Smith qualifies for regionals
 

GREENSBORO, April 21, 2007 – Lonnie Phifer has come close so many times during the indoor and outdoor seasons. In the International Friendship and Freedom Games held at North Carolina A&T’s Irwin Belk Track, Phifer finally broke through with a win as he tossed a first-place shot put throw of 56-feet, 4-inches on Saturday.

The International Friendship and Freedom Games included some of the best athletes in the world, including Olympic medalist and No. 2 fastest in the world in the 400 meter hurdles James Carter and Indoor 110 meter national champion Ron Bramlett. In an effort to highlight N.C. A&T glorious history surrounding the civil rights struggle, organizers hope the Freedom Games can be an annual event at Irwin Belk Track.

The Aggie athletes also hope it can be annual springboard to the Penn Relays as they get to spend a weekend competing against world-class athletes before the prestigious Penn Relays. In addition to his first-place finish in the shot put, Phifer had a third-place finish in the discus. He finished behind two athletes from national power South Carolina in Jahwan Blair and Mark Elmore.

Phifer was not the only Aggie to benefit from the Freedom Games. Loreal Smith qualified for the 2006 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field East Regionals in the women’s 400 meter hurdles with a time of 58.50. She joins Alexandria Spruiel (400 meter hurdles) Kimona Smith (women’s triple jump), Phifer (men’s shot put), Cerone Burnett (men’s triple jump) and Ron Buchanan (men’s triple jump) as east regional qualifiers.

Smith’s good news didn’t stop there. She teamed with Spruiel, Jennifer Jackson and Carmenta Mitchell in the 4x400 women’s relays to take first place with a time of 3:37.25, finishing ahead of U.S. Elite and S.C. State. The same team took third in the 4x100 relays with a time of 45.20.  

Other Aggie highlights this weekend included a second-place finish in the men’s triple jump by Buchanan with a best jump of 50-feet, 1 ½ inches. Spruiel finished sixth in a competitive women’s 400 meters race with a time of 53.80. Among her competitors were two sprinters from powerhouse South Carolina and Monique Hennagan from Nike.

Jerrine Foster was a second-place finisher in the women’s shot put with a throw of 46-feet, 1 ½ inches, while Katherine Forrester finished second in the women’s discus with a toss of 138-feet, 4-inches.

The Aggies head to Penn Relays next week as competition starts Wednesday and concludes Saturday.