LANDOVER, Md. (February 23, 2018) – The North Carolina A&T track and field teams are starting to become historic and the student-athletes who comprise those teams are becoming legendary.
For third straight Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Indoor Track and Field Championship, the N.C. A&T Aggies swept both championships to become the first university in MEAC history to sweep the men's and the women's indoor championships three years in a row. The men now have a chance to capture all three MEAC track titles after winning cross country in the fall. The Aggie men will go for the trifecta in May during the MEAC outdoor championships held at N.C. A&T's Irwin Belk Track.
The men posted 191 points to beat Bethune-Cookman (141), Norfolk State (119), Morgan State (41) and S.C. State (30) in the top-5. Freshman Regan Kimtai was named earned Outstanding Runner honors and N.C. A&T's director of track and field programs Duane Ross was named Outstanding Coach.
What is notable about Kimtai winning outstanding runner is that for a program known as SprinterU, Kimtai is not a sprinter. Kimtai won the award by winning the 5000 meters on Thursday and the 1 mile and the 800 meters on Saturday to score 30 points for the Aggies.
“We're a complete team now,” said Ross about the Aggie men. “We no longer have to wait on Saturday and the sprint finals before we start putting up multiple points. Our throwers can put up a lot of points and our distance runners performed really well. We are a lot stronger on the men's side than we used to be.”
Kimtai is now a first-team All-MEAC performer in three events for indoor to complement the first-team All-MEAC honors he earned in men's cross country during the fall. Kimtai won the mile in 4:20.32 to beat out two Bethune-Cookman Wildcats in Carlin Berryhill (4:21.58) and Daniel Kiptoo (4:23.94). In the 800m, Kimtai's 1:53.42 time was a little more than a second better than Abbas Abbkar's 1:54.53 time for Savannah State.
The men did have some fun in the sprints and hurdles as well.
Senior Rodney Rowe added to his vast collection of MEAC honors on Saturday by capturing individual titles in the 60 and 200m. He now has four gold medals from the MEAC indoor championships including two 200m titles, one 60m title and one 4x400 meter relay title. He has three golds at the MEAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships with two 4x100 championships and one 200m championship.
Rowe finished ahead of teammate Jaylan Mitchell on Saturday in the 60 with a time of 6.72. Mitchell finished in 6.73 followed by junior Akeem Sirleaf in fourth (6.83) and freshman Malcolm Croom-McFadden in sixth (6.89) to give the Aggies 26 points from the event. Rowe claimed the 200m title in 21.42 to finish ahead of sophomore Trevor Stewart who finished third in 21.586 and senior Justin Hamilton who finished fourth in 21.587.
Dickson added a few more points to the Aggies tally by finishing sixth in 21.95. The 200 was a 24-point haul for the three-time champs. Speaking of Dickson, he ran the 60-meter hurdles in 7.88 to win the event. It was Dickson's third MEAC indoor title in the 60mh as he defended his title from last season. Dickson had to be fast because Coppin State's Aaron Lewis finished in 7.95. Freshman Cedric McGriff finished third (8.13).
Senior Lasheon Strozier followed up freshman Brandon Hicklin's win in the long jump on Friday with a win in the triple jump on Saturday. Strozier defended his 2018 MEAC indoor triple jump title by jumping 49-feet, 2 ½-inches to best Bethune-Cookman's JaiQuan Earls best jump of 49-feet, 2 ¼-inches.
As is customary with any N.C. A&T indoor championship, the Aggies won the 4x400 relay as well. The 2019 team consisted of Sirleaf, Stewart, Hamilton and junior Kermani Mighty. The foursome broke the MEAC indoor record with a time of 3:10.05.
The Aggies also scored big in the throws. A day after senior Derrick Wheeler captured the weight throw title, sophomore Aaron Wilkerson finished second in the shot put (53-feet, 6 ½-inches) followed by freshman Obie Taylor (51-feet, 8 ¼-inches) in third and Wheeler (48-feet, 1 ¼-inches) in eighth. For the weekend, the Aggies got a combined 39 points from the weight throw and shot put events.
N.C. A&T also picked up points in the 400m with Stewart finishing second (47.04), Hamilton finishing fourth (47.9) and Mighty coming in seventh (49.01).
With another conference championship in the books, the Aggies will turn their attention to the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, March 8-9 in Birmingham, Ala. Rowe and Sirleaf both ranked in the top-15 nationally going into the weekend in the 200m. Dickson also has an excellent shot to make nationals. He is ranked 13th in the 60mh. Stewart is trying to fight is way up in the 400m rankings. He came into the weekend ranked 22nd nationally and Hamilton is ranked 26th. The Aggies 4x400 team will also need another strong performance to make into nationals.
But for now, the Aggies will settle for a weekend they made historic on a cold and rainy February evening in Prince George's County. “I'm very proud of my kids,” said Ross. They understood what they were trying to achieve. We have a great group of young men and women and I am very happy for them.”
First Team
Rodney Rowe, NCAT (60, 200), Regan Kimtai, NCAT (800, Mile, 5000m), Michael Dickson, NCAT (60h), Akeem Sirleaf, NCAT (4x400), Kermani Mighty, NCAT (4x400), Trevor Stewart, NCAT (4x400), Justin Hamilton, NCAT (4x400), Brandon Hicklin, NCAT (LJ), Lasheon Strozier, NCAT (TJ), Derrick Wheeler, NCAT (Weight).
Second Team
Jaylan Mitchell, NCAT (60), Trevor Stewart, NCAT (400), Mar'Quise McGee, NCAT (DMR), Kermani Mighty, NCAT (DMR), Coy Brown, NCAT (DMR), Morris Kimble, NCAT (DMR), Aaron Wilkerson, NCAT (Shot, Weight).
Third Team
Trevor Stewart, NCAT (200), Cedric McGriff, NCAT (60h), Obie Taylor, NCAT (Shot).
