The Bethune-Cookman men are gunning for their third straight Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) outdoor track and field championship with host North Carolina A&T State again appearing to be their top challenger.
The Wildcats edged the Aggies for the crown last year by the slimmest of margins, 139-138. The meet came down to the 4x400 relay. North Carolina A&T State finished fourth, but Bethune-Cookman finished eighth and earned the point it needed to secure the title. Both teams enter the 2016 MEAC Outdoor Championships, which will be held May 5-7 at Irwin Belk Track in Greensboro, N.C., with impressive credentials. North Carolina A&T State is ranked No. 11 in the USTFCCCA Southeast Region and Bethune-Cookman is No. 14 in the South Region.
“N.C. A&T State is perennially a tough team even when I was competing (for South Carolina State) in the late ’90s,’’ Bethune-Cookman Head Coach Donald Cooper said. “They’re always a top-three team. It’s a well run program and a great brand.’’
Bethune-Cookman and North Carolina A&T State may be generally considered the top teams in the MEAC. However, Cooper says the rest of the field is a major reason the MEAC Championships are usually highly competitive.
“I think it will continue to be tightly contested,’’ he said. “We have some great teams with N.C. A&T State vying for the championship every year, and you definitely can’t rule out Hampton and Maryland Eastern Shore. I think it will come down to the wire again. It’s about which team is most healthy and which team can execute best.’’
Cooper also points to Norfolk State’s resurgence as another team to be reckoned with.
North Carolina A&T State hopes to leapfrog Bethune-Cookman with the addition of a trio of freshmen, Rodney Rowe, Hakeem Mustafa and Michael Dickinson, who have had outstanding performances this season. Rowe has the conference’s second-best time in the 100 meters this season (10.40). Mustafa has the seventh-fastest time in 3,000m steeplechase and the 11th-fastest in the 10,000m. Dickinson has the best time in the 110m hurdles.
Besides Rowe, the Aggies have three other athletes among the runners with the seven-fastest times in the 100m: Christopher Belcher (No. 1, 10.33), Maurice Eaddy (No. 4, 10.48) and Frank Quarles (No. 7, 10.52). Also, Quarles is No. 1 in the long jump (24-9.5). The Aggies 4x100 (39.98) and 4x400 (3:08.6) relay teams have the Nos. 1 and 2 times, respectively.
Bethune-Cookman will again rely on Kenneth Fisher, the 2015 MEAC Championships Outstanding Performer for field events. Fisher scored 21 points while finishing second in the high jump and long jump and fourth in the triple jump.
This season, Fisher is No. 2 in the long jump (24-9.25), No. 5 in the triple jump 49-9.25) and is tied for No. 3 in the high jump (6-8.75). Ed’Ricus Williams is No. 1 in the high jump (7-3). Jonathan Moore is No. 1 in the 400m (46.48) and 800m. (1:48.60) Michael Tiller is No. 2 in the triple jump (52-4.75). Barry Kimbrough is No. 3 in the shot put (52-2.5) and No. 1 in the discus (165-0). Chris Collins is No. 1 in the javelin (212-7).
“The expectations are there,’’ Cooper said. “The confidence is there. A lot of guys returned and are performing at high level. The new guys are buying in and understand that it’s team first. We have the quality and quantity we need.’’
On the women’s side, Florida A&M goes for a repeat after ending Hampton’s three-year championship reign.
All-MEAC performers Judith Kibii (5,000m, 1,500m, 3,000m), Andrea Aaron (discus), Destiny Johnson (4x400 relay) and Jharna Alston (4x400 relay) return to lead the Lady Rattlers.
Kibii has the second-fastest time in the conference this season in the 1,500m (4:35.03) and the 5,000m (17:37.78). Teammate Cynthia Chelelgo, a senior, has the fastest time in the 5,000m (17:28.27).
Hampton is pinning its championship hopes on a number of younger athletes, including freshmen hurdlers Kylie McMillan and Sydney Davis and sprinter Erin Morrison. Senior Ce’aira Brown, the two-time MEAC Championships Outstanding Runner, is the Lady Pirates’ top performer. Brown has the conference’s fastest times this season in the 800m (2:02.82) and 400m (4:28.23), fourth fastest in the 5,000m (18:03.00) and second fastest in the 10,000m (35:54.99).
The 2016 MEAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships will take place May 5-7 in Greensboro, N.C. at the Irwin Belk Track.
For more information on the Outdoor Track & Field Championships, log on to www.MEACsports.com