HIGH POINT, NC – The North Carolina A&T men's and women's outdoor track and field teams made their return to completion after the global pandemic forced the 2020 season to be canceled. 

N.C. A&T's return was not an auspicious one as the Aggies competed at the High Point University's Bill Webb Combined Events & Bob Davidson Memorial Invitational at Vert Stadium. 

On Day 1 of the event, the Aggies only had four student-athletes – all throwers – competed after the men's indoor team celebrated a fifth-place finish at nationals last week and the men's 4x400-meter relay team celebrated winning a national championship at nationals. 

Senior thrower Loren James competed in the women's hammer throw, where she finished seventh with her best tosses landing at 154-feet, 3-inches. James competed for the first time since Jan. 23 at the Carolina Challenge hosted by the University of South Carolina. She had not competed in an outdoor event since May 4, 2019, at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships hosted by N.C. A&T at Irwin Belk Track.

In the same event, .sophomore James Jenkins tossed the hammer 151-feet, 9-inches to finish 10th. It was Jenkins' outdoor debut for the Aggies and her first meet since an appearance at the Carolina Challenge on Jan. 23. 

Freshman Joy Harris made her Aggies debut and finished 11th in the women's javelin with a throw of 103-feet, 8 ¾-inches. Kevin Fofanah placed seventh in the hammer throw on the men's side after his best toss went 154-feet, 4-4 ½-inches. 

Fofanah competed for the first in over a year as his last competitive throw came on Feb. 28, 2020, at the MEAC Indoor Track and Field Championships. His last outdoor event came on May 3, 2019, at the MEAC outdoor championships. 

The Aggies are back at HPU for Day 2 on Saturday.