Track & Field | 5/29/2025 6:44:00 PM
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – More inclement weather hampered the second day of the 2025 NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round on Thursday at the University of North Florida's Hodges Stadium.
Day 2 included the ladies' first day of competition, even though two male events competed on Thursday – the shot put and the pole vault – because of numerous weather delays on Wednesday. The ladies had the same problems on Thursday; therefore, officials delayed the women's pole vault and the shot put until Friday.
Both shot put delays affected A&T, with the men's shot put featuring senior Brayden Hodgest on Thursday instead of Wednesday. Hodgest likely saw his collegiate career end after failing to qualify for the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field National Championship meet, June 11-14, in Eugene, Ore. But he will not leave without setting the men's outdoor program record in the shot put once again.
Hodgest tossed the shot put a personal-record 59 feet, 1 ½ inches. The throw also constituted a program record, marking the third time Hodgest has broken the program record in the shot put. Hodgest has the top three throws in the history of the men's outdoor program and the top five in the history of the men's indoor program.
The A&T women are awaiting their opportunity to compete in the shot put. They are still waiting to make history. In the shot put, Graduate Julieth Nwosu and junior Taylor Reagor qualified for the NCAA East Prelims. It marked the first time in women's program history that two A&T throwers qualified for regionals.
The two women were supposed to throw on Thursday, but will take to the shot put circle on Friday morning at 10. Nwosu will make more history on Saturday when she competes in the discus. Nwosu will become the first Aggie thrower to compete in two throwing events at an NCAA regional.
Two events occurred on the track for the Aggies. Senior Lucheyona Weaver competed in the 100-meter hurdles but failed to finish after falling on the second-to-last hurdle. Senior Fajr Kelly competed in the women's 800 meters. Kelly finished the fourth heat in eighth place by running a 2:10.80. In addition to the Aggies competing in the women's shot put on Friday, the Aggies will also have competitors in the men's triple jump, 4x100-meter relay, 110H, 400H, and 4x400 relay.
Sophomore Xavier Partee will compete in the men's triple jump, scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m. on Friday. He will compete in the third flight. Sophomore Isaiah Taylor will try to qualify for the NCAA national semifinals in the 110H in Eugene when the quarterfinals race starts at 5:15 p.m. at Hodges Stadium. Isaiah Taylor and his twin brother, sophomore Xzaviah Taylor, will try to qualify for the national 400H semifinals in Eugene. The 400H starts at 6:25 p.m.
The 4x100 team that finished second at the 2025 Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Outdoor Track and Field Championships included senior Jaeden Gumbs, Isaiah and Xzaviah Taylor, and freshman Correy McManus, Jr. The 4x1 starts at 4 p.m. Meanwhile, the 4x4 team starts at 7:45 p.m. The 4x4 team that won CAAs two weeks ago at A&T's Marcus T. Johnson track included freshman Elijah Thomas, sophomore Caleb Gurnell, freshman Jailen Hicks, and Isaiah Taylor.
