GAINESVILLE, Fla. – After a downpour rained out last week's Aggie Invitational to be hosted by North Carolina A&T at Marcus T. Johnson Track, the North Carolina A&T men's and women's outdoor track and field teams returned to competition at the University of Florida's 2023 Tom Jones Memorial Invitational. The Aggies will compete against nearly 40 other teams at Percy Beard Track at James G. Pressly Stadium on Friday and Saturday.
The Aggies are back at UF after competing at Percy Beard from March 31-April 1.
The Aggie men, who moved up 77 spots to the 37th-ranked team in the nation two weeks ago and one place this week to a No. 36 ranking by the United States Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), had a good showing on Friday in the hammer throw, 200-meter dash and 400-meter hurdles.
Freshman Qualiar Newton took on the first event of the day on Friday, stepping up for the men's hammer throw. Finishing 12th, Newton tossed a personal-best 171-feet, 8-inches, which added more than three feet to his old PR. Newton is already No. 3 in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) and will likely hold that spot after the weekend.
Junior Reheem Hayles (20.99) and senior Shemar Chambers (21.18) competed in the collegiate 200m dash, respectively placing 27th and 37th, against more than 70 competitors. Hayles is currently No. 1, and Chambers is No. 2 in the CAA for this event.
Graduate student Akeem Lindo and freshman Thomas Smith wrapped up the men's Friday performances in the 400 hurdles. Lindo finished 17th with a season-low 51.31, enough to topple the current CAA leader Cory Gaither Jr. (51.53). Smith finished with a personal-best of 53.54, which will probably hold his No. 4 ranking in the conference.
On the women's side, there were only two performers on Friday, and they both ran in the collegiate 200m dash. Sophomore Pebbles Scott marked a personal best time of 24.11, and junior MyKayla Perry recorded a season-low 24.70. Scott's time could move her from No. 9 to No. 6 in the CAA.
More Aggies are expected to compete on Saturday, starting with senior Julieth Nwosu in the women's discus throw at 9 a.m. Graduates Paula Salmon and sophomore Lucheyona Weaver are getting things started for the runners, who are signed up for the women's 100H preliminaries, slated for 12 p.m.
