2018 Pepsi Florida Relays
Date: March 29-31, 2018
Location: Gainesville, Fla. (hosted by Florida)
Venue: Percy Beard Track
MEET SCHEDULE
Thursday, March 29
5 p.m. – Field Events begin
2 p.m. – Track Events begin
Friday, March 30
10 a.m. – Field Events begin
9:30 a.m. – Track Events begin
Saturday, March 31
11 a.m. – Field Events begin
9 a.m. – Track Events begin
Akobundu Named MEAC Co-Women's Track Athlete of the Week
On Wednesday, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference office named sophomore Madeleine Akobundu co-women's track athlete of the week. Akobundu opened the 2018 outdoor track and field season running a MEAC and personal-best 13.44 en route to a second-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles at the Weems Baskin Relays. Her time ranks 15th nationally.
Florida Relays
The North Carolina A&T track and field teams continue their outdoor season in Gainesville, Fla., as the team will compete in the Pepsi Florida Relays beginning on Thursday, March 29. The three-day meet is set to take place at the Percy Beard Track and is hosted by the University of Florida. The action gets underway at 2 p.m. for the Aggies with the women's open 200m while the field events start at 5 p.m. with the men's hammer throw. One hundred and two universities will be competing including 11 nationally-ranked programs.
Events to Watch
Men's Hammer Throw: Derrick Wheeler is the current MEAC leader at 171-feet, 3 inches.
Men's 200m: Rodney Rowe will compete on Friday in the College Invite while Jaylan Mitchell will lead a group of four Aggies; Justin Hamilton, Khari Saunders and Joel Thomas in Thursday's 200m Open.
Women's 100m Hurdles: Akobundu will join 100mh power Kayla White in the event. White will run her first 100mh of the season.
Men's 100m: Joel Thomas is 27th in the nation with a time of 10.43. Mitchell and Rowe will make their season debuts. They last competed at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Men's 110m Hurdles: Todd Townsend leads the conference and is tied for 11th in the nation after running a personal-record 13.88.
Women's 100m: Two-time NCAA outdoor championship qualifier India Brown and White will make their debuts.
Women's 400m: Sun-Sara Williams ran a personal-record 57.96 in the season opener. Tori Ray will make her season debut as well.
Women's 200m: Brown, a two-time NCAA outdoor national qualifier, will make her season debut in her primary event. Brown is the two-time defending MEAC champion in the 200. She ran a personal-best 22.98 at the 2017 MEAC Outdoor Championships.
Women's 3000m steeplechase: Miranda Green is the MEAC leader after placing third with a time of 11:59.27.
Men's Triple Jump: Lasheon Strozier leads the MEAC and is 18th in the nation leaping 50-feet, 1 ¼ inches.
Women's Long Jump: Akobundu is tops in the conference and sits 18th nationally at 20-feet, 1 ¾ inches.
Season Opener Recap
N.C. A&T men racked up 15 top-10 finishes with five new personal records and the women had 13 top-10 finishes and four set new personal records teams at the 2018 outdoor season opener at the Weems Baskin Relays hosted by South Carolina. The Aggie women's 4x100 relay team of Tori Ray, India Brown, Jadzia Beasley and Kayla White ran a 45.39 placing first amongst 30 relay teams. Loren James was the runner-up in the shot put event measuring 44-feet, 4-inches. N.C. A&T's men earned two victories in the field events to highlight their weekend. Lasheon Strozier took gold in the men's triple jump at 50-feet, 1 ¼ inch and Aaron Wilkerson won the shot put tossing 52-feet, 1-inch.
