Knight Cap: Spring Breakdown

This past week of UCF Knights sports was an active one as the athletes were on their Spring Break for a large part of it. One team’s winning momentum was ground to a halt, another team began its 2023 season, another team began a new phase of its 2023 season, and several other teams increased their stock nationally.

Plus, we name the Knight of the Week in your Knight Cap for Wednesday, March 22, 2023.

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Baseball loses on walk-off to North Florida

The UCF Baseball team sustained a costly loss on the road Tuesday night as North Florida (ranked No. 225 in the RPI rankings) hit a 3-run walk-off home run to take down the Knights, 4-2.

UCF outhit the Ospreys 10-5 in the game, with every Knights batter getting at least one hit. Yet, the Knights’ batters also combined for 17 strikeouts, the 2nd-most in a single game this season.

LF Lex Boedicker was responsible for both of the Knights’ runs, picking up 2 more RBIs to put himself at 18 for the season.

Closer Kyle Kramer was credited with the loss, putting him at 1-1 for the season. Aside from the 3-run walk-off home run he gave up to Osprey catcher Jacob Runnels, the only run the UCF pitching staff gave up was on a wild pitch in the 3rd inning.

However, the Knights pitching staff did give up 8 walks, the 2nd-most allowed in a single game this season.

The team will look to rebound as it hosts Maryland this weekend with Game 1 set to start at 6 p.m. on Friday.

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Track and Field Begins Outdoor Slate with Black and Gold Invitational

The UCF Track and Field team began its 2023 Outdoor season this weekend by hosting the Black and Gold Invitational.

Highlights from the meet include:

• Adrienne Adams broke her own program record in the Discus Throw, getting a 56.07-meter throw. The mark is 2.38 meters farther than her previous mark from last year and is the 5th-best throw in the nation so far this season.
• Beyonce Defreitas ran the 8th-fastest 200-meter dash in the nation so far this season at a 23.33-second time to finish 5th. The time was also the 8th-fastest outdoor 200-meter dash in program history. She was awarded AAC Track Athlete of the Week honors.
• Asherah Collins placed 4th in both the Long Jump and the Triple Jump. Her 6.24-meter long jump ranked as the 7th-best outdoor long jump in program history and 4th-best in the nation so far this season.
• Ani Wells, Collins, Latasha Smith, and Kiah Williams teamed up to run the 5th-fastest 4x100-meter relay in the nation so far this season with a 44.56-second time, which was enough for 2nd at the meet.
• Two Knights took podium spots in the 800-meter run, with Mariana Rodriguez getting 2nd (2:20.86) and Katie Pinnell taking 3rd (2:12.13).
• Stay Tuned for Knight of the Week

For the full results from the Black and Gold Invitational, check out halfmiletiming.com.

The Knights will be back at the UCF Soccer and Track Complex once more this weekend as they host the Knights Invite from March 24-25.

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4 Women’s Golfers Finish in Top 10 in South Carolina

In a tournament in which the course played tough, 4 members of the UCF Women’s Golf team managed to be among the 14 players that finished even-par or better at the Briar’s Creek Invitational in Johns Island, South Carolina last week.

Junior Jess Baker led the way for the Knights, finishing in a tie for 3rd place at 211 (-5), one stroke behind the leaders. Grad student Anna Nordfors finished in a tie for 7th at 213 (-3), and senior Tunrada Piddon and freshman Pimpisa Sisutham were both in a tie for 10th at 216 (E).

The Knights were one of two teams to finish below par for the tournament, but their 854 (-10) score fell just three strokes shy of fellow AAC team SMU, who took home the team title with an 851 (-13).

While not enough to win the title, UCF continues to have a historic season on its own program standards. Before this season, the team finished with a 54-hole score of 854 or better 4 times. This season alone, the Knights have shot an 854 or better 4 times.

For the full results from the Briar’s Creek Invitational, check out golfstat.com.

Thanks to these efforts, UCF jumped up one spot to No. 19 in the nation in Golfstat’s rankings.

The team has one more event to go before the AAC Championship in The Bruzzy, hosted in Ardmore, Oklahoma from April 1-2.

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Women’s Tennis Enters Top 25 After Splitting Weekend

The UCF Women’s Tennis team wrapped up its seven-match home stand last week by splitting its matches with No. 72-ranked Yale and No. 7-ranked NC State.

The Knights swept the Bulldogs, 4-0, but could only get one point against the Wolfpack, losing 6-1.

Redshirt senior Nandini Sharma was the only one to go a perfect 4-0 on the weekend between doubles and singles play. This included a singles-play win over No. 123-ranked Sophie Abrams (6-4, 2-6, 6-4) of NC State and a doubles-play win with freshman Stefani Webb over No. 9-ranked Nell Miller and Amelia Rajecki (6-1), also of NC State.

As a team, the Knights jumped 2 spots to No. 24 in the nation while Sharma and Webb jump into the doubles pair rankings at No. 57.

UCF will hit the road to conclude non-conference play by taking on No. 22-ranked Georgia Tech on Thursday at noon and No. 33-ranked Clemson on Saturday, also at noon.

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Cronje and Pavel Jump 46 Spots in Men’s Doubles Rankings

Despite a pair of losses last week against No. 4 Ohio State, 4-0, and No. 2 Texas, 4-3, the UCF Men’s Tennis team’s stock in the collegiate tennis landscape is rising.

Lleyton Cronje and Bogdan Pavel went unbeaten in doubles play, taking down No. 7-ranked Andrew Lutschaunig and James Trotter of Ohio State, 6-3, and No. 3-ranked Eliot Spizzirri and Cleeve Harper of Texas, 6-3. The wins shot the pair up 46 spots to No. 30 in the nation.

In singles play, while Pavel remains steady at No. 105 in the nation, freshman Liam Branger entered the rankings at No. 84 after defeating at-the-time No. 18-ranked Siem Woldeab of Texas via opponent retirement.

While not ranked, freshman Yassine Dlimi took down a ranked opponent as well, defeating at-the-time No. 67-ranked Micah Braswell of Texas (2-6, 6-3, 6-1).

UCF as a team jumped 10 spots this week to No. 57 in the nation.

The team will wrap up its non-conference schedule on Wednesday at 5 p.m. when Arkansas comes to Orlando and resume AAC play on Friday at 5 p.m. by hosting Wichita State.

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Travale rebounds for Top 10 in Statesboro

Thanks to a final-round 67 (-5), redshirt senior Johnny Travale led the way for the UCF Men’s Golf team at the Schenkel Invitational in Statesboro, Georgia by finishing tied for 7th individually.

It was Travale’s 3rd Top 10 finish of the season.

Travale’s finish mirrored that of the Knights as a team, as they also finished tied for 7th in the tournament at 876 (+12). The team finished 39 strokes behind host and winner Georgia Southern and 28 strokes behind runner-up Mississippi State.

For the full results of the Schenkel Invitational, check out golfstat.com.

The team’s performance thus far has them ranked 73rd in the nation in Golfstat’s rankings.

UCF will have one more tournament before the AAC Tournament in the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational in Augusta, Georgia on April 1 and 2.

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Rowing Begins 2023 Slate with Home Regatta

The UCF Rowing team began its 2023 campaign last weekend with its Senior Day regatta on Lake Pickett, in which the team hosted Miami (FL), UConn, and Jacksonville.

The Knights won both Varsity Four races, with the main Varsity Four boat winning with a 7:57.5 time, two seconds faster than 2nd-place Miami (FL). The Second Varsity Four also had a two-second victory, their 8:26.0 edging out Jacksonville.

The Varsity Eight boats could not come up with wins, with both the main Varsity Eight and Second Varsity Eight boats falling to Miami (FL) and the Third Varsity Eight boat took bronze, behind Miami (FL) and UConn.

The team will be back in action in Sarasota from March 31 to April 1 in the Sunshine State Invite.

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Knight of the Week

Jasmine Scott-Kilgo, Track and Field

Senior Jasmine Scott-Kilgo had a career weekend to kick off her 2023 Outdoor season, setting new personal bests in both of her events.

She took the gold in the Triple Jump with a 13.20-meter best jump, which is the 2nd-best in the nation so far this season, and elevated her to 2nd in program history in the event. She is the 1st Knight to have an outdoor Triple Jump of 13.20 meters or longer since Dione Thomas in 2009.

In the Long Jump, Scott-Kilgo had a 6.38-meter best jump, which is the 3rd-best in the nation so far this season and ranks 4th in program history.

Thanks to her efforts, Scott-Kilgo was awarded AAC Field Athlete of the Week honors.

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Knights Play of the Week

Adrienne Adams breaks her own program record on her 1st Discus Throw of the 2023 season