Track & Field | 2/12/2022 10:50:00 PM
CLEMSON, S.C. – The North Carolina A&T men's and women's indoor track and field teams closed out their time at the Tiger Paw Invitational hosted by Clemson University at the Clemson Indoor Track and Field Complex.
The marquee matchup on Saturday occurred in the men's 200 meters. The race featured five of the top six 200-meter sprinters in the nation. That included the No. 1 men's 200-meter runner in Georgia's Matthew Boling against the nation's No. 2 200-meter man in A&T sophomore Javonte' Harding.
Harding got off to a fast start, but Boling made up the deficit in the turn. The two men sprinted the final 30 meters side-by-side until Boling leaned forward for the win. Boling ran a 20.41 to beat Harding, who ran a 20.43. The two men remain 1,2 in the country, with Boling running a 20.27 at the Razorback Invitational on Jan. 28 and Harding recording a 20.33 at the Bob Pollock Invitational on Jan. 28.
Two Kentucky Wildcats finished third and fourth, respectively, with Kennedy Lightner running a 20.45 and Lance Lang crossing in 20.59. Georgia's Elija Godwin came in fifth at 20.60. Lightner and Lance went into the day ranked third and fifth nationally in the 200, while Godwin was ranked sixth.
The only individual missing from the top-6 was A&T's Randolph Ross Jr., ranked fourth nationally with his 20.57 at the Pollock Invite.
Aggies senior Daniel Stokes is now the nation's 12th-best 200m runner after finishing sixth on Saturday with his best indoor 200m time ever at 20.75. Sophomore Brandon Nya also ran his best indoor 200m time at 21.35.
The Aggies also had several personal records (PR) on Saturday. Senior Ayoola Gbolade finished fourth in the women's 800 with a 2:06.63 PR. Freshman teammate Fajr Kelly placed 12th (2:12.74).
After running a 7.27 60m PR on Friday to finish second, graduate Symone Darius returned on Saturday to run a 23.24 PR in the women's 200 to finish sixth.
Freshman Brayden Hodgest and sophomore Arrieya Harper had PRs in field events on Saturday. Hodgest threw a PR 52-feet, 2-inches in the men's shot put a day after throwing a PR in the weight throw on Friday at 49-feet, 3 ½-inches. Harper jumped 40-feet, 10 ½-inches to tie her triple jump PR she recorded at the Pollock Invite.
The Aggies will compete in their first-ever Big South Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships in two weeks. The event will take place, Feb. 24-25 at the JDL Fast Track. It will be the Aggies fourth time competing there this season.
