GREENSBORO – On the first day of the MEAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, a gold medal hopeful for the North Carolina A&T women's track and field team came up short, while the Aggies scored twice in the women's discus on Thursday.
The championships are being held at A&T's Irwin Belk Track. Competition begins again Friday morning at 9. On the first day, Nakita Gray, who had high hopes of taking a MEAC title in the women's high jump as a freshman, finished third.
Freshman Deandra Daniel of Coppin State placed first in the high jump in front of junior Breana Norman of Hampton. All three jumpers cleared 5-feet, 7 ¾ inches. Gray cleared 5-feet, 5 ¾ inches in one attempt, similar to Daniel. It Norman three attempts to clear the height. But when the mark went up to 5-feet, 7 ¾ inches, it took Gray three attempts to clear the mark, while Daniel and Norman cleared the mark in two attempts.
Daniel won the competition because she had the fewest attempts between her and Norman at 5-feet, 5 ¾ inches.
In the women's discus, Demetria Dickens saw her best throw go 139-feet, 9-inches to place third. Dickens' distance on Thursday was a personal best. Her six points were complemented by a Sherri Owen's three points and sixth place finish in the discus. Owens had her best throw travel 127-feet, 1-inch.
The Aggie women scored 15 points on the first day, as Brittanie Morris qualified for the women's 400 meter hurdles semifinal with a time of 102.77. The men scored three points thanks to a fifth-place finish by Cliff Obodo in the high jump.
