FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Hampton senior Benita Taylor competed in the preliminary heats of the women's 800-meter run at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships Friday evening at the University of Arkansas' Randal Tyson Track Complex.

Taylor ran a 2:07.26 in the second preliminary heat, coming in seventh. Her time was the 11th-fastest of the 16 runners and she did not advance to Saturday's final.

Charlene Lipsey of LSU won the second heat and had the fastest overall time at 2:05.02.

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Taylor Places 10th in NCAA Indoor 200 Meters

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Norfolk State junior James Taylor finished 10th in the national semifinals of the 200 meters Friday night at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship at the Randal Tyson Track Center at the University of Arkansas.

Taylor finished second in his heat, clocking a time of 20.96 seconds. It was his second-fastest non-converted time of the season. Akheem Gauntlett of Arkansas won the heat in 20.72 seconds and was the only one of the four sprinters in Taylor's semifinal to advance to the final. The top eight out of the field of 15 competitors in the four semifinals advanced to the final based solely on time, regardless of their standing in the heats.

Friday marked Taylor's first appearance at an NCAA national championship meet. He also qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Round (formerly the East Regional) in the 200 meters last spring.

Taylor was one of only three MEAC athletes, male or female, to advance to the national meet this year. The others were Hampton's Benita Taylor in the 800 meters, who was 11th out of 16 in her event; and UMES' Andre Walsh, who placed 15th in the 200 meters Friday night.

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