NSU's Coles Ends Season in 400m Quarters at NCAA East Prelim

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Norfolk State sprinter Steve Coles saw his senior season and Spartan career come to a close on Friday evening in the quarterfinals of the 400 meters at the NCAA East Preliminary Round hosted by the University of North Florida.

Coles, running in the first of three heats in the 400, did not finish his race. He pulled up due to a knee ailment at roughly the 250-meter mark and thus missed out on a chance to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Nationals next month in Oregon.

Coles ran a time of 46.79 seconds in Thursday's first round to advance to the quarterfinals.

Despite the disappointing finish to his career, the redshirt senior from Tappahannock, Va., had a strong senior campaign. He was the indoor 200-meter MEAC champion in February and earned the silver medal in the 400 meters at the conference outdoor meet earlier this month.

For complete story, visit www.nsuspartans.com

UMES’ Chouati and Rmidi Kinini Conclude Seasons in Florida

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The seasons for two Maryland Eastern Shore track runners came to a bittersweet end in Jacksonville on Friday night. Though they were the only two athletes to advance to the preliminaries, they came up short in their attempts to move on to Oregon for Nationals.

The meet was especially bittersweet for sophomore Oussama Chouati who came within a few hundredths of a second of his personal best. His time of 8:54.97 came within 0.03 of the PR time he set two weeks ago at the IC4A/ECAC Championships. The time was good for 24th place.

Junior Khalil Rmidi Kinini was unable to repeat his school record setting performance at this meet a year ago. He struggled to a 43rd place finish with a time of 9:23.06.

Despite the finishes, the Spanish duo led the way all season long and deserved their place in this meet. Rmidi Kinini and Chouati were part of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) men’s cross country championship team, and both played a role on the indoor and outdoor teams that placed third in both MEAC Championships.

For complete story, visit www.umeshawks.com