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UCF Athletes of the Year named as Big 12 Athlete of the Year nominees

Congratulations to RJ Harvey and Rayniah Jones on their nominations!

By Ericka Brockish

Mar 11, 2022; Birmingham, AL, USA; Rayniah Jones of UCF and Alia Armstrong of LSU run in a women's 60m heat during the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships at Crossplex. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 11, 2022; Birmingham, AL, USA; Rayniah Jones of UCF and Alia Armstrong of LSU run in a women's 60m heat during the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships at Crossplex. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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The Big 12 is rolling out the red carpet for the Player of the Year nominations and UCF has made their choice.

Each school nominated one male and one female athlete from the 2023-2024 athletic year to be in contention for winning Big 12 Athlete of the Year. UCF chose to nominate their personal Athletes of the Year in football star RJ Harvey and the queen of the track herself Rayniah Jones.

Harvey had a stellar year on the football field rushing for 1,416 yards on 226 touches and 16 touchdowns which is the second-most single-season touchdowns in UCF football history. Harvey's yards were also the fourth most rushing yards in a single season at UCF.

When it came to the Big 12 rankings, Harvey ranked in the top five in rushing yards per game (108.9), yards per rush (6.2), rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns. To add onto that, only five other FBS players scored more touchdowns than Harvey did in the 2023 season.

Harvey also got it done in the classroom and was selected for the National Football Foundation's New Hampshire Honor Society for his academic and athletic skills. Harvey will also be returning to UCF for one more season in 2024.

Jones had not just a stellar year at UCF, but a stellar career, and her running days are not quite over. After the outdoor NCAA Championship, Jones jumped right into her Olympic training as she prepares for the Track and Field Olympic Trials to hopefully qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

This past year at UCF, Jones was the first athlete to win a Big 12 Championship by winning the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 12.78 seconds. Jones decided to outdo herself and placed third at the Outdoor Track and Field National Championships in the 100-meter hurdles with an even better time and UCF program record of 12.59 seconds.

Jones also added to her All-American honors this season with 10 now in her collection. She also graduated with her bachelor's degree in Political Science with a 3.92 GPA and is now pursuing her master's degree in the same field.

The Big 12 Athletes of the Year will be announced on Wednesday, June 26.

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