4x4 men’s relay finishes first

Results
GREENSBORO, April 4, 2009 – North Carolina A&T’s director of track and field programs Roy Thompson is knows he doesn’t have enough depth on his men’s and women’s track and field teams to win an MEAC Championship. Therefore, the veteran coach is in search of quality.

If this weekend is any indication, Thompson has that. N.C. A&T’s men’s 4x4 relay team (Akinwole Jordan, D-Mitri Bouttry, Jarrell Elliott and Gordon Smith) and junior Jerrine Foster (women’s discus) took home first-place finishes at the Aggie Relays conducted at N.C. A&T’s Irwin Belk Track on Friday and Saturday.

In addition, Gordon Smith qualified for the NCAA Division I East Regionals in the 400 meter hurdles by finishing second with a time of 52.43. The Aggie men had 13 top five finishes over the two-day event, while the women had seven top-five finishes.

“We’re not going to get points on depth,’’ said Thompson about the upcoming MEAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships held at Irwin Belk Track April 30-May 2. “We have to make sure if we have someone who is talented enough to finish first or second, they need to finish first or second. One thing about not having a lot of depth is that you can’t afford to make mistakes. We must minimize our mistakes and maximize on our great talent.”

The Aggies laid out the example for Thompson over the weekend, and Smith was one of the primary examples. In addition to Smith’s placements in the 4x4 and the 400 meter hurdles, he also finished second in the high jump with a leap of 6-feet, 10 ¾ inches.

After bursting on the scene as a freshman to win the 400 meter hurdles at the MEAC outdoor championships in 2006 at Irwin Belk Track, Smith appears to have regained his rhythm. He qualified for regionals despite running the 400 meter hurdles for only the first time this season.

“I am very proud of and happy for Gordon,’’ said associate track and field coach James Daniels, who works with the Aggie sprinters and hurdlers. “He has always worked hard and been very coachable. I believe it is his time to execute what we always believed he could do.”

Another example of quality being exhibited in several different events came from senior Brittany Dixson. Dixson finished second in the women’s long jump and the women’s triple jump. She also competed in the women’s 100 meters. She had a jump of 19-feet in the long jump and a leap of 40-feet, 3-¼ inches in the triple jump.

Foster added to her great weekend by also finishing second in the women’s shot put with a career-best throw of 47-feet, 9-inches. Katherine Forrester finished third in the women’s shot put (44-feet, 6 ¼ inches) and fourth in the discus with a best throw of 135-feet, 9-inches.

The Aggies didn’t compete with many of their heavy hitters to give them another week of rest after a rainy spring has allowed them to rest, but has also limited their training. But on April 11 when the Aggies host the Murray Neely Invitational at Irwin Belk Track, Thompson will compete with most of his standouts to prepare them for the conference championships and East regionals.

“It is an advantage for us to compete at home this season because our kids will be able to compete on the same surface where they train,’’ said Thompson. “I’m looking forward to a great season because playing at home will help us compete even better, and it gives us an opportunity to show people how our athletes stack up against some of the best athletes in the conference and the country.”