EUGENE, Ore. – Pull out the calculators and let the mathematics begin.
The equation to be solved is whether the North Carolina A&T men's and women's outdoor track and field teams will bring enough points with them to the University of Oregon's new Hayward Field Track and Field Stadium for the NCAA Track and Field Championships, June 9-12, to win a national championship in their respective sports.
It is an amazing thing to contemplate.
To think N.C. A&T would be in this position five years ago when both programs kept coming up one or two points shy of winning Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championships may have seemed far-fetched to many.
To think N.C. A&T, a school with its roots deeply sown in the historically black college or university (HBCU) tradition, would be in this position when Duane Ross took over the track and field programs at N.C. A&T in 2012, to many, was downright inconceivable.
To some, it still may be. But to Ross, it's simple. His teams are just doing track and field, nothing more, nothing less.
"It's great to see a Norfolk State or a Coppin State at regionals or nationals," said Ross. "I'm excited when I see other MEAC schools at big meets. This is track and field. It shouldn't be labeled. A team should not be celebrated for making NCAAs based on their affiliation. This is the best event in the world. It's man against man, woman against woman."
At the same time, the moment and where N.C. A&T stands in the track world, and how HBCU graduates view that around the globe is not missed on him either.
"We understand that it's not just about races," Ross said. "We understand what we're doing is making an impact in other areas. We want to be competitive and treated like any other team. We don't want to come in and say we were the best HBCU to do it. That was never our plan. We want to be the best at it, period. I think our kids understand that.
But again, we understand this is bigger than just winning races. We know this is about our community and our culture, which has supported us for years and has been with us during lean times as we built this program up. We love our alumni, we love our culture, and we love our base. So yes, we're proud of that."
So how is that math looking? The average score of the last five men's NCAA champions is 64.5 points, with the low score in that span being 52 points by the University of Georgia. The highest score over the past five championships was 85 points by the University of Florida.
With that as the backdrop, the task ahead is a difficult one but not impossible. N.C. A&T is sending a record number of athletes to the NCAA nationals. Nine Aggie men will compete in nine events, and nine Aggie women will compete in six events this week.
On the men's side, the Aggies bring to the championships two of the best 400-meter runners in the world in senior Trevor Stewart and freshman Randolph Ross, Jr. If the fabulous 400m duo can finish first and second in the event, it would garner the Aggies 18 points.
The Aggies also go into the championships with the top-ranked 4x400-meter relay team in the country. Ross Jr., Stewart, senior Akeem Sirleaf and junior Daniel Stokes ran the third-fastest time in NCAA history at the NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round last week with a 2:59.21.
Their goal is to win the national championship in the event and break the collegiate record, which stands at 2:59.00 by LSU. If the foursome does that, it would add another 10 points to the Aggies totals.
Then there is freshman Javonte Harding who could have a significant impact on the Aggie men. He will appear in the 100, 200 and the 4x100 along with Sirleaf, Ross Jr., and Stokes.
The Aggie men could also score points in the long jump (junior Brandon Hicklin), the 400-meter hurdles (senior Akeem Lindo), the 110mh (junior Cory Poole) and the 800m (fifth-year senior Abbas Abbkar).
On the women's side, there may be a ton of points to be had in the 100mh as junior Paula Salmon and seniors TeJyrica Robinson and Madeleine Akobundu will compete on Thursday.
Sophomore Cambrea Sturgis could also score big for the Aggies in the 100, 200 and 4x100. She is one of only four competitors in the 100 to go under 11 seconds this season. She is one of only five competitors with a 200 time under 22.5. Sophomore Kamaya Debose-Epps is also in the 100,200 and 4x100.
The other two Aggies in the 4x100 are junior Symone Darius and freshman Jonah Ross. Jonah Ross will also make an appearance in the 200m and the 4x400 along with junior Delecia McDuffie, Salmon and Darius. N.C. A&T could also score in the high jump with sophomore Kenady Wilson.
The average score of the last five women's NCAA champions is 62.4 points, with the low score in that span 53 points by Southern Cal. The highest score over the past five championships was 72 by the University of Arkansas.
But long before the NCAA championships, the Aggie men and women were doing their calculations.
"It all started at the beginning of the season when we had to adapt during COVID (pandemic) shutdown everyone was enduring," said Ross. "My staff and I sat down and made a plan, and right now, everything is going according to plan.
We had a good regional meet, and we're looking forward to having an even better NCAA meet. When it's over, I'll look back on it and say, 'mission accomplished,' we did a good job on this; let's figure out how we can do better next season."
