Track & Field | 5/23/2025 12:50:00 PM
GREENSBORO – The North Carolina A&T men's and women's outdoor track and field programs will send 24 student-athletes to the 2025 NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round, also commonly known as regionals, May 28-31, at the University of North Florida's Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. Injuries prevented the Aggies from qualifying more.
The top 48 declared athletes from the East and West regions qualify for the two preliminary rounds. The top 25 relay teams from each region also make the Prelims.
Graduate thrower Julieth Nwosu made history this week when she qualified for regionals in two different throwing events, marking the first time in women's program history a thrower has qualified for regionals in two different events. Nwosu threw the shot put 53 feet, 10 ½ inches at N.C. State's Raleigh Relays on March 27.
Nwosu comes into the East Prelims ranked 23rd in the shot put. She threw 171 feet, 1 inch in the discus at A&T's Aggie Classic on May 2 to rank 31st in the region. More history was made when junior Taylor Reagor threw the shot put personal record (PR) 51 feet at the Dani Palooza Last Chance meet on May 18. It put her 41st in the region, marking the first time in women's outdoor program history that two A&T throwers qualified for East Prelims.
The top qualifier on the women's side is junior high jumper Spirit Morgan. Morgan is ranked No. 4 in the NCAA East in the women's high jump after jumping 6 feet, ¾ inches at the 2025 CAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships hosted by A&T, May 14-15. Morgan ranks 12th nationally. The Aggies' other qualifier in the field events is junior Olivia Dowd.
Dowd is the first women's triple jumper to qualify for regionals since Arrieya Haper qualified in 2022. Senior Fajr Kelly was declared at No. 46 in the region after running a 2:05.18 PR at the University of Florida's Florida Relays on April 5. Senior Lucheyona Weaver returns to the East Prelims, qualifying in the 100-meter hurdles. Weaver qualified for regionals in the 100H for the second straight season. She ran 13.21 at Florida Relays to enter East Prelims, ranked 27th.
The women's 4x100-meter relay team of senior Pebbles Scott, Weaver, and sophomores Hayleigh Bryant and Makenna Urbanek ran a Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) and CAA meet record 44.33 a week ago and will enter regionals ranked 18th. Senior Jada Hodge and junior Aaliyah Harris will go as alternates.
The A&T men are sending two relay teams to Florida. Freshman Elijah Thomas, sophomore Xzaviah Taylor, junior Dyimond Walker, and sophomore Isaiah Taylor, Xzaviah's twin brother, ran 3:03.10 at Florida Relays to rank sixth in the region. Thomas, sophomore Caleb Gurnell, freshman Jailen Hicks, and Isaiah Taylor won the 4x400 at the CAA outdoor championships a week ago.
All six will go to regionals, along with sophomore Nakhi Benjamin.
In the 4x100, junior Jason Holmes and sophomores Jordan Ware and the Taylor twins ran 38.96 at Florida Relays and qualified as the eighth-ranked team in the region. However, senior Jaeden Gumbs, the Taylor twins and freshman Correy McManus Jr. competed at the CAA outdoor championships. Brandon Nya will also be an alternate.
In addition, the Aggies are sending two 400-meter runners to regionals led by Thomas' 46.19 at the CAA outdoor championships. Gurnell also qualified after running 46.25 at CAA outdoors. Isaiah Taylor qualified for regionals in both hurdle events – the 110H and 400H. Isaiah Taylor is 20th in the region in the 110H (13.66) and 20th in the 400H (50.49).
His brother Xzaviah will also compete in the 400H after running 50.38 at Florida Relays to qualify as the 17th-ranked 400 hurdler in the East Region. Thomas Smith IV is scheduled to return to regionals after qualifying this season with a 13.61 at A&T's Aggie Classic on May 3.
Benjamin's 20.75 in the men's 200m at the Aggie Invitational has him in the regionals. Meanwhile, Walker is in as an 800m runner after running a 1:48.29 at CAA outdoors. In the field events, the Aggies have two athletes led by senior leader Brayden Hodgest in the shot put (59 feet, 1 ¼ inches). Partee jumped 52 feet, 1 ¼ inches at CAAs and will enter ranked 12th.
N.C. A&T Women
Fajr Kelly (800m), Lucheyona Weaver (100mH, 4x100), Spirit Morgan (High Jump), Olivia Dowd (Triple Jump), Julieth Nwosu (Shot Put/Discus Throw), Taylor Reagor (Shot Put), Pebbles Scott (4x100), Hayleigh Bryant (4x100), Jada Hodge (4x100), Aaliyah Harris (4x100), Makenna Urbanek (4x100).
N.C. A&T Men
Xavier Partee (Triple Jump), Brayden Hodgest (Shot Put), Nakhi Benjamin (200m, 4x400), Elijah Thomas (400m, 4x400), Caleb Gurnell (400m, 4x400), Dyimond Walker (800m, 4x400), Isaiah Taylor (110mH/400mH, 4x400), Thomas Smith IV (110mH), Xzaviah Taylor (400mH, 4x400), Jordan Ware (4x100), Jailen Hicks (4x400), Jaeden Gumbs (4x100), Correy McManus Jr. (4x100), Brandon Nya (4x100).
