Track & Field | 6/7/2023 12:04:00 PM
AUSTIN, TEXAS – It is all about Wednesday if you are a male North Carolina A&T outdoor track and field athlete. If you are female, it is all about Thursday.
The A&T outdoor track and field outdoor programs are seeking national glory this week at the 2023 NCAA Track and Field Championships hosted by the University of Texas at Mike A. Myers Stadium.
The men compete on Wednesday, with junior Shemar Chambers and sophomore Reheem Hayles competing in the 400 meters at 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on ESPNU. Almost two hours later, at 10:48, Chambers, Hayles, juniors Caleb Jackson and Brandon Nya, along with potential alternates in graduates Malcolm Croom-McFadden and Ryan Saint-Germain, will compete in the 4x400-meter relay.
A&T's two female NCAA national qualifiers, graduate hurdler Paula Salmon and graduate sprinter Jada Griffin, began their quest for national titles on Thursday. Salmon will compete in the 100-meter hurdles at 9:32 p.m. EST, and Griffin will get underway in the 400m at 10 p.m.
For rookie head coach Allen Johnson, coaching at his first NCAA championship meet as a director of track and field programs, nothing else matters until Wednesday and Thursday are completed.
"We feel good about things going into nationals," said Johnson. "For the men, it's all about Wednesday night. For Jada and Paula, the only thing we're talking about is Thursday night. And after that, we will reassess things and go from there."
Johnson's 1,2 combination of Hayles and Chambers in the 400m has been impressive all season. Hayles was once No. 1 in the country after running a personal-best 45.47 at the University of Florida's Pepsi Relays on April 1. He has consistently been under 46 seconds all season, but a strong headwind at the 2023 NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round quarterfinal race put him at 46.74.
"When I got here, I was impressed with Shemar and Reheem immediately," said Johnson. "For Reheem, it's all about mindset," said Johnson. "We've been through all the training and preparation throughout the season. All of that is there. At this point, it is about mindset, going out there, and executing the race to a T."
Chambers finished just three/hundredths of a second behind Hayles for the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) 400m outdoor title at William & Mary University on May 6. Chambers and Hayles are competing in their first NCAA nationals as individuals. Both men went last year as members of A&T's 4x400 team that earned first-team All-American honors.
In 2023, Chambers stepped out of the relay shadows to put his name alongside other great 400m runners in A&T program history. He excelled in the role. Like Hayles, he ran his personal best at the Pepsi Relays, running a 45.73.
"The main thing I have seen in Shemar is his consistency in understanding how his race is run," said Johnson. "When you understand how the race is run, then it's easier to be consistent, and because of that, Shemar is in a rhythm right now. He is hitting all his points."
Meanwhile, Johnson has two female runners looking for their last opportunities at first-team All-American or national championship accolades. Salmon has tons of championship experience as she travels to her third career NCAA outdoor national. She finished fourth nationally in the 100H a year ago before earning second-team All-America accolades in 2021. She had her best meet of the season at regionals, going under 13 seconds in the hurdles twice after not running under 13 seconds all season.
"Paula had a huge drop from what she was running," said Johnson, a three-time Olympic hurdler. "It's like everything clicked in Jacksonville. It's funny because I was watching her warm up, and I thought, wow, she looks ready to go. She then ran 12.7, and I was like, okay, I was right. She was ready."
Griffin does not have any championship experience. She will have her NCAA nationals debut after transferring from North Carolina State University (NCSU) because she said she had reached her potential there.
"Jada's confidence has grown tremendously," said Johnson, who served as an assistant coach at NCSU during Griffin's time there. "Being in this environment has helped a lot. There is a winning culture here. There is a championship culture here. Everybody here is about getting to the next level – conference champion, regional qualifier, nationals qualifier, national champion.
That's the expectation here. Everything rubs off, and when you're around people who want those things, it rubs off."
The men's championship events will occur on Friday, and the women will compete for national titles on Saturday. The Aggies enter the championships with three event outdoor national championships on the men's side and two on the women's side. How can they add more?
"Like Paula had a big drop at regionals, we're hoping everyone has a big drop at nationals," said Johnson.
