Track & Field | 4/22/2022 11:05:00 PM
EAST GREENSBORO – A year ago, senior North Carolina A&T men's track field jumper Brandon Hicklin finished the season as the fourth-best outdoor long jumper in America. As of today, he is No. 1.
Hicklin jumped a personal-best 26-feet, 10-inches on Friday during the first day of the Aggie Classic at A&T's Marcus T. Johnson Track. It is the No. 1 jump in the country as the weekend begins.
He came into the weekend ranked 16th nationally but jumped more than a foot better on Friday to leapfrog 15 spots. His previous personal best stood at 25-feet, 11 ½-inches, which he posted to finish fourth nationally at the NCAA Division I outdoor championships.
Freshman Aeneas Reed finished seventh with a personal-best 23-feet, 7 ¼-inches.
Hicklin's jump highlighted the day, but it was not the only impressive performance for the Aggies men's and women's outdoor track and field teams. A&T had two other first-place finishes, both coming in the 200 meters.
Gold medalist Randolph Ross Jr. made his first appearance at his home track this season and did not disappoint. He won the men's 200M in 20.51. He won easily over two unattached runners in Guy Maganga Gorra (20.77) and his former teammate Akeem Sirleaf (20.82). Ross Jr. and Sirleaf won an event national championship together in the outdoor 4x400-meter relay in 2021.
Senior Delecia McDuffie had a win and broke a personal record in the women's 200. McDuffie finished ahead of graduate teammate Symone Darius with a time of 22.89. She bested her previous best outdoor 200 time (23.02) at the North Florida Invite on April 29, 2021.
McDuffie put herself in a position to reach the NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round in Bloomington, Ind., May 26-28. She could rank in the top-15 nationally in the 200M by the end of the weekend.
Darius also put herself in the conversation for the east prelim by finishing in 23.02. That could be good enough for a top-20 spot nationally. Freshman Pebbles Scott finished fifth in 24.18.
A&T also did well in the 400 hurdles. For the second time in as many weeks, sophomore Nia Frederick recorded a personal best. On Friday, she finished second behind G.W. Express/Nike's Tia-Adana Belle (55.77) in 58.69 in the 400H, besting the personal-best 58.90 she recorded last week at High Point University's Meet of Champions.
Frederick is still second in the conference behind Charleston Southern's Jewel Ash. Graduates Breanna Bygrave (1:00.15) and Paula Salmon (1:00.80) finished third and fourth, respectively, in the 400H.
On the men's side, senior Cory Poole also topped his personal best in the 400H. He finished second behind Puma chase athletic's Andre Clark (49.35). Poole ran a 50.18 as the top collegiate finisher, to top his previous best (50.20) he posted two weeks ago at the University of Florida's Florida Relays. Senior Akeem Lindo finished third in 50.84.
Junior Julieth Nwosu improved her status as the best women's discus thrower in the Big South. She tossed the discus a personal-best 157-feet, 3-inches. She topped the personal-best 156-feet, 7-inches she posted last week at HPU.
Sophomore Jade King finished second in the long jump at 18-feet, 7 3/4-inches. Senior Ayoola Gbolade ran a personal-best 4:44.78 to finish fourth. She ran 4:45.09 on March 18 at HPU. Freshman Fajr Kelly also ran a personal best in the 1500 after crossing the finish line in 4:49.22. Senior Devon Williams ran a personal-best 3:59.26 in the men's 1500.
The second day of the Aggie Classic at Marcus T. Johnson Track begins Saturday morning at 10. The first running event is at noon. The second day will air live on ESPN+ starting at noon.
