Last year, Octavious Freeman announced her presence in her collegiate outdoor debut with a Florida Relays meet record in the 100 meters with the then-world’s fastest time. On Friday, she decided to one-up herself by besting her meet record and rewriting a 15-year-old Percy Beard Track record in her first 100M race of 2013.

Her first-place, personal-best and new-school-record 11.02 (+1.2) is currently the fastest time in the world this year. It not only leads the NCAA but also matches the ninth-best time on the all-time collegiate performance list.

And her day wasn’t over, yet.

Freeman also shined in the 200 meters two hours later when she matched the NCAA’s top time this season with a wind-legal 22.85 (+1.8). She held off three-time World and Olympic gold medalist Natasha Hastings for first place.

Freshman Anne-Marie Blaney made quite a statement in the first 5000-meter race of her career by setting a new school, freshman and personal record. Her fourth-place time of 16:40.31 erased the 14-year-old school record by more than 23 seconds and currently ranks third in Conference USA. Her classmate Heather Classe also improved her personal record by roughly 30 seconds, crossing the line in 17:43.13.

Despite facing a headwind, Sonnisha Williams won the university division long jump for the second-straight year with a season-best leap of 6.15m/20-02.25 (-1.1), which ranks third in C-USA and among the NCAA’s top 20.

Sophomore Precious Ogunleye recorded the second-best discus throw of her career with a fourth-place finish of 46.03m/151-00 to jump into the top 10 of the C-USA standings.

Junior Ne’Ausha Logan continued her strong start to the outdoor season by improving upon her C-USA-best 800M time for the third-straight week, crossing the finish line in 2:09.27 for 15th place.

Sandy Jean posted the best performance by a runner in C-USA this season and jumped into the NCAA’s top-25 list this year. She narrowly missed her personal best with a season-best time of 58.96 for ninth place.

Junior Afia Charles held on firmly to her No. 2 spot among Conference USA leaders this season in the 400M with a season-best 54.01 for 18th place.

Freshman Alexis Faulknor finished 12th in the 100M with a wind-aided time of 11.61, and junior Jen Clayton produced an all-conditions personal-best 11.87 (+2.1).

Senior Erica Weiss matched the second-best mark of her career in the pole vault, breaching C-USA’s top-five leaders this season by clearing 3.75m/12-03.50 to tie for ninth place.

The sprint medley group of Freeman, Alexis Faulknor, Afia Charles and Ne’Ausha Logan smashed a 4-year-old school record with a second-place time of 3:46.52. Freeman and Faulknor blazed through their 200-meter legs, and although Charles stumbled just before the curve at 200 meters of her 400-meter leg, she recovered quickly and pushed through to hand off to Logan for the final 800 meters. Together, they shed more than six seconds off the previous program best.

All three throwers representing Â鶹ԭ´´ in the shot put advanced to the finals. Freshman Megan Patterson paced the group with a collegiate-best 14.31m/46-11.50 for third place, marking the best finish in any event of her career. Sophomore Precious Ogunleye finished eighth (13.82m/45-04.25) and Destinee Romain was close behind with a toss of 13.80m/45-03.50.

Two Knights also advanced to the hammer throw finals where Kalen Hambrick recorded a new personal record for the second-straight week. Hambrick hit a PR on her first attempt before topping that mark in the finals with a seventh-place throw of 51.95m/170-05. Meanwhile, Ogunleye took ninth place (51.11m/167-08).

Sonnisha Williams, Jen Clayton, Amanda Leland and Sandy Jean comprised Â鶹ԭ´´’s 4×200 relay that finished second among collegiate teams and fourth overall with a time of 1:34.71.

The Knights next head to Miami for the Hurricane Alumni Invitational on April 13.

The Knights captured the title with 132.5 points, besting runner-up Memphis by 39.5 points. Junior Aurieyall Scott earned Performance of the Meet, Alexis Faulknor won Freshman of the Meet and Caryl Smith Gilbert earned her fifth C-USA Coach of the Year honor.

In perhaps the most defining moment of the day, the sprinters swept the podium of the 60 meters. Scott bested the meet record, the school record and her personal record with a blistering performance of 7.13, which ranks as the NCAA’s new leading time. Octavious Freeman earned silver at 7.22 and Faulknor clinched the first medal of her career with a bronze finish and new PR time of 7.43. Senior Lutisha Bowen also scored points in seventh place at 7.52, giving Â鶹ԭ´´ a whopping 26 points in the event.

Scott continued to impress in the 200 meters with her second meet record in the event in as many days. This year’s world leader posted the second-best time of her career (22.91) for gold. Freeman’s season-best time of 23.35 picked up a silver medal, and Faulknor hit a new personal best 24.10 to score points in fifth place.

Bowen earned her first C-USA medal with her runner-up finish in the 60 hurdles with a time of 8.27.

Junior Afia Charles rewrote her own school record in the 400 meters with a personal-best 54.02, which won her heat and was six-hundredths of a second short of the leader. Her time was better than the previous meet record.

The throwers excelled with a school-record performance and two personal bests in the shot put. Precious Ogunleye captured her second school record of the weekend with a monster personal best of 15.17m/49-09.25 for fourth place. Destinee Romain topped her personal record with a mark of 14.06m/46-01.50 to tally more points in seventh place.

Freshman Anne-Marie Blaney picked up her second school record in as many days, shaving time off her precious 3,000-meter record with a sixth-place finish of 9:43.59.

The 800-meter runners had a productive day, as well, as Ne’Ausha Logan secured a bronze medal with the second-best time of her career, 2:09.77. Erica Winston fell in step behind her at 2:10.88, shaving nearly three seconds off her previous personal record.

Two jumpers added points in the high jump for the Knights. Freshman Allison Lampert produced a career-best day with a sixth-place showing of 1.68m/5-06.00. Sonnisha Williams missed her personal best by half-an-inch with a season-best leap of 1.68m/5-06.00.

Scott, Charles, Sandy Jean and Logan comprised the 4×400 relay that capped the day with a first-place finish with its second-best time of the season, 3:40.83.

Â鶹ԭ´´ now sets its sights on the NCAA Indoor Championships behind held at Arkansas on March 8-9. A season ago, the Knights earned their highest finish in school history (eighth place) at the meet.

WOMEN’S TEAM FINAL

1. Â鶹ԭ´´ – 132.5

2. Memphis – 93

3. UAB – 83 4. East Carolina – 59

5. SMU – 52

6. UTEP – 46

7. Houston – 44

8. Tulsa – 37

9. Southern Miss – 30

10. Tulane – 29

11. Rice – 28

12. Marshall – 26.5

Williams improved on each of her first three attempts, leaping to a mark of 6.17m/20-3. She was narrowly edged out for gold by Arizona State’s Christabel Nettey, who represented Canada with a first-place finish of 6.18m/20-3.50.

Along with sprinters Aurieyall Scott and Octavious Freeman, Williams helped the Knights to a total of five medals during their time in Mexico. Prior to the meet, no Â鶹ԭ´´ athlete had ever attended the championships.

Williams finished the 2012 season as a USA Olympic Trials qualifier with two All-America honors and two school records to her credit.

Sophomore Aurieyall Scott advanced to the 200-meter finals with her all-conditions best time of 22.56 (+3.4) in the semifinals Friday evening. The speedster jetted to the fourth-fastest time in the first heat and the seventh-fastest time overall for her shot at becoming Â鶹ԭ´´’s first track Olympian.

Scott measured up against Jeneba Tarmoh, who finished in a dead heat with Allyson Felix in the 100 meters earlier this week, and Bianca Knight, 2011 World Championships gold medalist. Her time was good enough to advance to the eight-competitor final, which will take place Saturday at 9:50 p.m. on NBC.

Scott is one of two collegiate athletes to advance to the finals, joining NCAA champion Kimberlyn Duncan in the field of eight.

Freshman Octavious Freeman also competed in the 200-meter semis, lining up against Duncan; two-time Olympic gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross, who holds the world’s fastest time this year; and World Championships gold medalist Shalonda Soloman. Although she ran a school-record time of 22.71 (+0.6), she was disqualified for running out of her lane.

Freeman wraps up her stellar freshman season as a four-time NCAA All-American, the Conference USA Track Athlete of the Year and the first true freshman ever named to the Bowerman Watch List.

Junior Sonnisha Williams also finished her season at the Trials on Friday in the long jump, finishing 17th in the semifinals with a leap of 6.15m/20-2.25 (-0.2).

Scott rewrote the school record with a personal-best 22.72 (+0.8) en route finishing second in the fifth heat and fifth overall. She emerged as the second-fastest collegian of the day, runner-up only to NCAA champion Kimberlyn Duncan, who won the first heat in 22.69.

“It’s nice to see Aurieyall come back and run well, especially when the conditions aren’t at their best. It’s a little bit chilly and nippy here,” Â鶹ԭ´´ head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert said. “I’m delighted that she came around and ran her race. I look forward to seeing her and Octavious run tomorrow.”

Freeman effortlessly finished second in her heat and ninth overall with a time of 22.93 (+0.8). Of the 21 competitors who advanced to the semifinals, six are collegians, and Â鶹ԭ´´ is the only school to boast multiple entries in the event.

Scott and Freeman were also two of five collegiate athletes – once again the only two from the same school – who advanced to the 100-meter semifinals last Saturday but missed the cut for the finals.

A third Knight will join the sprinters in action on Friday as Sonnisha Williams will compete in the long jump at 6:30 p.m. ET. She aspires to reach Sunday’s final round of 12 participants.

Freeman finished fourth in her heat in 11.17, with the top three finishers moving on to the finals. Freeman’s time was the eighth-fastest among the 21 athletes in action in the semifinals. She missed out on the finals by two-hundredths of a second.

Scott placed fourth in her heat in 11.37.

Both Freeman and Scott will aim to earn a spot in the Olympics in the 200m. Qualifying begins Thursday at 8:45 p.m. ET.

Freeman and Scott advanced to the 100m semifinals by posting strong first-round times Friday. The pair competed in the same heat and Freeman placed second at 11.20, automatically advancing to the semifinals. Scott finished fourth in 11.31, but moved on by posting the fastest time among the top non-automatic qualifiers in the five total heats.

A total of four current Knights are competing at the U.S. Olympic Trials. On Friday, senior Jackie Coward competed in the first round of the 100m hurdles. She finished fifth in her heat in 13.27. Junior Sonnisha Williams will participate in the long jump, which starts next Friday.

Former Knight Tiki James, who ended her collegiate career in 2010, was also in action Saturday. James participated in the semifinals of the 100m hurdles, placing ninth overall in 13.06. She was unable to advance to the finals.

Coward will be in action in the 100-meter hurdles, which open Friday. Freeman and Scott will participate in the 100m (Friday) and 200m (June 28). Williams will compete in the long jump, which starts June 29.

All four Knights earned All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships earlier this month. Coward concluded her collegiate career by taking All-America First Team accolades by advancing to the finals and finishing fourth in the 100 hurdles. Freeman placed fourth in the 100m and fifth in the 200m to receive All-America First Team recognition in both events.

Scott also earned All-America First Team status by placing eighth in the 100m. She also received All-America Second Team distinction in the 200m. In the long jump, Williams garnered All-America Third Team honors. The group helped head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert’s Knights record an impressive 19th-place team finish at the championships.

The Olympic Trials will be held at historic Hayward Field. The facility has hosted the 1972, 1976, 1980 and 2008 Olympic Trials. The largest national championship meet in the world, the Olympic Trials will include more than 1,000 athletes competing for the right to represent the U.S. at the Olympic Games.

NBC and NBC Sports Network will provide television coverage of the Olympic Trials.

Â鶹ԭ´´ Athletes U.S. Olympic Trials Schedule

Jackie Coward
Friday, June 22 – 100m Hurdles First Round – 8:40 p.m. ET
Saturday, June 23 – 100m Hurdles Semifinals – 6:15 p.m. ET
Saturday, June 23 – 100m Hurdles Finals – 8:45 p.m. ET (NBC)

Octavious Freeman/Aurieyall Scott
Friday, June 22 – 100m First Round – 9 p.m. ET (NBC Sports Network)
Saturday, June 23 – 100m Semifinals – 6:40 p.m. ET
Saturday, June 23 – 100m Finals – 8:52 p.m. ET (NBC)
Thursday, June 28 – 200m Qualifying – 8:45 p.m. ET
Friday, June 29 – 200m Semifinals – 6 p.m. ET
Saturday, June 30 – 200m Finals – 9:50 p.m. ET (NBC)

Sonnisha Williams
Friday, June 29 – Long Jump Qualifying – 6:30 p.m. ET
Sunday, July 1 – Long Jump Finals – 6 p.m. ET

Senior Jackie Coward advanced to Saturday’s finals in the 100 hurdles by besting her own school record by .06 with a qualifying time of 12.81 (+1.7). The blistering performance was the third-quickest of her heat and the fourth-fastest time overall as she heads into the finals looking to medal once again in the event.

Freshman Octavious Freeman advanced to Saturday’s finals of the 200 meters by topping her own school record, freshman record and personal record in the event with a time of 22.74 (+1.9). Her performance was the fastest by a freshman on Thursday, the third-fastest time in her heat and the seventh-fastest overall.

Sophomore Aurieyall Scott secured All-American Second Team distinction with her all-conditions personal-best time of 22.76 (+2.2). Although Scott finished among the semifinals’ top eight spots, Texas A&M’s Ashley Collier’s automatic qualifying time of 23.01 as the second-fastest performance of the third heat edged Scott for a place in the finals.

Senior Sheila Paul also took All-America honorable mention recognition in the 200m with a time of 23.65 (+1.9) for 21st overall.

Senior Jacquelyn Gilchrist wrapped up her career by becoming the 13th athlete in school history to earn All-American honors. Gilchrist claimed second team laurels after her personal-best outing in the long jump with a mark of 6.25m/20-6.25 (+1.7) for 13th place. It capped a memorable season for the senior, who improved her personal record on four occasions throughout the year.

Junior Sonnisha Williams also earned the third All-American honor of her career with a spot on the second team thanks to her 14th-place performance in the long jump with a leap of 6.19m/20-3.75 (+1.5).

Freeman and Scott will be Â鶹ԭ´´’s only competitors Friday when they look to make some noise in the 100-meter finals at 7:02 p.m. eastern. The event will be streamed live online and is available for free on ESPN3.com. In addition, ESPNU will televise Saturday’s action from noon until 2 p.m. ET.

For the past 20 weeks, the No. 13 Â鶹ԭ´´ track and field team has trained, sweated, breathed and dreamed of this moment.

The moment is here.

The Knights will be represented by six student-athletes at the NCAA Outdoor Championships this week at Drake in Des Moines, Iowa. The team will look to improve upon its eighth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March, which marked the best finish in school history.

Â鶹ԭ´´ will compete in four different events as the group aims to add more All-American accolades to their resumes. Prior to head coach  arrival five years ago, the Knights had never produced an All-American. The program now boasts 12 athletes with 28 All-American distinctions.

Jumpers and  will start things off Wednesday in the long jump. Â鶹ԭ´´ is one of six schools to earn multiple entries in the event. Williams finished ninth in the long jump at the indoor championships and was a national qualifier in the outdoor championships as a freshman in 2010. Gilchrist is making the most of her senior year as a first-time qualifier after registering a personal-best performance at the NCAA East Preliminaries on May 24.

The Knights’ nation-best three entries in the 100 meters will also compete Wednesday as , and  all look to finish among the top eight to advance to Friday’s finals. Scott and Freeman both medaled in the 60 meters at the indoor championships and boast performances that rank among the NCAA’s top 10 this year. Paul qualified for her third-straight appearance at the outdoor championships in the 100 meters.

The trio will also represent Â鶹ԭ´´ in the 200 meters Thursday, and the Knights again own the most entries in the event of any program in the country.

Senior  will compete Thursday as well in the semifinals of the 100 hurdles. She finished fifth at this year’s indoor championships in the 60 hurdles and took bronze at last year’s outdoor championships.

The entire event will be streamed live online and is available for free on NCAA.com (Wednesday) and ESPN3.com (Thursday-Saturday). In addition, ESPNU will televise Saturday’s action from noon until 2 p.m. ET.

Â鶹ԭ´´ at the NCAA Championships

Wednesday, June 6

Long Jump Finals — 5:30 p.m.
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100 Meters Semifinals – 7:30 p.m.
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Thursday, June 7

200 Meters Semifinals – 5:45 p.m.
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100 Hurdles Semifinals – 7:10 p.m.
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Friday, June 8

100 Meters Finals – 7:02 p.m.

Saturday, June 9

200 Meters Finals – 1:47 p.m.

100 Hurdles Finals – 2:14 p.m.