Hawks Have Plenty to be Proud of in Outdoor Opener
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.— Bolstered by a strong performance in the women’s 400 meter dash and several high marks and wins in other races, the Maryland Eastern Shore track & field team got off to a strong start to the outdoor season at the Wake Forest Open. The meet was not affected by team scoring.
Four Hawks finished in the top ten for the 400 meter dash. Junior Rachel Halmon was the first Hawk to reach the finish line with a third place finish and a time of 56.06 seconds. Sophomore Dypna Umunakwe earned a time of 56.34 seconds to take fifth and freshmen Alicia Colson and Lenneisha Gilbert also secured top ten placements with time s of 56.51 seconds and 56.61 seconds, respectively. All four of the runners’ times served as new personal bests.
However the Hawks’ successes went well beyond the women’s 400. Junior Shelasia Leitch won the 100 meter hurdles qualifier with a time of 13.85 seconds, which beats her own school record by 0.03 seconds, set last season. Two men’s runners—junior Khalil Rmidi Kinini and sophomore Oussama Chouati —won their respective races as well. Rmidi Kinini took first in the 1500 meter run at a time of 3:52.10 while Chouati earned a time of 9:13.39 to claim victory in the 3000 steeplechase.
Leitch’s male hurdle counterpart of junior Taj Showalter also qualified in the 110 meter hurdles with a time of 14.53 seconds, finishing third. He then took fifth in the finals, improving his time by one hundredths of a second.
Out in the field, junior Shauntel Lucius took second in the triple jump with a distance of 12.26 meters and sophomore Tanise Edwards finished right behind her with a collegiate best 12.21 meters. In the men’s event, junior Naje Benton also set a new collegiate best by taking the runner up spot with a distance of 15.06 meters.
Junior Kevin Stanford and sophomore Brandon Carter also earned top ten finishes in the high jump.
In the relays, the men’s 4x400 team finished with a top five time, coming in fourth place. The team was comprised of Showalter and freshmen Jalen Walker, Jordan Leon and Michael Rollins.
The Hawks hope the momentum of this good start will carry into next week’s Navy Spring Invitational in Annapolis, Maryland this coming Friday and Saturday.
For complete story, visit www.umeshawks.com
NCCU Posts 20 Top-5 Finishes with Three Wins at Carolina Relays
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University men’s and women’s track and field teams posted 20 top-5 finishes with three event victories at the Dennis Craddock Carolina Relays on Friday and Saturday, March 18-19.
In competition against East Carolina, N.C. State, UNC Pembroke and host North Carolina, along with a host of unattached athletes, eight Lady Eagles placed fifth or better and 12 Eagles accomplished the same feat.
The victors for NCCU include the women’s 4x400-meter relay squad, which beat runner-up ECU by more than two seconds with a winning time of 3:51.13. Deandre James ran to victory in the men’s 800m run with a time of 1:56.12, edging Richard Miller of North Carolina by less than a second (1:56.59). Joshua McClam triumphed in the men’s long jump with a leap of 7.22 meters, better than second place Kory Jones of UNC Pembroke (6.99m).
Runner-up efforts were contributed by Bethany White in the women’s 100m dash (12.10), Zoe Ellis in the women’s triple jump (12.39m), Kevin Vincent in the men’s 400m dash (49.08), the women’s 4x100m relay (46.79) and the men’s 4x100m relay (41.25).
In the bronze medal position for NCCU were Jaleesa Smoot in the women’s 400m dash (57.81), Jedrek Higgins in the men’s 800m run (1:58.00), Dominick Lemonious in the men’s 110m hurdles (15.28), Greg Coward in the men’s 2000m steeplechase (6:40.49),
Other top performers for NCCU were McClam in the men’s 100m dash (4th, 10.83), Christian Obame in the men’s shot put (4th, 13.78m) and the discus throw (5th, 40.68m), Ellis in the women’s long jump (5th, 5.59m), Natalyia Dunlap in the women’s triple jump (5th, 10.97m), Jaszmine Bowman in the women’s discus throw (5th, 40.48m) and Timothy Edelen in the men’s javelin throw (5th, 47.07m).
NCCU returns to action on March 25-26 at the Raleigh Relays on the campus of N.C. State.
For complete story, visit www.nccueaglepride.com
Lady Rattlers Get 17 Top-10s At UCF Black and Gold Challenge
ORLANDO, Fla. – The FAMU Women’s Track team dodged rain showers to record 17 Top 10 finishes in the UCF Black and Gold Challenge here at the UCF Track and Field Stadium Saturday.
Seniors Ashley Ivey (triple jump) and Cynthia Chelelgo (5000 meters) led the way for the FAMU Women, each recording first places in their respective events, with Ivey placing seventh in the 100 meter dash.
Andrea Aaron turned in an iron woman’s performance in the field Saturday, finishing second in the Javelin, eighth in the Hammer Throw and 13th in the Shot Put.
Other Top 10 finishers included Ashley Giacomucci (2nd in Triple Jump; 9th in High Jump); Jaymee Smith (3rd in Javelin); Zakirra McKinnon (5th, 400 Hurdles); Christina Moodie (5th, 200M Dash); Jhana Alston (6th, 200M Dash); Aleandria Marshall-Paul (8th in Javelin; 10th in Discus).
In the 5000 Meters, FAMU had a trio behind Cynthia Chelelgo place in the Top 10: Judith Kibii (2nd) , Fridah Limo (7th), and Nicole Kvitkaukas (10th).
For complete story, visit www.famuathletics.com
Multiple Hornets Shine in VCU Ram Invite to Open Outdoor Season
RICHMOND, Va. – The Delaware State track & field program opened the outdoor portion of its 2015-16 campaign over the weekend on a high note in the VCU Ram Invite, highlighted by
Charles Wulff-Cochrane and Elijah Agwu bringing home a pair of crowns.
In the case of Wulff-Cochrane, he clocked a 53.91 ahead of two VCU runners to win the 400-Meter Hurdles with a time of 53.91, whereas Agwu finished on top in the Discus event with a mark of 46.96 meters.
”It wasn’t my best performance, but minus the bad weather, I was able to qualify for conference,” said Wulff-Cochrane. “Now, I know what I need to work on and I will continue to improve from here.”
The men’s side for the Hornets also included Emanuel Hitch registering a second place finish in the 400-Meter Dash with a time of 50.09, while Roderick Brown finished third (6.70m) in the Long Jump.
The Hornet women, meanwhile, were led by Roselyn Oroyemi finishing third in the 100-Meter Dash with a time of 12.34. The event also featured Raquel Hughes placing sixth (12.40) and Trameceia Sample crossing the finish line in eighth (12.57).
Rayanna Relerford (24.87) and Faleesha Dowe (25.15) finished fifth and seventh in the 200-Meter Dash, whereas Omealla Gordon (54.48) and Leandra Nyemeck (1:00.01) placed fourth and 10th in the 400-Meter Dash, respectively.
Other notable performances for the women included Deja Johnson in the 400-Meter Hurdles (fourth - 1:07.45), along with Dowe (fourth – 5.03m) and Fanta Ba (sixth – 4.94m) in the Long Jump.
Delaware State will return to action with the Wesley Invitational in Dover, Del. this Thursday.
For complete story, visit www.dsuhornets.com