CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The North Carolina A&T track and field team got one final warm-up in field events before taking on the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) next week at the 2019 MEAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships held at N.C. A&T's Irwin Belk Track facility.
The Aggies competed at the Virginia Grand Prix hosted by the University of Virginia this past weekend. Sophomore Loren James led the way for the Aggies as she took first place in the women's shot put with a throw of 48-feet ¾-inches.
James will head into the MEAC outdoor championships as the defending champion in the women's shot put after she made a career-best toss of 48-feet 8 ¾-inches to win the conference title. James also won the 2019 MEAC indoor title in the shot put back in February. She has three outdoor first-place finishes in the shot put and two indoor first-place finishes in the shot.
N.C. A&T had three other top-5 finishes over the weekend with two coming in field events. Senior Lasheon Strozier finished third in the men's long jump as measured out at 23-feet, 8 ¼-inches on his best jump. Strozier, who is normally the Aggies top men's triple jumper, traded places with freshman Brandon Hicklin who is normally the Aggies top men's long jumper.
Hicklin finished fourth in the triple jump at the Grand Prix with his best jump recorded at 48-feet, 1 ¼-inches.
Strozier is a two-time MEAC indoor champion in the triple jump, but he is still looking for his first outdoor triple jump title. His best outdoor finish in the long jump at the conference championships was a third-place finish in 2017. Hicklin won the men's long jump conference indoor championship and is looking to claim the outdoor title at the conference championships this weekend.
The Aggies other top-five finish came on the track as freshman Regan Kimtai finished third in the men's 3000-meter steeplechase with a personal-best time of 9:25.07. Kimtai's performance over the weekend gives him conference's top 3000m steeplechase time heading into the weekend.
The 2019 MEAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships start Thursday, May 2 at N.C. A&T's Irwin Belk Track and runs through Saturday, May 4. The Aggie men are looking for their third straight outdoor title to go along with the three straight MEAC indoor titles they currently own.
The women are looking to bounce back from their disappointment from last season when they lost the championship by a half point. The women are after their second championship in three years.
