Track & Field | 2/22/2024 11:57:00 PM
NEW YORK – Junior Aeneas Reed, Jr. scored big for the North Carolina A&T men's indoor track and field team on Thursday during the first day of the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Track and Field Indoor Championships at the Armory Track.
Reed won his first-ever individual conference championship by claiming the men's long jump title by posting a personal-record (PR) jump of 24 feet, 1 inch. He became the first male Aggie in program history to win an indoor jump event at the CAA indoor championships. Reed finished third last season at the CAA indoor championships and gave no indication recently that his historic jump was coming.
He fouled on his long jumps at the Dr. Sander Invitational Columbia Challenge at the Armory last month and jumped less than 22 feet at the Hokie Invitational on Jan. 18. But on Friday, Reed's best jump beat Hofstra's Nile Love by a quarter-inch. Freshman teammate Kaleb Lucas placed third with a PR jump of 23 feet, 11 inches. Lucas' last PR came at the Armory when he jumped 23 feet, 2 ½ inches at the Dr. Sander Invitational Columbia Challenge.
Reed and Lucas compiled 16 points for an Aggies team that scored 29 on Thursday to finish Day 1 in third place. The A&T women are in 12th place after posting one point. Another chunk of points for the A&T men came from the weight throw, where Qualiar Newton finished second. His best throw measured 61 feet, ¼ inch, another PR for an A&T Aggie on Thursday.
Newton's previous best throw landed at 60 feet, 2 ½ inches, a throw he recorded at the Armory last month. He finished behind Northeastern's Nicholas Pisciotta, who won by tossing the weight throw 61 feet, 10 ½ inches. In the same event, the Aggies received two more points from Carlos Alexander, who finished seventh at 55 feet, 9 inches.
The men's other three points came from the DMR (distance medley relay), where freshman Kamren Kennedy, sophomore Jayden Crosby, freshman Eddie Hall and junior Kylan Willis finished sixth in 10:40.60. A&T remains in contention for a title run on the men's thanks to a strong day of qualifying.
Of course, the men's 60-meter hurdles team, one of the best in the country, did as expected and qualified four athletes led by sophomore Jason Holmes. Holmes had the fastest qualifying time, running a 7.89. Junior Aveon Reid (8.07), freshmen Isaiah Taylor (8.23), and Xzaviah Taylor (8.25) will join Holmes in the final.
Graduate sprinter Shemar Chambers had a solid showing on Day 1. He ran a season-best 47.12 in the men's 400m to record the fastest qualifying time. A trio of Aggies made the 60m men's and 200m finals. Senior Brandon Nya had the fifth-fastest qualifying time in the 60m on Thursday at 6.79. He will be joined by teammates Caleb Jackson (6.80) and Jaeden Gumbs (6.82).
Meanwhile, Chambers (21.35), Isaiah Taylor (21.40) and Nya (21.42) made it through to the 200m final. Kennedy qualified for the men's 800m with a time of 1:52.15.
On the women's side, Lucheyona Weaver will participate in the 60H and 60m finals on Friday. Weaver had the fastest qualifying time in the 60H by running a meet-record 8.26. Weaver is the defending CAA 60H champion. Senior Shadajah Ballard also qualified for the final at 8.68. Weaver qualified for the 60 in 7.55. It was the fifth-fastest time on Thursday. Junior Pebbles Scott (7.53) and freshman Makenna Urbaneck (7.55) also qualified.
Junior Fajr Kelly, who came into the championships with the fastest women's 800m time with a conference record 2:06.56, had the second fastest qualifying time on Thursday at 2:10.46. Freshman Serenity Brazell also qualified at 2:13.74. Scott made the 200m final at 24.18. The only point for the A&T women came in the women's long jump as senior Jade King finished eighth at 18 feet, 8 ¾ inches.
The action on Day 2 at the Armory starts at 9:15 a.m. on Saturday.
