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As we continue our countdown of the top UCF Knights female athletes of all time, check out our previous articles in this list here:
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- Top 80 UCF Female Athletes of All-Time #40-31
- Top 80 UCF Female Athletes of All-Time #30-21
#20 - McKenna Melville (Volleyball)
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McKenna Melville’s impact on UCF Volleyball in just two years has been incredible. She is a two-time AVCA All-American honorable mention, AAC Champion (‘18 and ‘19), and NCAA Tournament participant through her first two seasons at UCF, and she would be a two-time AAC Player of the Year winner if it was not for Cincinnati’s Jordan Thompson.
Melville has already accumulated 1,076 kills (548 in 2019 and 528 in 2018), which are 9th and 10th-most in a single season by a Knight and the most by any UCF player in the rally scoring era (since 2001). Melville’s current average of 4.50 kills per set ranks her third all-time at UCF.
Defensively, Melville has already 800 digs, which puts her on track to become the 6th UCF player in history to have 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in a career. She has currently a 3.35 digs per set average, which ranks her 4th all-time.
Those numbers don't lie @mckennamelville's resume speaks for itself #ChargeOn #SaturdaySpotlight pic.twitter.com/QYGgqWGKHm
— UCF Volleyball (@UCF_Volleyball) May 23, 2020
#19 - Tamika Coley (Basketball)
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A three-time First Team All-A-Sun performer, Tamika Coley finished her career in 1996 by leading the Knights to a TAAC tournament title and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament, which was the Knights’ first NCAA Tournament appearance in the Division I era. She led the team in both points and rebounds each season she played, and finished as the school’s all-time leader in points (2,006), rebounds (1,211), rebounds per game (11), and double doubles (66), and also ranks 7th all-time in steals with 202. Her career average of 18 points per game ranks 3rd all-time at UCF. And she did all of this while raising her daughter, Kamika.
Coley was inducted into UCF Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001. She is currently the head coach at St. Pete High. Her daughter, Kamika, played at FIU from 2012-2015, and her son, Serrel Smith, Jr., is currently playing at ETSU.
#18 - Kay Kay Wright (Basketball)
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Jones High School alum Kay Kay Wright is the only Knight in UCF Women’s Basketball history to rank in the top five of UCF’s career in points scored (ranking 3rd with 1,614), assists (2nd with 494) and steals (3rd, 268). She is the only Knight with 1,600 points, 400 assists and 250 steals in acareer.
Wright was a Unanimous First Team All-American Athletic Conference member in 2019 after also making First Team in 2018. She helped UCF reach the NCAA Tournament in 2019 as the Knights made it for the first time in program history as an at-large. Wright was also part of UCF’s two WNIT appearances (2017-2018).
#17 - DeLaina Sarden (Volleyball)
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Lawrenceville, Georgia’s own DeLaina Sarden (2011-2014) is the only three-time AVCA All-American in program history. She had 1,203 kills, which ranks 9th all-time, 2.71 kills per set, which ranks 10th, and 462 blocks, which ranks second all-time in program history.
Sarden helped UCF win its first AAC Championship in 2014, and making the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2003. She was the AAC Player of the Year in 2014, on top of also winning C-USA Freshman of the Year in 2011. Sarden is only UCF player to win Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year in a career.
#16 - Kim Wyant (Soccer)
Kim Wyant started in the first-ever Women’s NCAA National Championship, a game the Knights lost 2-0 to North Carolina. Despite the loss, she was named the tourney’s Most Valuable Player. Wyant had a 0.60 goals against average in 1982, which is 7th-best for a single season in UCF program history. She was an All-American in her senior season in 1985, and recorded 18 shutouts, which ranks 8th all-time, and ranks in UCF’s top ten in saves.
Wyant was one of the first original players selected to the U.S. Women’s National Team. She was the starting goalkeeper in the team’s first-ever international match and and made 16 appearances during her time with Team USA from 1985-1993. She also played professionally in the USL from 1994-2006, playing with Orlando Lions (1994) and Long Island Lady Riders (1995-2006). Wyant led Long Island to USL Championships in 1995 and 1997. She was Goalkeeper of The Year four years in a row from 1995-98, and was honored as the Most Valuable Player for her performance in the 1997 Championship series.
Wyant currently is the only woman to be a head coach in Men’s College Soccer, as she is has been the head coach at NYU (Division III) since 2015. Wyant was inducted into UCF Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010.
#15 - Marissa Diggs - Soccer
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Marissa Diggs is the only UCF defender to be a two-time All-American (2012-2013), and joins Michelle Akers as the only two-time All-Americans in program history. Diggs won the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year award in 2012, and followed that with the AAC Defensive Player of the Year award in 2013. She was a two-time All-C-USA first team member (2011, 2012), All-AAC first team member (2013) and twice was an NSCAA All-American (2012, 2013).
Diggs was named C-USA Tournament Defensive MVP and a member of the All-Tournament team after leading UCF to three straight shutouts and UCF’s first C-USA tournament title in 2012. She followed that up with being part of UCF’s AAC Tournament title in 2013.
Diggs was part of a C-USA regular season championship in 2010 and AAC regular season championship in 2013. She helped UCF to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances (2010-2013), including the 2011 team that made a run to the Elite Eight. Diggs was the 11th pick in the NWSL Draft in 2014 by the Houston Dash, and played one season there before retiring in 2015.
#14 - Jenny Frank (Volleyball)
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Jenny Frank was a standout setter for the Knights from 2000-03, leading UCF to three straight A-Sun titles and NCAA Tournament berths from 2001-2003.
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Frank was the Atlantic Sun Player of the Year as a senior in 2003, when she also earned AVCA All-America honorable mention.
She would also earn All-A-Sun three times, making the first team in 2002 and 2003. Frank ranks second in UCF history with 4,825 career assists, fifth in aces (149) and sixth in digs (1,111).
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In 2003, Frank captained the Knight team that recorded an NCAA Championship first-round victory over C-USA champion Cincinnati to reach the round of 32 for the first time since 1997. She was inducted into UCF Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.
#13 - Karen Richter (Soccer)
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Karen Richter was one of the greatest goalkeepers in NCAA history during her time at UCF, from 1987-1990. She allowed just 30 goals (0.59) in 48 career games, in helping her teams to a 43-13-7 record and two NCAA appearances, and advancing to the Final Four in 1987 as the backup to Amy Allman, and the quarterfinals in 1988 as a starter.
Richter has a career 0.59 goals against average and 30 shutouts, which are still UCF career records. She was NCAA Goalkeeper of the Year in 1990 and Soccer America All-American in 1989. Richter would serve as an assistant coach at UCF from 1991-1993 and head coach from 1993-1998, and was inducted into the UCF Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000.
T-#12 - Anne-Marie Blaney (Cross Country/Track & Field)
Ann-Marie Blaney is the most decorated distance runner in UCF history and the only UCF Track athlete to make Nationals in Cross Country, Outdoor and Indoor. SHe made four NCAA Championship appearances for the Knights, including one indoor, one outdoor, and two for cross country.
Blaney holds school records in the mile indoor (4.45.06), indoor 3K (9.18.87), indoor 5k (15:42), as well as the outdoor 5K (15.43), 10k (33:18) and 1,500 meters. She was a four-time All-AAC member during her time at UCF (2013-2017). She was also an All-American in 2016 for outdoor 10,000m and in 2017 for indoor 5,000m. Overall, Blaney holds 15 school records between cross country, indoor and outdoor track. She became the first runner in UCF history to win an NCAA Regional Title in 2016.
Blaney won the 5K in American Indoor Championships in 2015 and won back-to-back outdoor 10K titles in The American championships (2015, 2016).
T-#12 - Jackie Coward (Track and Field)
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Jackie Coward is a 10-time Conference USA champion, a 14-time all-conference selection, a three-time indoor All-American, and the first two-time outdoor All-American in school history. She was an NCAA medalist at both the Indoor and Outdoor Championships.
Coward helped jump-start the UCF Track & Field program’s success in the early 2010s. SHe was an NCAA Indoor All-American in the 60m Hurdles three times, and an NCAA Outdoor All-American in the 100m Hurdles twice and the 4x100m relay once. Coward was also the 2011 C-USA Outdoor and Indoor Track Athlete of the Year. She holds the UCF record for times in indoor 60m hurdles (8.02).
Coward helped lead UCF to the 2011 C-USA Indoor championship as well as three C-USA Outdoor Championships from 2010-2012.
Coward participated in three U.S. Track and Field Olympic trials (2008, 2012, 2016) during her career. You check out Jeff Sharon’s story on Coward career going into the 2016 trials right here.
T-#11 - Kahley Novak (Softball)
“The Stolen Base Queen,” Kahley Novak is the UCF record holder for most stolen bases in a game (5 on March 5th, 2013) and in a career with 125. She also shares the record for most steals in a season (43 in 2015) with Natalie Land (2012).
Novak is in the all-time UCF top ten in batting average (.312), runs scored (128), and hits (217). She was part of three NCAA Tournament appearances (2012, 2014 and 2015), two AAC Championships (‘14 and ‘15) and made NFCA All-Region twice, in 2014 and 2015.
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Novak was picked 15th overall in the 2015 NPF Draft by the Dallas Charge and played two seasons there.
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Novak’s father Tommy played baseball at UCF from 1985-1986, ranking in the top 10 in program history in career wins with 20, and is in our Top 100 UCF Knights Male Athletes of all-time. The Novaks are the only family to appear on both our UCF Male and Female Athletes rankings.
T-#11 Natalie Land (Softball)
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Natalie Land is the only UCF Softball player in program history to be a three-time first team All-C-USA selection (2010-2012). She ranks 6th all-time at UCF in hitting (.316), 8th in hits (206), 2nd in stolen bases (102), 4th in runs scored ( 134), 6th in on-base percentage (.397), 10th in slugging (.445), and 6th in total bases (290). She also shares single season record for stolen bases with 43 (set in 2012) with Kahley Novak (2015).
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Land was part of two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2010 and 2012). She also help lead the Knights to the C-USA Championship game in 2010. Following her UCF days, Land even played for the United States Women’s National Baseball team.
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Land’s uncle is Kerwin Bell, who played quarterback for the Florida Gators from 1984-1987 and played in the NFL, World League of American Football (WLAF) and the Canadian Football League (CFL) for fourteen seasons.