GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 31, 2018) – The North Carolina A&T men's and women's track and field teams traveled south for a holiday weekend and tallied a plethora of personal records at the prestigious 74th annual Pepsi Florida Relays hosted by the University of Florida at James G. Pressley Stadium.
The women posted 11 top-10 finishes, eight personal records, seven season-best marks and a new school record while the men had eight top-10 finishes, two personal records and two season-best marks.
The women's 4x400 relay team of junior Tori Ray, sophomore Sun-Sara Williams, freshman Payton Russell and freshman Nia Lundy placed second and set a new school record in 3:36.91. The previous school record was set in 2009.
The Aggie 4x800 team of freshman Khadija Reid, sophomore G'Jasmyne Butler, senior Imani Coleman and sophomore Kristoni Barnes finished sixth at 8:59.80. The 4x100 team of Ray, senior India Brown, Jazdia Beasley and junior Kayla White ran a season-best 44.65 to place eighth.
Barnes (2:09.27) and Butler (2:09.47) ran personal-best times in the women's 800 meters while Ray (53.98) and Williams (54.73) set personal records in the 400. On Thursday, Lundy (54.71) was 10th and Russell (55.65) was 12th competing in the open 400 as they ran their fastest times of the early outdoor season. In the 400-meter hurdles, junior Kennedy Thorne (1:01.52) was 10th and freshman TeJyrica Robinson (1:02.90) was 15th with new PR's.
White (13.30) placed fourth in the women's 100mh, sophomore Madeleine Akobundu (19-feet, 2 ¾ inches) was sixth in the long jump and Brown (23.50) was seventh in the 200.
In the jumps, a pair found their stride and notched new PR's. Junior Anisa Toppin was sixth in the triple jump marking 42-feet, 1 ¼ inch and freshman Nazah Reddick placed 12th in the high jump at 5-feet, 7-inches. Toppin measured 18-feet, 10 inches in the women's long jump also setting a new personal record.
The men were led by sophomore Jaylan Mitchell running a personal-record 10.35 in the 100. Junior Rodney Rowe (10.39) was fourth in the 100 but clocked 20.58 in the 200m to register a new personal record.
Redshirt senior Todd Townsend, sophmore Robert Miller, senior TeQuille Jackson and junior Michael Dickson placed second in the men's 4x110-meter shuttle hurdle relay at 57.47. The men's 4x100 team of Mitchell, Thomas, Dickson and Rowe won the college section placing fourth with a time of 39.15. The top three teams were all Olympic Development teams and the Aggies edged host Florida who placed fifth.
Freshman Trevor Stewart (46.61) was seventh in the 400m with Dajuan Harding (47.93) following in 10th place. Freshman Chase Bonham (52.84) ran his fastest time of the season in the 400mh and Dickson (14.02) was ninth in the 110mh. Senior Nehemiah Lipford had a season-best high jump at 6-feet, 7-inches.
The Aggies are slated to compete at the High Point VertKlasse Meeting in High Point, N.C. for a two-day meet beginning on Friday, April 6.
