The Alumni Times - N.C. A&T State University Alumni Newsletter
Morgan Knight

Aggies Take Advantage of Last Chance

Three Aggies took full advantage of North Carolina A&T's final home meet of the season by qualifying or improving their ranking for the 2015 NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round. The Aggie Last Chance meet gave athletes one more chance to qualify for the east regional in Jacksonville, Florida, May 28-30.

Sophomore Maurice Eaddy was one of those athletes. Eaddy ran a personal record of 10.11 in the men’s 100 meter finals after running 10.39 in the preliminary round. He finished second overall behind former track athlete Calesio Newman, who ran 10.04. Eaddy’s time moved him to fourth ranked in the east region and 13th nationally.

Eaddy also helped lead the men’s 400 meter relay to a first-place finish. Along with Eaddy, sophomores Frank Quarles, Caleb Gabriel and senior Marquis Noble ran 40.08. The Aggies 4x1 is 16th in the east region after they ran 39.98 at the MEAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Gabriel also took advantage of the meet by placing eighth in the men’s 200 with a personal-record time 21.01. Gabriel was the only collegiate athlete to finish within the top-10 of this event, other athletes were unattached and professional. His time moved him to the 37th spot in the 200. Gabriel is also ranked 15th in the 100 with a time of 10.29, which earned him the 2015 100 meter MEAC Champion.

Freshman Reneazia Collins finished fourth overall with a time of 11.56 in the women’s 100. In the preliminary round she ran a personal-best and school-record 11.42, which qualified her for the 100 at 16th in the east region and 33rd nationally. Collins also ran a wind-aided 23.52 in the 200 to finish third behind two unattached athletes. This personal record time qualified Collins for the 200 and ranks her 31st. Former Aggie track athlete Jessica Farr won the 200 at 23.36. Farr also won the 400 with a time of 53.55.

Other performances included a first-place finish for senior Keenan Smith in the men’s triple jump with a leap of 51-feet, 4½ inches. Smith is ranked eighth in the east region and 10th nationally after he jumped 53-feet, ¼ inches at the Georgia Tech Invitational. Freshman Aaron Deane jumped 44-feet, 3¼ inches in the triple jump to finish fourth overall.

Freshman Malik McMillan threw a personal record in the men’s hammer throw (107-feet, 10-inches) to finish second. McMillan also finished third in the shot put at 41-feet, 3¾ inches. The women’s 400 meter relay finished second behind Alabama State at 45.35. The foursome included freshmen India Brown, Reneazia Collins, Morgan Knight and senior Latrese Barker.

First-year track athlete Kevin Francis finished third in the men’s 110 meter hurdles at 14.38. Senior Saeed Jones ran 1:52.67, a personal record in the men’s 800, for a fourth-place finish. Senior Latrese Barker finished her last race with a personal-record 11.69 in the preliminary round of women’s 100. Barker finished sixth overall in the finals at 11.72.

Freshman Dajuan Harding ran 47.96 in the men’s 400 to finish sixth. Harding is ranked 47th regionally with a time of 46.99 that he ran at the MEAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships to qualify.

Freshman India Brown finished seventh in the women’s 100 at 11.79. Brown ran 24.46 to finish eighth in the 200. Brown previously qualified for the east regional meet in both the 100 and 200 at the MEAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Brown is ranked 18th in the east region (36th nationally) in the 100 from her personal-record 11.43. Brown is also ranked 18th in the east region in the 200 at her personal record of 23.36 (38th nationally).

Freshman Morgan Knight finished seventh in the women’s 100 meter hurdles with a time of 13.59. Knight qualified for the regional meet at the Aggie Invitational when she ran 13.55, which ranks her 43rd.

Sophomore Todd Townsend finished ninth in the men’s 400 meter hurdles with a time of 53.37. Townsend has previously qualified for the regional meet at Florida Relays when he ran a personal record 52.03. He ranks 45th in this event.

Frank Quarles’ time of 10.44 in the 100 preliminaries was not enough to send him to the finals. But he previously ran a 10.42 at the MEAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships that ranked him 34th in the 100. He will also be competing in the men’s long jump after his leap of 24-feet, 11¼ inches at the Georgia Invitational ranks him 18th.

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