RALEIGH, N.C. – Do not sleep on North Carolina A&T women's track and field.
With all the excitement surrounding the A&T men's indoor team finishing as the national runner-up two weeks ago, one can easily forget that the women finished tied for fourth nationally in outdoor in 2021.
The ladies excelled Friday at the Raleigh Relays hosted by North Carolina State University (NCSU) at Derr Track.
Three ladies earned first-place finishes, with graduate Delecia McDuffie earning her third first-place finish on the young season. One gentleman did enter the winner's circle on Friday as senior Elijah Young won the 400 meters.
Graduate Paula Salmon started the day with a sterling performance in the 100 hurdles. Salmon made her 2022 outdoor debut on Friday after completing an indoor season in which she broke the 60H school record three times while also breaking the Big South Conference record and earning first-team All-American honors.
She picked up where she left off as she won the 100H in 12.92 to record the world's fastest time this year. She nearly broke the facility and meet record, which still stands at 12.90. She is ranked No. 1 in the country after the event.
McDuffie continued her excellent start to the 2022 outdoor season. A week after she broke High Point University's women's 400M Vert Stadium record with a time of 53.10, she followed up by winning the 400 at NCSU in 53.46. McDuffie, the reigning Big South women's track athlete of the week, also has a 4x400-meter relay win this season.
The Lady Aggies other win came in the high jump. Junior Kenady Wilson cleared the bar at 5-feet, 10-inches, missing her personal best by a half-inch. She jumped 5'10 ½-inches at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships to win the event in 2021.
Wilson's jump should place her in the top-10 nationally after the weekend is over. Graduate Nazah Reddick placed third by soaring over the bar at 5-feet, 7-inches.
A&T's ladies also had two fourth-places finishes in field events. Sophomore Arrieya Harper finished fourth in the triple jump at 40-feet, 7-inches.
It established a new outdoor personal best, exceeding the 40-foot, 6 ¾-inch jump she had at HPU last week. Harper ranks No. 1 in the triple jump in the Big South and is among the top-25 nationally.
Graduate Loren James placed fourth in the women's shot put with a throw of 51-feet, 6 ½-inches to place her No. 1 in the Big South. She could move into the top-20 nationally after the weekend.
Young gave the Aggie men their second straight win in the 400M. A week after freshman Markevus Jackson won the event at HPU at 46.58, Young ran 46.49. Friday marked his first career win in the outdoor 400.
A&T will return for the third day of Raleigh Relays on Saturday. Field events begin at 9:45 a.m., and track events start at 11:45 a.m.
