Sophomore Aurieyall Scott and freshman Octavious Freeman of the UCF track & field team fell short of their quest to make the U.S. Olympic team in the 100m. Competing in the semifinals Saturday at the U.S. Olympic Trials at Hayward Field, both Knights were unable to advance to the finals.
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.