COLUMBIA, SC – A handful of North Carolina A&T outdoor men's and women's outdoor track and field athletes competed at Cregger Track on Day 1 of the Weems Baskin Outdoor Track and Field Invitational hosted by the University of South Carolina. But it was enough for the women to secure their first win of the outdoor season. Sophomore Pebbles Scott delivered the victory in her 100-meter debut.
Going against 40 competitors, Scott took on her first collegiate 100m race and arose victorious in 11.90. Her time could move her to No. 2 in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) – just behind Elon's Reese Webster (11.83). Also making her debut in the 100m, junior MyKayla Perry placed sixth in 12.22. Her mark could potentially rank her eighth in the conference.
Junior Tashianna Gray managed to land a fourth-place finish while running her first outdoor 400m event. Gray clocked 59.12 while teammate Nilaja Florence ran 1:00.22 for 11th.
On the men's side, junior Brandon Nya placed fifth in the 400m with a run of 48.63 against some stiff competition. Less than one-third of a second kept him from the first-place title. After the weekend, Nya could move to No. 4 in the CAA.
Freshman Qualiar Newton held things down in the field events for the Aggies as he placed eighth in the hammer throw. Newton moved his personal record in the event from 162-feet, 6-inches to 168-feet, 5-inches – a mark that is likely to hold his current No. 2 ranking in the CAA.
On Saturday, the Aggies are expected to compete in several other events, including the 200m, the 4x100-meter relay, and the 100- and 110-meter hurdles. Day 2 starts with the women's 1500m and several field events at 10 a.m. The last event on Saturday's schedule is the men's 4x400 relay, scheduled for 4:05 p.m.
