Track & Field | 4/17/2026 9:32:00 PM
GREENSBORO — If you felt a gust of wind Friday, it was probably North Carolina A&T's men's and women's outdoor track teams blowing past the competition. The Aggies hosted the first day of their annual first meet of the season – the Aggie Invitational – at Marcus T. Johnson Track Complex. On Friday, they collected multiple first-place and top-five performances.
Junior
Yule Pieters clinched A&T's first event title of the day in the men's high jump. He achieved a personal best of 6 feet, 10 ¼ inches. This is the best height in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) and the fourth-best in all HBCU College Outdoor competition. The jump also improved his own mark for the program's second-highest clearance. He surpassed the 6 feet, 9 ½ inch mark set earlier this season at the Carolina Challenge.
He trails only Odell Benders, the school record-holder at 7 feet, 2 inches. Pieters' jump should put him in the top 48 in the NCAA Division I East Region. This puts him in contention to qualify for the 2026 NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round. Sophomore
Rayne Williams finished third in the men's high jump with a personal best of 6 feet, 8 inches. He hopes to move into the top 10 in the CAA by the end of the weekend.
On the blue surface at Marcus T. Johnson Track, the Taylor Twins showed out in the 400-meter hurdles. Isaiah and
Xzaviah Taylor locked down the top two spots of the 400H. Isaiah produced a 50.47 for the win and the new second-best HBCU Outdoor time. Isaiah could move into second place in the CAA rankings behind his brother after his performance. He could also move into the top 15 in the East Region.
Xzaviah ran a 50.37 at the University of Florida's Florida Relays for the CAA's top spot. On Friday, Xzaviah finished close behind his brother with a time of 50.56, the third-best in HBCU Outdoor ranks. Also on the track,
Jordan Ware sprinted into first place in the men's 200-meter. He stopped the clock at 20.75 seconds, making it the seventh-fastest time in HBCU Outdoor competition. Ware's 20.62 at N.C. State's Raleigh Relays still ranks him 13th in the East Region and No. 1 in the CAA.
In the jumping pits, junior
Xavier Partee added to the list of first-place jumpers after flying a season high 51 feet, 1 inch for the new best HBCU College Outdoor jump. He could find himself in the top 20 nationally by the end of the weekend. CAA Triple Jump leader
Ty'Heak Buie claimed second place after a 49-foot, 10 1/2-inch jump.
The momentum carried into throws. The Aggies claimed first place in women's discus after senior
Taylor Reagor led with a personal best 152 feet, 10 inches. This throw ranks seventh across HBCU College Outdoor competition. First-year thrower
Everett Alston finished second in men's discus at 162 feet, 10 inches.
CAA women's triple jump leader
Olivia Dowd secured a top-5 finish after a 40-foot, ½-inch leap for fourth place. The Aggie Invitational is a two-day meet that concludes Saturday. The first event starts at 10 a.m. with the women's hammer.
