Track & Field | 1/28/2022 11:33:00 PM
CLEMSON, S.C. – Graduate
Paula Salmon made it super clear at the outset of the track and field indoor season she wanted to claim national titles in three hurdle events in the 60-meter hurdles, 100mh and 400mh.
Well, she sure is striving in the right direction toward the first of those goals.
The North Carolina A&T men's and women's indoor track and field teams completed the first day of the Bob Pollack Invitational hosted by Clemson University at the Clemson Indoor Track and Field Facility.
Salmon followed her record-breaking performance from two weeks ago at Clemson with another stunning performance in the 60mh. It was an excellent day in the hurdles for the Aggies as freshman
Leonard Mustari won the men's 60mh.
Early in the day, Salmon ran a 7.95 in the hurdle preliminary. She fell a few hundredths of a second off her 7.91 time two weeks ago at Clemson, which broke a school record, ranked as the 13th-best 60mh collegiate time ever, and ranked second in the country at the time.
She bested those accomplishments in Friday's final. Salmon ran a 7.89 in the final to win as she completed the ninth-fastest 60mh in NCAA history. She could be ranked as high as second in the nation when the weekend is over.
Mustari is now ranked second in the hurdles on the men's side. Mustari posted a 7.71 two weeks ago before returning to Clemson to run a 7.64 in the 60mh prelim. In the final, he ran a 7.58 to win the event. Senior teammate
Rasheem Brown finished fifth behind Mustari with a time of 7.80. However, Brown did run a 7.71 in the prelim, a tad slower than the 7.70 he ran two weeks prior.
The Aggies had two fourth-place finishes in the 60 meters. On the ladies' side, senior
Kamaya Debose-Epps ran a 7.39, and senior
Tavarius Wright completed the 60 final in 6.66.
Senior
Daniel Stokes opened the season ranked fifth in the nation in the men's 400m by running a 46.71 in his season debut two weeks ago. He improved on that time on Friday as he finished third with a time of 46.65.
A&T also looked good in distance races. Senior
Morris Kimble placed third in the men's 5000m at 15:29.20. In the women's distance medley relay, freshmen Fajr Kelly and
Pebbles Scott, senior Ayoola Gbodale and sophomore
Jayla Jones ran the DMR in 12:32.01 to finish fourth.
Senior
Brandon Hicklin had the best showing for A&T in the field events. He placed sixth in the men's long jump. On his best jump, Hicklin landed at 25-feet, 3/4-inches. Mustari doubled on Friday as he finished 13th in the long jump (23-feet, 6-inches).
The Aggies will return for Day 2 on Saturday. Field events start at 10 a.m., and track events begin at 11 a.m.
