GREENSBORO - A record seven North Carolina A&T track and field athlete qualified for the 2010 USA Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships to be held June 23-27 in Des Moines, Iowa.
If any of the Aggies finish in the top three of their particular event at Drake Stadium, they will represent the U.S., at the World Championships. All of the competitors had to meet the qualifying standards that went along with their event.
Another upside for the N.C. A&T track and field program is that there is a combination of young and old headed to the event.
Senior standouts Calesio Newman and David McFadgen will go after their final moments of glory in an Aggies uniform. Meanwhile, male freshmen Earl House and Paris Simmons; female freshmen Jenea McCammon and Sherice Walker along with sophomore Ruth Hunt also qualified.
Newman, a four-time NCAA Regional qualifier, a three-time NCAA Nationals qualifier and a two-time USA Track and Field Championship qualifier, will compete in the 100 and 200 meters during the week. Newman recently competed in the same two events at the NCAA Nationals in Eugene, Ore. Newman is the reigning 100 and 200 meters champion in the MEAC.
McFadgen heads back to his second straight U.S. Juniors as a triple jumper. McFadgen is a two-time NCAA qualifier. His best jump this season was a personal record 52-feet, 1 ¾ inches recorded at Aggie Relays. McFadgen is another in a long line of successful jumpers at N.C. A&T. He won both the MEAC indoor and outdoor championships in the triple jump in 2010.
"Whenever you have leadership the caliber of a David McFadgen and Calesio Newman, you can't help but to be successful,'' said Roy Thompson, N.C. A&T's director of track and field programs. "Both men have represented the school with honor and class."
One of the runners Newman has had a major influence on is House. Newman and House were on the Aggies 400 meter relay team that qualified for NCAA Nationals. House is such a protégé of Newman, teammates will sometimes refer to him as "Earliso." House will continue to follow in the footsteps of Newman in Iowa as he too qualified for the 100 and 200 meters. Simmons will compete in the 800 meters in Iowa.
On the women's side, Hunt will race in the 200 meters. Her best time this season is 24.48. The Aggies also have a pair of hurdlers competing. McCammon, an NCAA qualifier, is the Aggies' representative in the 400 meter hurdles, while Walker will try to do well in the 100 meter hurdles.
