USF track and field team sends program-record 12 to NCAA Championships 

TAMPA, Fla. - Erik Jenkins first came to Tampa five years ago ready to take over a USF track and field program that had seen success, but only in bits and pieces in its history. 

"I knew about USF in spurts," Jenkins explained. "When you start looking at the history books and the record books you see we've had some good ones here and there."

However, the success was limited to individual performances and was never really sustained throughout the years. 

Jenkins was hired from Western Kentucky to change that. 

"Anytime you start at any program you have to go in with the mindset of looking at everything with a fresh eye," Jenkins shared. 

READ: USF sprinter owes track success to his grandmother

So, the Bulls' new head coach was ready to put paint on his blank canvas back in 2019.

Jenkins' dream of building up the Bulls was one he shared with one of his former sprinters at WKU, Emmanuel Dasor, when he convinced his former pupil to join his coaching staff in Tampa. 

"What he said was that they (USF) have never won anything. It's been a long time, so it would take some hard work and some sacrifice and dedication to be able to get the program to where it needs to be," Dasor recalled. 

READ: USF men's track & field team complete American Conference season sweep

Through that hard work and dedication, the Bulls have come a long way in those five years. 

This season specifically, the men's team spent most of the season ranked in the top 25 nationally to go along with their first-ever indoor and outdoor conference titles. 

"It feels good to be a part of the program where it's shooting up," said sophomore sprinter Jaleel Croal. "It makes me feel like I'm doing something right."

Now, the Bulls have just one meet left to run, and it is the NCAA National Championships. 

Taking a program-record 12 athletes to nationals, the Bulls continue to break program records down to the very end of the season. 

"You want to be competing this time of the year," Jenkins said. "You want to be tired and happy this time of the year. And this is where we want to be every year."

With records and program firsts falling by the meet, Jenkins' dream of revitalizing the Bulls track & field program becomes a little more real each day. 

"Today we're having the success we're having. It took a while, but we got there," joked Dasor. 

The Bulls will leave for the NCAA championships in Eugene, Oregon next week. 

The men's events begin on Wednesday while the women's events begin Thursday. 

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