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TAMPA – The Bulls will be back to full squads as the University of South Florida track and field teams will compete in the 44th annual Sea Ray Relays at Tennessee Thursday through Saturday at UT's Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium.

In addition, several runners on the women's side will stay at home and compete at the University of Tampa Distance Carnival Saturday at Pepin Stadium.

For the complete schedule of events for the Sea Ray Relays, click here. Action began Wednesday with the heptathlon and the decathlon, but USF's athletes will begin competition Wednesday at 7 p.m. with the women's hammer throw.

The list of teams scheduled to compete comprises a host of major Division I schools, including Alabama, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, North Carolina State, Seton Hall, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and the host Volunteers. Virginia Tech comes in ranked No. 16 on the men's side with Tennessee 24th in the most recent USTFCCCA rankings, while the Hokies are 10th in the women's standings with the Volunteers again at No. 24.

The USTFCCCA also released the first regional rankings this week as well with the top 7 teams in each area of the country, with the USF women coming in at seventh in the South Region, comprised of the states of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee.

Flash Results will carry live stats as well that will be updated following each event. Click here to access the page for the live stats as they become available each day. Fans can also access the full heat sheets here.

USF will be back at full squad strength after USF rested its throwers, distance runners and some of its jumpers last week when USF went to the Florida Relays and the Spike's Classic at Embry-Riddle.

Check back at GoUSFBulls.com for the complete recap and meet results when they become available each day. As always, results from every meet throughout the year can be found on the Media Center page, while fans can keep track of USF's performances through the history and records section.

No One Can Pass Him
Taking a week off, sophomore Jared Thomas woke up Monday morning and still found himself fourth in the nation in the discus after his throw of 193-6 at the FSU Relays March 27. He continues to chase Texas Tech's Julian Wruck, who threw 200-2 at the Texas Tech Open for the best mark in the nation. Aaron Dan of USC (198-5) and James Plummer of Rutgers (193-11) also rank ahead of Thomas, with Plummer's throw occurring at the Bulls Invitational March 19.

Rozario the Best in the East
Also ranking in the top 10 in the nation still is sophomore Nicole Rozario, who sits eighth in the country in the 3,000-meter steeplechase after her time of 10:28.89 at the Bulls Invite. Erin Bedell of Baylor posted the best time in the nation so far this season in 10:03.81 March 26 at the Stanford Invitational. Rozario does lead all East Region competitors, though. The NCAA Championships this year will be preceded by two preliminary rounds separated between the East and West Region. Her top time in the East Region is important because the top 12 athletes in each event at both regionals will advance to the NCAA Championships based solely on their performance at the preliminary (regional) meet.

Also Ranking Top 30
Senior Michael Kursteiner finds himself in 17th with his him jump of 6-11 achieved last weekend at the Spike's Classic, while sophomore David Aristil ranks 20th in Division I in the 400 hurdles with a time of 51.63. Junior Stephanie Duffy (26th in the pole vault) and sophomore Casey Wagner (29th, javelin) also rank in the top 30 in all of Division I.

Click here to access the Track & Field Results Reporting System page presented by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association that has the links to the Division I Outdoor POP Lists as well as the lists for the East and West Region.

Bulls Earn Second-Straight Weekly Award
David Aristil captured the second-straight BIG EAST weekly honor Tuesday, after the sophomore hurdler was tabbed the BIG EAST Male Track Athlete of the Week following his finish at the Florida Relays in the 400 hurdles in 51.83 that ranked him seventh overall but second among collegiate competitors. Aristil followed up the Field Athlete of the Week award won by Jared Thomas the week before and was the second USF competitor to earn the award for track after freshman Lindsey Lamar brought home the honor in January.

Best in the BIG EAST
National rankings are important, but ask any USF athlete and they will tell you that it all starts first and foremost with their place in the BIG EAST and their quest for a BIG EAST title. With several weeks of outdoor competition already under their belts, numerous USF athletes rank in the top 5 in the conference so far this season as they chase All-BIG EAST honors as well as a BIG EAST title in their respective events at the Outdoor Championships April 30-May 2.

Sophomore Nicole Rozario stands alone so far in ranking atop the league in her respective event, as she carries the top time in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Senior Yvana Hepburn and sophomore David Aristil rank second in the 100 hurdles and the 400 hurdles, respectively, while Aristil also sits third in the 110 hurdles. They are joined in the No. 2 spot by Jared Thomas in the discus and the men's 4x100 relay.

Seniors Greg Fontus (100 meters), Michael Kursteiner (high jump), Samantha Shade (triple jump) and Tyler Perkins (discus) and juniors Stephanie Duffy (pole vault), Antillio Bastian (triple jump) and Rachel Etienne (heptathlon) also rank in the top 3 in their respective events. For the complete list of athletes who rank in the top 5 in the BIG EAST, see the chart to the right.

Getting the Monkey Off His Back?
Senior Michael Kursteiner has cleared 6-10.75 numerous times during his career at USF dating back to his freshman year, even clearing 6-10 in high school as a state champion, but he had never been able to get above that height and get to the 7-foot mark. Kursteiner, though, got a little closer Saturday at the Spike's Classic when he jumped 6-11 as he continues to shoot for 7-feet and join four other Bullsvall-time in reaching that height.

Former Bull Still Going Strong
Former All-American Damu Cherry ran at the Florida Relays last week, as she placed second at the meet with her time of 12.66, as she was just edged out by Virginia Tech's Queen Harrison, who went 12.65 and easily leads all D-I athletes by .32 seconds in the event. A former fourth-place finisher at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and a Florida native, Cherry is coming off an indoor season in which she posted the 12th-best time in the world in the 60-meter hurdles, with only six other competitors able to beat her time of 7.90 set in Albuquerque in late February.

Updated BIG EAST Qualifying Marks
USF added a few more BIG EAST qualifying marks last week, as the numbers now stand at 24 for the men and 28 for the women, in terms of the total number of BIG EAST marks, with 16 different athletes on the men's side and 18 athletes on the women's side holding down those conference qualifiers.

The Bulls added three more in the 200 meters on the men's side when freshmen Lindsey Lamar, Derrick Hopkins and Kayvon Webster competed at the Spike's Classic Saturday. They joined seniors Greg Fontus and Josh Wimbley and freshman Pascal Orelus in posting 200-qualifying times. The Bulls also have five in the 100 meters and two in the 400, with All-BIG EAST performer Reshaw Exilien yet to run the 400 this outdoor season.

For the women, freshman Dariel Jackson in the 200 and freshman Nicole Smith in the pole vault added their names to the list last weekend as well at the Spike's Classic.

For the list of all the male qualifiers, click here, and for the list of women's qualifiers, click here.

Last Time Out For the Bulls
USF rested a good number of its athletes last week after the Bulls competed the two previous weekends and will compete this weekend and next before getting another week's break.

Freshman Wyatt Metzger and junior Stephanie Duffy posted outdoor personal bests in the pole vault as they took first overall at the Spike's Classic at Embry-Riddle, with Metzger clearing 15-9 and Duffy going over the 13-1.5 mark. Senior Michael Kursteiner did the same in the high jump at 6-11.

Hurdlers Yvana Hepburn and David Aristil performed well at the Florida Relays in Gainesville last Friday, with Hepburn running 13.92 in the 100 hurdles and Aristil posting a 51.83 in the 400 hurdles.

Head to the Media Center page to find the links to the full recap and the results in PDF format from all of the outdoor meets, as well as the recap and results from every meet during the rest of the season as they happen. Don't forget to keep tabs on the team's progress throughout the year with the Track & Field Records and History Index page, which includes everyone's personal bests - indoor and outdoor - as well as a running tab of the best times and marks for the season and a complete performance list.

USF Unveils 2009-10 Online Interactive Guide
The USF athletics department will no longer print media guides and has now switched over to a new online, interactive format, which features vivid photography, videos of both the coaches and athletes, as well as everything else one would need in order to stay informed about the USF track and field program. Click here to head to the press release and then click on the image inside the story to open up the 2009-10 Track & Field Interactive Guide. Learn more about the athletes, watch them perform on the track, listen to what the coaches have to say about the program, and much, much more.

Up Next
The Bulls will travel to another SEC school next weekend, as USF takes part in the LSU Alumni Gold Invitational April 17, the teams' final tune-up before the BIG EAST Championships two weeks later.