Track & Field | 3/28/2026 10:44:00 PM
RALEIGH, NC – North Carolina A&T stepped onto the national stage in the men's 200 meters at North Carolina State University's (NCSU) Raleigh Relays over the weekend.
Junior
Jordan Ware won the men's 200m Saturday at NCSU's Paul Derr Track, leading four Aggies into the event's top 20. Junior
Nakhi Benjamin followed, placing second with a personal best of 20.69. Both men now rank in the national top 20: Ware's 20.62 ranks ninth, Benjamin's 200m time ranks 16th. In the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), Ware and Benjamin hold the top two spots.
Twin brothers Xzaviah and
Isaiah Taylor also improved their men's 200m CAA rankings. Xzaviah finished 13th overall in 21.19, moving to fourth in the CAA. Isaiah placed 16th in 21.30, now fifth in the league. Ware and Benjamin also competed in the men's 4x100-meter relay.
They joined junior
Lassale Hewlett and sophomore
Correy McManus Jr. to place third in 40.27, ranking the foursome second in the CAA. McManus and Hewlett also competed in the men's 100m: McManus took 19th in 10.53, Hewlett 22nd in 10.57. In the conference, they are second and third, respectively.
Meanwhile, junior
Xavier Partee improved his national standing, and his junior teammate,
Yule Pieters, entered the national conversation. Partee jumped 50 feet, 1 ¼ inches to finish sixth in the men's triple jump, improving from 39th to 28th nationally after his previous 48-foot, 10 ½ inch jump. He remains No. 1 in the CAA. Pieters is also No. 1 in the conference after a 6-foot, 9-inch high jump. He is ranked 46th nationally.
On the women's side of the high jump, the strong performances continued, as
Spirit Morgan placed fifth with her best leap measuring out at 5 feet, 9 ¾ inches. That places her first in the conference and 15th nationally.
Senior
Olivia Dowd entered the national spotlight by placing third in the women's triple jump with a leap of 41 feet, 1 ¾ inches. She is No. 1 in the CAA and 37th nationally. Sophomore
Ryan Moore moved into fifth in the CAA, jumping 38 feet, ¾ inches to place 22nd. Junior
Serenity Brazell ran 55.61 in the women's 400m, tying for first in the conference with Elon's Duna Vinals, who ran the same time at last week's Bob Davidson Team Challenge.
Looking ahead, the Aggies' outdoor season continues next week when they travel to Gainesville, Fla., for the Florida Relays, hosted by the University of Florida at James G. Pressley Stadium, April 3-4.
