LEXINGTON, Ky. – The men and women's indoor track and field teams were back competing on Friday after more than a month away from competition.
The Aggies came away with a win in the women's long jump while dominating the women's 60 meters and having an impressive showing in the men's distance medley relay at the Jim Green Invitational hosted by the University of Kentucky at Nutter Field House on Friday.
The Aggies will compete again on Saturday at UK. On Friday, it was sophomore
Cambrea Sturgis who picked up where she left off last June by running a personal-best 7.32 in the 60 meters for the fastest qualifying time.
Senior Tailyah Townsend had the fifth-fastest qualifying time while also winning her heat with a time of 7.58. Junior
Kayla Foy won her heat as well while finishing with the sixth-fastest qualifying time at 7.59. Also qualifying for Saturday's 60m semifinal were sophomores
Kamaya Debose-Epps (7.59), Aisha Southern (7.62, personal-best) and
Nilaja Florence (7.69, personal-best) and senior
TeJyrica Robinson (7.75, personal-best).
The women's 60m semifinal is scheduled for noon Saturday. The final is at 1:40 p.m. The men's 60m semifinal is slated to begin at 12:10 p.m, while the final is at 1:45 p.m. Senior
Jaylan Mitchell qualified for the men's 60m semifinal on Friday by winning his heat in 6.69. He had the second-fastest qualifying time.
Junior
Paula Salmon was the standout for the Aggies in the women's 60-meter hurdles. Salmon had the fastest qualifying time at 8.11. Senior Madeleine Akobundu had the third-fastest qualifying time while also finishing third in the same heat as Salmon with a time of 8.32.
The women's 60mh semifinal is scheduled for 12:20 p.m. The men's 60mh semifinal will start 10 minutes earlier and will feature sophomore
Cedric McGriff who finished with the sixth-fastest qualifying time at 8.28.
Graduate
Tori Ray and senior
Elijah Young had good showings in the 200m. Ray ran a 24.21 in the women's 200 for the seventh-fastest time. Ray finished second in her heat. Sun-Sara Williams finished 28
th at 25.79. She finished third in her heat. Young finished 11
th in the men's 200 at 21.90.
N.C. A&T did secure a victory on Friday as Akobundu won the women's long jump by leaping 19-feet, 5 ¼-inches. It was Akobundu's fourth career win in the long jump during the indoor season. N.C. A&T combined some of their top names in sophomore
Morris Kimble, senior
Trevor Stewart, senior
Mar'Quise McGee and sophomore
Regan Kimtai to finish second in the men's distance medley relay with a time of 10:00.08.
In field events, Salmon finished sixth in the women's high jump with a jump of 5-feet, 7-inches. She was followed by senior Reide Ryans in seventh with a personal-best 5-feet, 5-inches.
Junior
Aaron Wilkerson finished sixth in the men's weight throw (58-feet, 6 ½-inches) while senior Sandra Brown finished ninth in the women's pole vault (11-feet, 1 ¾-inches) and senior
Jayne Roberts finished 14
th (10-feet, 8-inches). Freshman Jordan Richardson competed in the men's 5000m and finished sixth (16:39.67).
