VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., Feb. 20, 2024 - The Howard University women completed a three-peat claiming their third consecutive MEAC Women’s Indoor Track & Field Championship Title on Tuesday at the Virginia Beach Sports Center.
The Bison collected 204 team points holding off the Spartans to claim their third straight title and sixth overall. Norfolk State finished second with 188 team points, while Morgan State finished third with 66.5.
Bison head coach David Oliver was named the meet’s Outstanding Coach.
Howard’s women won seven gold medals including first place finishes in the 60m dash, 200m dash, 400m race, high jump, weight throw, pentathlon and women’s 4x400m relay. In total, the Bison brought home 15 medals, seven gold, four silver and four bronze.
Kailei Collins claimed two gold medals winning the women’s 60m dash and 200m dash. Collins ran a time of 7.43 in the 60m while running a time of 23.69 in the 200m.
Sophomore Aniya Woodruff finished first with a time of 55.26 in the 400m race. Her time was nearly a half of a second faster than the second-place runner from Coppin State.
Nyagoa Bayak won the women’s high jump clearing a mark of 1.77m. Bayak’s mark was .15m higher than the second-place finisher.
Erin Hatcher took first place in the women’s weight throw, throwing 18.32m. Hatcher outthrew Norfolk State’s Leslie Young by 0.26m to claim gold capping her senior indoor season.
Jasmyn Hunter won the women’s pentathlon with 3,190 points. Hunter finished ahead of her teammate Miryarn Smalls by just 26 points to take gold. Smalls took silver with a total score of 3,164.
The Bison women’s 4x400 meter relay team consisting of Aniya Woodruff, Zoe Turner, Mackenzie Robinson, and Tiffani-Rae Pittman claimed first place with a time of 3:42.03. Howard’s women finished six seconds quicker than the second-place team of Coppin State (3:48.02).
Morgan State's Johnelle Johnson collected a second-place finish in the women’s shot put (13.33m) and third in the weight throw (18.05m) to claim 14 points towards her team score. For her efforts in the field events, the senior from Morgan State was named the 2024 MEAC Women’s Indoor Track and Field Outstanding Field Athlete.
A pair of Norfolk State runners tied for the 2024 MEAC Women’s Indoor Track and Field Outstanding Runner of the Meet honor. Junior Mercyline Kimaiyo and freshman Yvone Sandui both tallied 32.5 points throughout the three-day meet as both earned the honors.
The top three finishers in each event were named All-MEAC.
Outstanding Coach: David Oliver, Howard
Co-Outstanding Runners: Yvone Sandui and Mercyline Kimaiyo, Norfolk State
Outstanding Field Athlete: Johnelle Johnson, Morgan State
ALL-MEAC
First Team: Kailei Collins (HOW, 60m, 200m), Aniya Woodruff (HOW, 400m), Jahmei Wyatt (NSU, 800m), Mercyline Kimaiyo (NSU, Mile, 3,000m, 5,000m), Brooklyn Robinson (NSU, 60mH), Terine Lambert (MSU, SP), Myagoa Bayak (HOW, HJ), Ishana Asinor (MSU, PV), Indya Richards (NSU, LJ), Faithlyn Irving (UMES, TJ), Erin Hatcher (HOW, WT), Jasmyn Hunter (HOW, Pentathlon), Howard (4x400m relay), Norfolk State (Distance Medley Relay)
Second Team: Ai'yana Gray-Williams (HOW, 60m), Tiffani-Rae Pittman (HOW, 200m), Kimani Alphonse (CSU, 400m), Kara Grant (NSU, 800m), Yvone Sandui (NSU, Mile, 3,000m, 5,000m), Indya Richards (NSU, 60mH), Johnelle Johnson (MSU, SP), Tia Lucas (NCCU, HJ), Annalise Bond (DSU, PV), Ija Mumford (HOW, LJ), Cameran Gist (SCSU, TJ), Leslie Loung (NSU, WT), Miryarn Smalls (HOW, Pentathlon), Coppin State (4x400m relay), Howard (Distance Medley Relay),
Third Team: Indya Richards (NSU, 60m), Halutie Hor (CSU, 200m), Zoe Turner (HOW, 400m), Yvone Sandui (NSU, 800m), Kara Grant (NSU, Mile), Abigael Chebet (NSU, 3,000m, 5,000m), Kaya-Rae Dunbar (HOW, 60mH), Minyarn Smalls (HOW, SP), Kennedy Spears (SCSU, HJ), D'Nysha Brightful (NSU, PV), Nyla Ward (NSU, LJ), Jazmyn Wajd (HOW, TJ), Johnelle Johnson (MSU, WT), Kaelyn Woodrum (CSU, Pentathlon), South Carolina State (4x400m relay), Delaware State (Distance Medley Relay)
About the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is in its 53rd year of intercollegiate competition with the 2023-24 academic school year. Located in Norfolk, Va., the MEAC is made up of eight outstanding historically black institutions across the Atlantic coastline: Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina Central University and South Carolina State University.