Track & Field | 3/29/2025 11:00:00 PM
RALEIGH, N.C. – After three days of competition, the North Carolina A&T men's outdoor track and field team wrapped their stay at the 2025 Raleigh Relays hosted by North Carolina State University (NCSU) on Saturday with their first wins on the weekend.
And they were big!
The men's team started their day with junior Jason Holmes, sophomores Jordan Ware, Xzaviah Taylor, and Isaiah Taylor leading the 4x100-meter relay in 39.24. Their performance has moved the team to the No. 3 spot in the country — behind Minnesota (38.78) and South Florida (38.88).
Meanwhile, the men's 4x400 team ended the day with a win. They jumped to No. 3 in the nation after sophomores Caleb Gurnell, Ware, Nakhi Benjamin, and Isaiah Taylor won in 3:05.99. In the NCAA rankings, the Aggie 4x400 runners fall only behind Florida (3:04.30) and Norfolk State (3:05.67).
Besides the relay events, graduate Brandon Nya and the men's 800m runners also had a pretty good day. Nya tied for fifth in the men's 200 meters with a time of 20.92. That leads the CAA and ranks 21st in the NCAA East Region. The race was led by Professional Athlete Jamal Britt (20.56).
A substantial 160 runners participated in the men's 800m; therefore, meet officials divided the race into 17 sections. Every Aggie that ran finished first their heat. Junior Dawson Grogran (1:50.60) won Heat 12, sophomore Dyimond Walker (1:50.70) won Heat 10, and freshman Elijah Thomas (1:50.95) won Heat 9.
On the women's side, senior Pebbles Scott, sophomore Kymara Brodie, sophomore Hayleigh Bryant, and junior Jada Hodge placed fourth in the 4x100 relay, with a time of 45.57. They are now second in the conference behind Towson's 45.49. Pebbles Scott competed again in the women's 200m and placed 11th in 23.86.
Junior Olivia Dowd long jumped an outdoor best of 17 feet, 9 ¾ inches that placed 30th, and freshman Jaylen Spencer competed in her first 400-meter hurdles race with a time of 1:04.59, which ranked 38th.
Up next for the Aggies will be the Florida Relays, April 4-5, at the University of Florida's Percy Beard Track.
