GREENSBORO - Duane Ross announced
the signing of his first five male recruits, in his new role as North Carolina
A&T's director of track and field programs on Tuesday.
Josiah Elliott (Winston-Salem,
N.C., Parkland High School, Middle Distance), Caleb Gabriel (Raleigh,
N.C., Broughton HS, Sprints), Barry Harris (Greensboro, N.C., Southeast
Guilford HS, Sprints), Dominique Irons (Haddon Heights, N.J., Haddon
Heights HS, Sprints/Jumps) and Thomas Jones II (Burlington, N.C.,
Cummings HS, Sprints/Hurdles) will be Aggies when the 2013-14 school year
begins in August.
There are several components to how Ross
wants to transform track and field at A&T. The Aggie men will lose key
sprinters Darryl Williams, Earl House III and Torrance Womack after the outdoor
season, leaving Ross with huge voids to fill. As a result, the early signing of
five athletes allows him to have a foundation already in place as he tries to
take advantage of the numerous high school meets the Aggies will host at Irwin
Belk Track this spring.
His vision is also to build the men's
program around sprinters, middle distance runners, jumpers and hurdlers.
"That is going to be the foundation of
our program," said Ross. "We obviously want to build a balanced program that is
not only the best (historically black college or university) in the country,
but the best school in the country. But when I look at where we are going to be
our strongest, it is in sprints, long sprints, hurdles and jumps."
Ross also wants to sign as many in-state
recruits as he can. Four of his five initial signees are from North Carolina, including
a familiar name to Aggie track and field fans.
Elliott's brother Jarrell, was a track
and field star for the Aggies. In 2012, Jarrell became the first American-born
Aggie to qualify for the Olympic trials. Josiah hopes to exceed his brother's
accomplishments over the next four years. Josiah ranks first in the state in
the indoor 800 meters and second in the 500m. He ran a 64.53 at the Liberty
Elite Indoor meet on Dec. 15, for the seventh-best time in the nation.
Gabriel has a personal record of 10.64
in the 100m and a 22.04 in the 200m. Over the past three years, he has
qualified for the Junior Olympic Nationals in the 200m. Gabriel placed fourth in
the 55m and sixth in the 300m at the 2013 Class 4A Indoor State Championships.
Harris is ranked third in the state in
the 500m and eighth nationally. He had a fourth-place finish in the 500 at the
2013 Class 4A Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Irons is the only out-of-state recruit
on Ross' initial signee list. Irons will be able to perform in several events
for the Aggies throughout his career. He is the 2013 New Jersey state champion in
the 55m. He was also the runner up in the triple jump at the 2012 New Jersey
State Group Championships. His jump of 48-feet, 9-inches is second in the state
and eighth in the country, while his time of 6.42 in the 55m is tops in the
state and ranks 14th nationally.
Jones II is ranked second in the state
in the 55 meter hurdles and 11th nationally. Jones placed second in
the 55mh at the state championships in 2013. He won the Class 2A outdoor track
and field state championship in the 300mh and finished second in the 110mh.
"They all have a lot of potential," said
Ross. "I think they can come in here and make an immediate impact. They have so
much upside. This is a new day in A&T track, we are a new regime here
looking to build a new foundation. These five gentlemen are going to be a big
part of that. This is an exciting time for us."
