June 25, 2007

IRVING, Texas - Houston's Jason Perez, Memphis' Gail Lee and UCF's LaKendra Thames finished among the top 20 in their respective events at the USA Track and Field Championships in Indianapolis, Ind., over the weekend.

Perez, a freshman, finished third in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 50.92. He earned the right to race in the final after finishing third in the prelims on Friday. For his performance he was named a USATF Junior All-American.

Perez was one of five Cougars to earn Junior All-American status at the meet. The other athletes include: freshmen Wesley Bray (decathlon), Quin'shundolyn McPherson (long jump, triple jump), Hyleta Young (long jump) and Brittani Williams (hepthathlon).

Bray finished second in the decathlon on Thursday and qualified for the Pan Am Junior Nationals in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on July 13-29, 2007. He will compete as a member of the USA Junior Team.

Lee, a senior, staked her claim as one of the nation's best in the women's shot put with a top-10 finish. She took home a ninth-place showing after recording a throw of 53-03".

For Lee, the weekend was the final meet of her tremendous collegiate career that included two All-American honors and four NCAA Championship appearances. The Fort Worth, Texas native also won five Conference USA individual titles and the 2007 NCAA Mideast Regional Title in the women's shot.

Thames, a freshman, finished among the top 20 athletes in the discus throw. The last thrower in the second of two flights, Thames posted toss of 137-11" to place 19th overall.

Competing in the USA Junior Track and Field Championships was the culmination of a tremendously successful rookie campaign. She qualified for the championships after throwing a 160-3 at the Miami Elite Invitational in mid-April. The effort shattered the previous school record of 153-8, which was set by former UCF standout Tiffany Roebuck in 2004.

In addition to breaking the school record in the discus, she also established new UCF freshman records in the shot put (46-5.25) and weight throw (49-11.75) earlier this season. She is currently ranked third all-time at UCF in both events.

A 2006 graduate of West Orange High School, Thames was a four-year letterwinner and state champion in the discus as a junior. She holds the WOHS records in the shot put and the discus.