BATON ROUGE, La. (April 28, 2018) – North Carolina A&T State track and field had a successful outing at the LSU Invitational on Saturday with a new school record to win an event and eight top-5 finishes to complement that victory.
The N.C. A&T men's team, who came into the weekend ranked 18th in the country, got a record-breaking performance from freshman Trevor Stewart.
He broke the school record in the men's 400 meters picking up his second event win of the season by running a 45.82. Stewart broke Jarrell Elliot's six-year-old school record (45.87) in the 400. Stewart improved his national ranking to 13th.
“Trevor is extremely talented. He is not doing anything we did not expect him to do the moment he stepped foot on campus,” said N.C. A&T's director of track and field programs, Duane Ross.
Junior Rodney Rowe claimed his highest finish in the 100m this season with a personal-best 10.22 to place second. He was the top collegiate finisher and ranks 22nd nationally.
Junior Michael Dickson placed second in the 110-meter hurdles at 13.70 rounding out the Aggie men in their final meet before the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships to be held at N.C. A&T's Irwin Belk Track.
Junior Anisa Toppin was the top finisher on the women's side. She placed second in the triple jump leaping 41-feet, 7 ¼-inches. Sophomore Madeleine Akobundu competed in two events. In the long jump, she registered 42 feet, 2-inches placing fourth and in the 100mh she clocked 13.42 to place fifth.
Junior Kayla White was third in the 100 at 11.26 while senior India Brown (11.65) finished 12th and freshman Jadzia Beasley ran a personal-best 11.73. Junior Tori Ray was the lone Aggie to compete in the women's 400. She came in ninth at 54.53. The women's 4x100 relay team of Ray, Brown, Beasley and White placed third with a season-best time 44.52. That relay time moves the Aggies to 32nd nationally.
“Solid performance all around for everyone. I am proud of how Anisa Toppin competed in the triple jump. She is jumping very well at the right time of the season,” Ross said.
N.C. A&T looks to repeat as men's and women's outdoor conference champions as they host the MEAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships for the 13th time at N.C. A&T's Irwin Belk Track, May 3-5. The Aggies can become the first MEAC school to ever claim back-to-back men's and women's titles in indoor and outdoor track and field.
