Men's Track & Field | 5/14/2026 8:47:15 PM

NORFOLK, Va., May. 14, 2026-- The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) opened the 2026 Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Thursday at William “Dick” Price Stadium on the campus of Norfolk State University. Six gold medals were awarded on the opening day of competition, with the Delaware State Hornets men leading the team standings with 18 points, while North Carolina Central paced the women’s field with 23 points. 

Tarike Lavine of Howard University earned the first gold medal of the championships, recording a winning throw of 48.15 meters in the men’s discus. 

On the women’s side, Cailyn Johnson successfully defended her conference title in the discus, capturing gold for the second consecutive season. 

Tia Lucas of North Carolina Central University also repeated as champion in the women’s high jump, clearing 1.74 meters to secure another MEAC title. 

Johnson and Lucas each entered the meet as defending 2025 outdoor champions and reinforced their status as two of the conference’s premier field-event athletes. 

The men’s high jump featured one of the day’s most competitive showdowns as Ja'Mari Manson of Delaware State University claimed the title after clearing 2.06 meters. A tightly contested race for second place ended in a three-way tie, with Kristopher Stephens of Norfolk State University, Isaac Rankins of Morgan State University, and Sean Williams of Coppin State University each clearing 2.03 meters. 

Day one concluded with the men’s and women’s 10,000-meter finals. Rebecca Jansen of Delaware State University captured the women’s title with a winning time of 37:29.41, while Aaron Alukunyang of North Carolina Central University claimed first place in the men’s race after crossing the finish line in 30:06.86. 
 
For more information, visit the Championship Central page. 
 
About the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference   
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is in its 55th year of intercollegiate competition with the 2025-26 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.  

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