- Hayles remains undefeated
- A&T returns to action after week away from competition
- Salmon, Weaver finish 1,2 again in 60H
COLUMBIA, SC – It's back to the grind!
And with that, it's back to winning for junior long sprinter Reheem Hayles.
After taking last week off from competition, the North Carolina A&T men's and women's indoor track and field teams doubled back to the University of South Carolina for the 2023 South Carolina Invitational at the Carolina Indoor Track and Field Complex on Friday.
After winning twice two weeks ago at the Carolina Indoor Track and Field Complex, Hayles was back at it on Friday.
Hayles marked his fifth-straight victory of the season by running a season-best 46.14 to champion the men's 400 meters. It is his best career indoor 400m time and could move him to No. 6 in the country by the end of the weekend. Senior teammate Shemar Chambers took second place with an impressive 46.43 season debut, which could easily place him second in the conference. Chambers could also rise to No. 3 in the Southeast and the nation's top-20.
In the women's 400m, spectators saw a great matchup between Aggie graduate Jada Griffin, ranked No. 4 in the Southeast, and Charlotte's Maya Singletary, ranked No. 5. Singletary bested Griffin by a half second to take first.
But Griffin still managed to run an indoor personal-best 53.71. Griffin came into the weekend with the CAA's fastest 400m time, and that is likely to continue after the weekend. Possibly moving into spot No. 2 is sophomore Pebbles Scott.
Scott took fourth in the women's 400m on Friday, clocking an indoor personal-best 54.89. She is already ranked No. 5 in the CAA, but going under 55 seconds will likely bump her up.
The Aggies finished 1,2 in the women's 60-meter hurdles for the second time this season graduate Paula Salmon and sophomore Lucheyona Weaver again provided the first and second-place finishes. Running neck and neck across the finish line, Salmon crossed the finish line in 8.19, and Weaver finished in 8.21. Salmon is already No. 1 in the conference, but her most recent win-time currently falls at No. 2 in the Southeast rankings and No. 13 nationwide. Those numbers could change depending on what happens across the country on Saturday.
Weaver's 8.21 marked a personal best for the young runner, who has dropped her PR time from 8.74 over the last three meets. Weaver ranks No. 2 in the CAA and No. 4 in the Southeast, and her recent run could put her in the nation's top-20.
Freshman Jason Holmes gave a good 60H showing for the men while taking on some stiff competition. Holmes crossed the finish line in fifth with a personal best of 7.82. One-tenth of a second separated the top-six competitors. Holmes' PR will probably hold his No. 2 ranking in the CAA, and he's likely to move from No. 8 to No. 7 in the region.
Holding things down in the field events, junior Jade King broke 18-feet in the women's long jump for the first time this season, and the first time since jumping 18-feet, 1 ¾ inches on Jan. 23, 2022. She placed third on Friday by leaping 18-feet, 4 ½-inches. She was two inches shy of obtaining her indoor PR but still could rank in the CAA's top-10.
The South Carolina Invitational will carry over into Saturday, with several scheduled events remaining. Day 2 begins with the men's pole vault at 10 a.m. and ends with the men's 4x400 at 5:40.
