Track & Field | 4/19/2025 11:02:00 PM
GREENSBORO – North Carolina A&T track and field took over the field events during the second day of the Aggie Invitational hosted by A&T at Marcus T. Johnson Track on Saturday.
The Aggies walked away from their home track and field facility with five wins in field events and a personal record (PR) from freshman Alex Henry in the men's hammer. A&T's 4x100-meter relay did what it always does and performed well while sophomore Caleb Gurnell entered the discussion as a candidate to win the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) in the men's 400 meters.
Junior Olivia Dowd had a huge outing in the women's triple jump. Dowd won the event with a PR of 42 feet, 4 inches. She will likely become the No. 1 women's triple jumper in the CAA and among HBCU jumpers. She could also move into the top 20 in the NCAA East Region and in the top 30 nationally.
Freshman Ty'Heak Buie also had a successful day in the men's triple jump. Officials measured his best leap at 52 feet, ¾ inches. It marks the second-best jump in program history behind Keenan Smith's 53-feet, ¼ inch jump at Georgia Tech in 2015. Buie's PR jump could elevate him into the top 10 in the nation and the region while making him No. 1 among HBCU jumpers and the CAA.
Sophomore teammate Xavier Partee finished third behind Buie with a jump of 50 feet, 10 ¾ inches. Partee's jump should move him into No. 2 in the CAA behind Buie while also placing among the top 35 triple jumpers in the East Region. Freshman Grant Boykin placed sixth by leaping 47 feet, 9 inches. He should move into the top 10 in the conference at the end of the weekend.
A&T also looked outstanding in the men's and women's shot put. They finished first, second and third on the men's side and first and second on the women's side. Senior Brayden Hodgest won the men's shot put with his best throw landing at 58 feet, ½ inch.
Senior teammate Carlos Alexander finished second at 55 feet, 2 inches and Henry placed third at 55 feet, ¾ inches. Henry also had a good showing in the men's hammer, finishing second with a PR of 187 feet, 6 inches. Henry could move into the top 5 in the hammer once the next week arrives.
On the women's side, graduate Julieth Nwosu claimed first place in the shot put at 52 feet, 6 inches. Junior Taylor Reagor had a PR throw of 48 feet, 3 ½ inches to finish second. A&T's final win in the field events came in the women's high jump.
Junior Spirit Morgan won the women's high jump by clearing the bar at 6 feet to finish ahead of Towson's Leeann Redlo who cleared the bar at 5 feet, 6 ½ inches. Morgan's mark was a PR and could move her into the top three in the East Region and the top 15 nationally. It definitely strengthens her lead in the CAA rankings.
On track, it was a solid day for Gurnell. Gurnell ran a 47-second PR in the men's 400 meters, leading a group of four Aggies who finished in the top four. Gurnell could move into the top three in the CAA. Freshman teammate Elijah Thomas, No. 1 in the CAA (46.71), placed second on Saturday in 47.14. Junior Dyimond Walker, another top three 400m runner in the conference, placed third in 47.32. Sophomore Xzaviah Taylor finished fourth in 47.48.
Gurnell later joined Walker, Thomas and freshman Jailen Hicks to finish second in the 4x400 3:07.28. It could be the second-best time in the conference behind A&T's A team of Jason Holmes, Isaiah Taylor, Walker, and Xzaviah Taylor. The foursome ran 3:03.10 at the Florida Relays on April 4.
The Aggies 4x100 A team, one of the best in the country, won on Saturday. Holmes, Xzaviah Taylor, Jalen Booth-Mitchell and Isaiah Taylor crossed the finish line in 39.67.
The women's 4x100 and 4x400 teams both finished second. Early in the day, the team of seniors Pebbles Scott, Lucheyona Weaver, and juniors Aaliyah Harris and Makenna Urbanek ran a season-best 45.04. The 45.04 could move the Aggies into the top ranking in the CAA at the end of the weekend.
As the event was concluding, the 4x4 team of sophomore Nina Story, senior Fajr Kelly, sophomore Serenity Brazell and sophomore Hayleigh Bryant ran a season-best 3:39, finishing behind Towson.
Junior Thomas Smith IV improved his standing in the 110-meter hurdles. Smith crossed in 13.61 and teammate Isaiah Taylor placed third in 13.66. The events at the Aggie Invitational could put three Aggies in the top four of the CAA in the 110H when Holmes is included. All three are chasing Northeastern's Ethan Exilhomme (13.54).
The Aggies were invited to the Drake Relays and will compete on April 25-26 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. A&T will also stop in Charlottesville, Va., to compete in the UVa High Performance Meet on April 27.
