EAST GREENSBORO – The North Carolina A&T men's and women's outdoor track and field teams hosted their second meet of the season at Irwin Belk Track on Saturday, earning two first-place victories at the 2021 Aggie Classic.
Senior thrower
Loren James continued her amazing season by winning the women's shot put. Senior
Cedric McGriff earned the Aggies other victory as he took first place in the men's 110-meter hurdles.
James secured her third victory of the season in the shot put. On Saturday, James tossed the shot put 47-feet, 8 ½-inches to win the event by almost two feet over East Carolina's Naadiya Faison. James, the two-time reigning Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) female field athlete of the week, has competed in the shot put six times this season with three first-place finishes, two second-place finishes and one fourth-place finish.
James also took second place in the women's hammer throw. Her best toss landed at 164-feet, 2-inches. Liberty's Grace Artis won the event going away with a throw of 173-feet, 2-inches.
McGriff took the 110mh in 14.56 after posting the fastest qualifying time earlier in the day with a 14.23. It was the second-fastest qualifying time. McGriff's best time this season was a 14.04 ran at the Aggie Invitational at Irwin Belk Track on April 10. McGriff's best time ranks him fifth in the MEAC. Saturday marked McGriff's third career win.
The Aggies went on to total 21 top-5 finishes on Saturday, including three runners finishing in the top-5 of the men's 5000 meters. Sophomores
Morris Kimble and
Jordan Richardson and junior
Regan Kimtai had outstanding showings in the long distance event.
Kimble finished second by running a personal-best 15:17.00. It is the second-fastest time in the conference this season. Kimtai finished in fourth place with a time of 16:00.30. He has the seventh-fastest time in the conference. Richardson placed fifth in 16:06.80 for the eighth-fastest time in the MEAC.
The Aggies also had a good showing in the women's 200m where
Aisha Southern finished second with a personal-best time of 24.30. Senior
Payton Russell finished fifth in 24.80. Southern also had a third-place finish in the women's 100m at 11.98.
In the men's 200m, sophomore
Malcolm Croom-McFadden finished third in 21.60. The Aggies other third-place finishes included senior
Matthew Moore finishing third in the men's 400mh at 54.20. Senior
Abbas Abbkar finished third in the men's 400m with a time of 47.85. Freshman Mykayla Perry finished third in the women's 400m at 55.65.
The Aggies are scheduled to participate in the University of North Florida Invitational, April 29-30.
