Track & Field | 3/25/2023 10:29:00 PM
COLUMBIA, SC – On Day 2 of the Weems Baskin Invitational, the North Carolina A&T men's and women's outdoor track and field teams turned up the heat. Racing on the University of South Carolina's Cregger Track, the Aggies claimed 10 spots in the Colonial Athletic Association's (CAA) top-five rankings; two Aggies moved into the nation's top-10; and one relay team positioned itself in the NCAA's top-20.
Reheem Hayles took the lone win for the men's team, running a personal record of 20.71 in the 200m. New to the event, Hayles is ranked sixth nationally, fourth in the East region and No. 1 in the CAA. Racing the 200m with Hayles, Shemar Chambers (21.19) and Caleb Jackson (21.29) claimed two of the other top-five spots on the track. Chambers placed third, moving to the second-ranked 200m runner in the conference. Jackson placed fifth and ranks fourth in the league.
Hayles, Jackson, and Chambers ran with teammate Brandon Nya in the 4x100 relay earlier in the day. The men put up a mark of 40.28 to place second. The foursome is ranked first in the CAA and 19th in the country.
Moving up on the field athlete's leaderboard, Brayden Hodgest placed third in the shot put event while Carlos Alexander took fourth. Hodgest's seasonal best throw of 56-feet, 1 ¼-inch moved him to No. 1 in the conference, and Alexander's personal-record launch of 55-feet, 11 ¾-inches puts him at No. 2.
The women's team also saw some ascension. Taking the win in the 100-meter hurdles, Paula Salmon ran a 13.31. That time puts the two-time All-American in the No. 10 spot in the country and No. 1 in the conference.
Julieth Nwosu joined Salmon in the winner's circle. She championed the women's shot put with an outdoor personal record of 50-feet, 7 ¼-inches. Nwosu outthrew the second-place competitor by nearly five feet to claim a No. 1 spot in the conference.
The other top-five rankings came from the women's relay events. The ladies in the 4x100 relay – Salmon, Pebbles Scott, MyKayla Perry, and Jayla Jones – placed second on Saturday with a time of 46.91. The 4x400 runners – Lucheyona Weaver, Tashianna Gray, Jones, and Ania Campbell – placed eighth in 3:53.12. The Lady Aggies are now ranked No. 3 in the 4x100 and No. 5 in the 4x400 in the conference, respectively.
Next weekend the Aggies will take on the Pepsi Florida Relays at the University of Florida, March 31-April 1.
