DURHAM (April 22, 2018) – The North Carolina A&T's track and field teams competed at the Duke Invitational and combined for 16 top-10 finishes at Morris Williams Stadium. The Aggie men's track and field team won the 100-meter invite and tallied three personal records and three season bests. The Aggie women produced six personal records and two season bests.
Senior sprinter Joel Thomas (10.51) won the 100 and freshman Michael Bell (10.76) placed third. In the 110-meter hurdles, sophomore Robert Miller (14.16) finished second with his top time of the outdoor season. Miller is tied for fourth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Senior TeQuille Jackson finished the 110mh in 15.14 for a seventh-place finish after running 14.63 in the preliminaries. Freshman Chase Bonham (52.65) ran a personal-best 52.65 to finish third in the 400mh. He is now fourth in the conference in the event.
Senior Corey Aiken (1:51.67) ran his fastest time of the season in the 800 meters to place 18th. In the 3000-meter steeplechase, sophomore Daquan Maddox (9:57.18) clocked a personal record to finish 16th. Senior Hakeem Mustafaa (9:58.83) ran a season-best 9:58.83 to finish 19th. Maddox and Mustafaa rank seventh and eighth in the MEAC.
In the field events, senior Nehemiah Lipford leaped 6-feet, 7-inches to place ninth while Bell placed ninth in the long jump at 22-feet, 2 ½ inches. Senior Aaron Deane jumped 44-feet, 5 ½ inches to finish 10th in the triple jump.
Junior Kennedy Thorne was the top finisher on the women's side at Duke. Thorne was the runner-up in the 400mh by running a personal-record 59.77 to move into second in the MEAC rankings. Freshman Nia Lundy ran the 400 in 54.40 to finish fourth. Sophomore Sun-Sara Williams posted a personal record in the 200m. She finished sixth in 24.34.
Freshman Payton Russell also broke her personal record in the 400 at 55.61. Sophomore Jade Smith (15.06) came in fourth in the 100mh and sophomore Kristoni Barnes ran a personal-record 2:08.80 to place 10th in the 800. She ranks second in the conference. Senior Morgan Knight tied her personal best in the pole vault with a mark of 12-feet, 5-inches to finish seventh. Freshman Royce Johnson was ninth in the long jump at 18-feet, 2 ½ inches.
The Aggies will have competitors at the LSU Invitational in Baton Rouge, La., April 27-28 before returning to N.C. A&T's Irwin Belk Track for the MEAC Outdoor Championships, May 3-5.
