EAST GREENSBORO – The North Carolina A&T men’s and women’s outdoor track and field teams won their respective Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) outdoor championships on Saturday.
During the final day of the MEAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday at N.C. A&T’s Irwin Belk Track, the men scored 211 points to cruise past Bethune-Cookman (178). Norfolk State (135.5), Coppin State (58) and Morgan State (45.5) rounded out the top-5 on the men’s side.
It was the third straight title for men’s outdoor team to go along with their three straight MEAC indoor titles and their 2018 MEAC men’s cross country championship.
“Based on some of the times we put up, this is the best MEAC championship we have ever had,” said Duane Ross, the Aggies director of track and field programs. “If there are teams out there who didn’t know we are for real about being a nationally-recognized program, they have not been paying attention. Our times today show we mean business.”
The women had a little tougher time getting to their second outdoor conference title in three years. After losing last year’s championship by a half point to Florida A&M, the Aggies trailed FAMU by more than 100 points Saturday morning.
N.C. A&T overcame the deficit by scoring some unexpected points in the field events early before dominating the competition on the track. The Aggie women posted 198.5 points to outlast the Rattlers’ 189.5. Bethune-Cookman (116), Howard (67) and Norfolk State (65) rounded out the top-5 on the women’s side.
“To see us fight back the way we did was the highlight of my weekend,” said Ross about women’s team. “I was sitting around calculating in my head how in the world are we going to make up all those points. But winning the pole vault got our team going. By the time the sprinters and distance runners hit the track, it was a snowball effect. We were off and running.”
Senior Trevor Stewart was the main highlight for the men. Stewart won the 400 meters by running the 14th-fastest time ever in the world at 44.38. Freshman Regan Kimtai captured the 1,500 meters, the 3,000m steeplechase and finished second in the 800m.
Rodney Rowe won the men’s 100 and 200 and was a part of the Aggies 4x100-meter relay championship team. N.C. A&T also took first place in the 4x400 at 3:09.51.
Senior Lasheon Strozier also won the triple jump with a distance of 50-feet, 4 ¾-inches.
The Aggie women took home seven first-place titles and claimed gold, silver and bronze in two of those events to stage the comeback. For the second straight season, senior Kayla White was named the meet’s most outstanding runner.
White ran an NCAA-best 10.96 to win the 100 meters. According to the United States Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association, it was the fifth-fastest collegiate time ever. White also ran an NCAA-best 22.52 to win the 200. White was also a part of the Aggies 4x100 championship team.
Junior Tori Ray bounced back from her disappointment in the 400 last year to win with a time of 52.73. Junior Madeleine Akobundu won the 100-meter hurdles in 12.81 as the Aggies swept the podium with TeJyrica Robinson (12.98) second and freshman Paula Salmon (13.35) coming in third.
Junior Jayne Roberts gave the Aggies the first gold medal of the day, winning the women’s pole vault with her best vault recorded at 11-feet, 9 ¼-inches.
