Newman places second in the 60 meters

BLACKSBURG, Va., January 12, 2009 – By the time the North Carolina A&T track and field outdoor season ended, Tarrish Alexander had perhaps become one of the most improved athletes on the team. His improvement has apparently carried over into the start of the 2009 indoor season.

Alexander placed first in the men’s long jump at Virginia Tech over the weekend with a best jump of 25-feet, 4 ½ inches. Alexander was not the only Aggie to go off to a fast start. Jerrine Foster is looking to follow up a solid sophomore campaign. Foster finished first in the women’s shot put with a throw of 44-feet, 10 ¾ inches.

The Aggies had a solid showing in the field events on the men’s side. Veteran thrower Lonnie Phifer appears to be capping off a superb career. The Greensboro native finished second in the men’s shot put with a throw of 56-feet, 8 ½ inches. Ron Buchanan had a fourth place finish in the triple jump.

But where the Aggies are known for their nice collection of sprinters, including the fastest man in the MEAC last season – Calesio Newman. Newman placed first in the 60-meter dash preliminaries. Newman ran a 6.75 during the qualifying and finished second in the finals with a time of 6.70.

On the women’s side, Alexandria Spruiel had a second-place finish in the 500 meters. Lakeisha Williams had an excellent day at the jumping pit. She finished third in the triple jump with a leap of 37-feet, 10 ½ inches. The Aggies 1,600 meter relay team finished third with a time of 3:46.24.