LUBBOCK, Texas/COLUMBIA, SC – The North Carolina A&T men's and women's indoor track and field teams ran a combined five 4x400-meter relay teams on Saturday. 
 
In one area of the United States, one of them ran the second-fastest time in the nation this season while another one in another part of the country earned first place by almost two seconds. For the second straight day, the Aggies sent a portion of their indoor track team to the University of South Carolina (USC) to compete in the South Carolina Challenge at the South Carolina Indoor Track and Field Complex. 
 
Other members of the two teams competed at Texas Tech in the Texas Tech Invitational at the Sports Performance Complex. 
 
N.C. A&T came away with three victories and 12 top-5 finishes at USC. Among the victories at USC were the 4x400 team of senior Tori Ray, juniors Delecia McDuffie and Payton Russell and sophomore Nia Lundy running a 3:36.72 to finish ahead of South Carolina who ran a 3:38.49. The Aggies 'B' team of seniors Taliyah Townsend and Sun-Sara Williams and freshman Donae Adams and sophomore Nilaja Florence finished fifth in the 4x400 with a time of 3:46.34. 
 
Meanwhile, over at Texas Tech, the Aggies had one first-place finish and three top-5 finishes. 
 
The Aggies men's 4x400 of freshman Randolph Ross and seniors Trevor Stewart, Akeem Sirleaf and Elijah Young finished second at Tech with a time of 3:04.78. Texas A&M won the event in 3:03.21 for the fastest time in the nation thus far this season. The Aggies time is the second-best time in the country. The Aggies 'B' team of Sirleaf, Ross, Stewart and senior Kemarni Mighty have the third-fastest time in the nation after running a 3:06.06 at the Jim Green Invitational at the University of Kentucky on Jan. 10. 
 
Over in South Carolina, the Aggies 4x400 men's 'A' team of seniors Mighty, Brandy Felix and Abbas Abbkar and junior Chase Bonham finished fourth in 3:14.03 while the 'B' team finished 18th. 
 
Among the victories at USC was McDuffie winning the women's 200 meters. McDuffie led three Aggies who finished one, two and three in the event by running a 23.89. She was followed by Ray who finished in 23.90 and Townsend who finished in 23.90. Lundy was fifth with a time of 24.02 while Florence and junior Aisha Southern also finished in the top-10 as Lundy was seventh in 24.16 and Southern was eighth in 24.36. 
 
In the men's 800m, Abbkar broke the school record and took first place with a time of 1:50.45. Senior Mar'Quise McGee finished in a close third with a time of 1:51.02. 
 
The one victory at Texas Tech on Saturday came in the men's 200m for N.C. A&T. Sirleaf won the 200 in 20.90. It is the fastest indoor 200m time of his career besting the 20.95 he ran at last season's NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. 
 
Sophomore Cambrea Sturgis finished second in the women's 200m with a time of 23.10. It is the fastest 200m indoor time of her career besting her 23.19 ran at last season's Carolina Challenge. Her 23.10 is the fifth-fastest time in the nation this season. 
 
Junior Loren James led the way in the field events at USC. She placed third in the women's shot put invite and broke the school record with her best toss landing at 48-feet, 6 ¾-inches. She was eighth in the women's weight throw invite with a mark of 55-feet, 5 ½-inches. In the men's weight throw invite, junior Aaron Wilkerson finished fifth as he recorded a throw of 58-feet, 10 ¾-inches. Sophomore Obie Taylor finished fifth in the men's weight throw (48-feet, 10 ¼-inches).
 
The Aggies will return to the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem next week to compete in the Camel City Invitational, Feb. 7-8.