Meet: UCF Black & Gold Invitational
Location: Orlando, Fla. (UCF Track and Field Complex)
 
The short story: The Rams recorded eight new personal bests and earned six top-10 finishes as they kicked off their outdoor season with a trip to the Sunshine State. 
 
JUMPS

• Jaiden Oglesby continued his impressive momentum from a strong finish to the indoor season, where he secured a silver medal in the high jump at the Atlantic 10 Indoor Championships. Building on that success, he earned a third-place finish in the same event, clearing a height of 2.09 meters. This new personal best surpasses his previous record of 2.05 meters, which he set at last season's Fred Hardy Invitational. Hines' mark is the best in the Atlantic 10 throughout the opening weekend of the outdoor season
• The Rams saw two athletes earn top-five finishes in the triple jump, with Philip Daniel taking second and Isaiah-Taji Kargbo-Owens finishing fourth. Both athletes set new personal bests, as Daniel jumped 15.54 meters and Kargbo-Owens followed closely with a mark of 15.45 meters. Daniel's mark tied the VCU record in the event, as Davion Lambert jumped the same distance in 2007

THROWS

• John Casper followed up his standout indoor season, where he claimed gold in the weight throw at the A-10 Indoor Championships, with a strong tenth-place finish in the hammer throw, recording a distance of 56.48 meters
• Diego Turner and Devon Brooks both set new personal bests in the hammer throw, finishing 18th and 19th, respectively. Additionally, Turner earned an eighth-place finish in the shot put with a throw of 14.99 meters
• Brooks also bested his personal record in the discus throw, launching a distance of 47.12 meters to secure ninth place. This impressive throw surpassed his previous best of 46.49 meters, further highlighting his ongoing improvement as a sophomore 

HURDLES

• Sophomore Kiwan Williams set a new personal record in the 400-meter hurdles, clocking a time of 55.03 seconds to earn 11th. Williams' previous best time was 1:01.94

SPRINTS

• Jude Okafor matched his personal best in the 200-meter dash, finishing with a time of 21.57 seconds 
• Freshman Jayden Hines clocked a time of 48.58 seconds in the 400-meter dash, good for the fifth best mark in the conference this outdoor season

Next up
The Rams will head to N.C. State next week to compete in the Raleigh Relays, scheduled for Thursday through Saturday, March 27-29.