COLUMBIA, S.C. (March 24, 2018) – The 2018 outdoor track and field season is officially underway for the North Carolina A&T men's and women's teams. The 2018 season opened with a two-day meet at the Weems Baskin Invitational hosted by the University South Carolina.
N.C. A&T won the women's 4x100 meter relay, the men's triple jump and men's shot. The Aggie men racked up 15 top-10 finishes with five new personal records. The women had 13 top-10 finishes set four personal records.
Two victories in the field events highlighted the men's weekend. Junior Lasheon Strozier took gold in the men's triple jump at 50-feet, 1 ¼ inches and freshman Aaron Wilkerson won the shot put at 52-feet, 1-inch.
In the hammer throw, junior Derrick Wheeler's 171-foot, three-inch toss was good enough for third place and a personal record. Freshman Michael Bell was third in the long jump (23-feet, 1 ¾ inches) and Strozier was ninth tying his previous personal record of 22-feet, 4 ½ inches. In the triple jump senior Nehemiah Lipford placed seventh at 45-feet, 9 ¾ inches.
Senior Todd Townsend ran a personal-best 13.88 in the 110mh to place third. Junior Daquan Maddox ran a personal-best in the 3000m steeplechase to finish fourth at 10:01.45. Senior Joel Thomas was fifth in the 100 (10.43) and was seventh in the 200 by running a personal-record 21.29. Freshman Alan Johnson placed fifth in the 800 with a time of 1:53.84.
The men's 4x400 team of freshman Trevor Stewart, junior Michael Dickson, senior Corey Aiken and senior Dajuan Harding finished third in 3:15.09.
The women's 4x100 team of sophomore Tori Ray, senior India Brown, freshman Jadzia Beasley and junior Kayla White ran a 45.39 to place first amongst 30 teams. Freshman Nia Lundy, Ray, White and sophomore Kristoni Barnes placed third (3:48.14) in the women's 4x400 relay with senior Imani Coleman, sophomore Sun-Sara Williams, sophomore Jade Smith and sophomore G'Jasmyne Butler finishing seventh (3:57.67)in the relay.
Freshman Loren James was the runner-up in the shot put event measuring 44-feet, four inches and freshman Nazah Reddick placed third in the high jump at 5-feet, 4 1/2 inches. Sophomore Madeleine Akobundu set a personal record in the 100-meter hurdles finishing second in 13.44.
In the long jump, Akobundu leaped 20-feet, 1 3/4 inches to finish third. Junior Anisa Toppin was seventh in both the long jump (18-feet, 1 1/2 inches) and triple jump invitational (38-feet, 9 ½ inches) while freshman Royce Johnson competed in the open triple jump and was seventh (37-feet, 10 ½ inches).
Senior Miranda Green (11:59.27) was third in the women's 3000m steeplechase. Junior Kennedy Thorne placed fifth in the 400mh (1:02.06) and Barnes was sixth in the 800 (2:14.59).
Three women posted personal records in the 400. Barnes finished 12th in 56.64, Williams was 34th in 57.96 and Butler was 36th in 58.26.
The Aggies will split squads during the weekend of March 30-31. The University of Florida will host the Florida Relays and the rest of the team will be at the High Point VertKlasse Meeting in High Point.
