks among the top 25 performances in the country, and Amanda Leland set a personal best as well with a time of 25.22.

Freshman Precious Ogunleye broke her second school freshman record in as many days, surpassing the five-year-old shot put mark with a fourth place showing of 13.88m (45-06.50).

Two Knights also medaled in the 800 meters as Erica Winston claimed first place with a time of 2:15.80 while Ne’Ausha Logan followed at third place with a time of 2:18.46.

“The 200 runners did a great job of running their race patterns for their first race of the year,” Â鶹ԭ´´ head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert said. “Precious again broke a freshman school record, so that was very, very exciting. The 800 runners are running close to as fast as they ran all of indoor last season, so I can’t complain about the weekend overall but we still have quite a bit of work to do, and we have to eliminate the mental barriers we face before we get to Birmingham next weekend.”

Sophomore Jen Clayton clinched second place in the long jump with a leap of 6.05m (19-10.25), which currently ranks 15th in the nation.

Junior Sonnisha Williams recorded 6.01m (19-08.75) with a fourth place finish and also medaled in the high jump, clearing 1.65m (5-05) to tie third place.

“Coach (Paul) Brown has the long jumpers looking quite solid,” Smith Gilbert said. “They have to get more consistent on the runway.”

Â鶹ԭ´´’s 4×400 relay team got off to a good start but were unable to finish after second leg Scott was tripped up in the first 50 meters.

Meanwhile at the University of Florida in Gainesville, eight student-athletes represented the Knights at the Jimmy Carnes Invitational. Freshman Teresa Huff earned the Knights’ best finish at the meet by clocking 18:44.76 in the 5,000 meters for fifth place.

Junior Eva Pierce was Â鶹ԭ´´’s sole runner in the 400 Meters and finished with a time of 1:01.32. Freshman Ali Brandehoff recorded Â鶹ԭ´´’s top finish in the 800 meters with a time of 2:23.48 for seventh place, and freshman Cody Castillo paced the Knights in the mile with a time of 5:27.26.

Up next, Â鶹ԭ´´ will travel to the Auburn Invitational in Birmingham, Ala., on Saturday and will also split time at the Gator Invite in Gainesville on Sunday.