2018 MEAC Indoor Track & Field Championship Central
Weekly Track Release
NORFOLK, Va. - The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) will host the 2018 Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 15-17, at the Prince George's Sports and Learning Complex in Landover, Md.
For the second year in a row, ESPN3 will stream Saturday’s action live from 1-4 p.m. EST.
North Carolina A&T State will defend its crown on both the men’s and women’s sides. The Aggies are looking to make history as the last MEAC school to repeat as champions in consecutive years on both the men’s and women’s ledger was Delaware State from 1986-87. Bethune-Cookman was the last repeat champion for the men as they claimed titles in 2015 and 2016. Hampton was the last women’s squad to repeat with titles in 2015 and 2016.
Competition will begin on Thursday at 3 p.m. with the men's heptathlon, followed by the women's 5,000m and women's long jump at 3:15 p.m. The day continues with the men's 5,000m race and semifinals of the men's and women's 200m races.
Day one concludes with the men's long jump final.
The championships continue Friday, Feb. 16, with the men's heptathlon at 9 a.m. Other field events on Friday's slate include the women's pentathlon, men's and women's high jump, and men's and women's weight throw. The student-athletes return to the track for the semifinals in the men's and women's 60m hurdles, 60m dash and 400m dash. The day closes out with the men's and women's distance medleys.
The competition concludes on Saturday, beginning at 9:30 a.m. with the women's shot put, men's and women's pole vault, and the men's and women's triple jump. Running events begin at 1 p.m. with the women's mile run. Rounding out the afternoon's events will be the men's and women's 4x400m relay race at 3:25 p.m.
The 2018 MEAC Indoor Track & Field Championships promises to be an action-packed event on the track as the 60 and 200-meter dashes will feature a plethora of nationally ranked sprinters on the men’s side. A total of five runners in the MEAC are ranked in the top 30 nationally entering this weekend’s championships in the 60-meter dash. South Carolina State’s Demek Kemp (4), North Carolina A&T State’s Jaylan Mitchell (6), North Carolina A&T State’s Rodney Rowe (25), Bethune-Cookman’s Kareem Fair (25) and North Carolina A&T State’s Joel Thomas (30) are scheduled to participate. Rowe (7), Coppin State’s Joseph Amoah (21) and Coppin State’s Martin Antwi-Owisu (32) headline the 200-meter dash.
A total of six MEAC student-athletes (individual and relay teams) are ranked within the top 20 nationally in their respective events. Four of the six come from the men’s side while two are from the women’s ledger. South Carolina State’s Demek Kemp’s time of 6.59 (4th) and North Carolina A&T State’s Jaylan Mitchell (6.6) headlines the 60-meter dash while North Carolina A&T State’s Rodney Rowe (20.74) ranks seventh in the 200. A&T’s Michael Dickson ranks 18th in the 60-meter hurdles. Kayla White of N.C. A&T ranks 12th in the 60-meter hurdles while BCU’s Quamecha Morrison ranks No. 10 in the high jump.
A complete schedule of events and live statistics for the 2018 MEAC Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships can be found at www.MEACsports.com.
Admission for the Indoor Track and Field Championships is $5 daily, and tickets are available at the Prince George's Sports & Learning Complex on the event dates. The third annual Soleful Gestures shoe drive will also take place; all fans are encouraged to donate either a gently-used pair of shoes or gently-used clothing, in a 13-gallon kitchen-sized bag, in exchange for a $3 ticket.
All donations will go to the Value Village Community Donations Center in Landover Hills, Md.