Feb. 21, 2013

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By Jenna Marina
UCFAthletics.com

ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Ever since head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert's arrival six years ago, the UCF track and field team has experienced unprecedented success in a short period of time.

This weekend, the Knights will look to add to their collection of rings when they compete for their fifth Conference USA championship since 2010.

But as the team heads to Birmingham for the two-day meet beginning Saturday, Smith Gilbert is focused more on what the team has yet to accomplish.

"This is my sixth year and we've only won one indoor conference championship," she said. "The indoor season is always our biggest challenge because we don't have an indoor track to train on, and more than anything, we have athletes from Florida. They aren't used to running on indoor tracks and aren't comfortable running on banked tracks. We have some great teams in Conference USA, so it will be a very competitive meet. We're going to go in and fight it out to the last race."

UCF came up 9.5 points short of the trophy last season, and the disappointment fueled the team's desire to successfully capture the outdoor title for the third-consecutive season.

This year, they enter the indoor championships with a league-best five top marks and with something special they didn't have in 2012.

Aurieyall Scott - the "ninja" -- is back.

Dubbed with the nickname by Smith Gilbert during a practice earlier in her career, UCF's most decorated All-American has lived up to the moniker.

"I am really excited that she gets to compete this year," said Smith Gilbert of Scott, who missed last year's indoor championships due to injury. "She is a team leader on and off the track. Her competitiveness creates a huge impact for the team."

Scott is the world's 200-meter leader this year. She has won every race in the event that she has laced up for, and moreover, has bettered each time. In her last outing, she ran the ninth-fastest time by a collegian ever.

When you ask her what she has in store for this weekend, she is anxious to compete for the Knights more than anything or anyone else.

"I'm not trying to set a limit for myself," Scott said. "I'm just going to go out there and score as many points as I can for my team. If the team needs me to do something, I'm going to do it for them."

After she advanced to the 200-meter finals at the Olympic Trials last June, Scott honed her focus and energy into being a more dedicated student-athlete. She is strict in her diet and workouts. She spends more time in her house studying.

In short, the junior captain sacrifices her life of a typical college student and tries to lead her teammates by example. She knows that if she can help guide them to keep working together, they can continue to build the program's legacy.

"I feel like the team from last year set the bar high. Our goal is to set it a little bit higher," Scott said. "I feel like everyone has the same mindset. It's all about coming together to do it together, not individually."