Track & Field | 5/16/2026 9:28:00 PM
ELON, NC – The most decorated 110-meter hurdler in program history lost his school record and conference title to a teammate, then returned to win a conference event championship in a race he started competing in the day before.
That demonstrates the depth and talent of the North Carolina A&T men's outdoor track and field team.
The A&T men claimed their second straight Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) outdoor track and field title by winning the 2026 CAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Elon University's Jerry and Jeanne Robertson Track and Field Complex on Saturday.
The Aggies' consecutive CAA outdoor titles complement their back-to-back indoor championships. They scored 184.33 points to top Northeastern (155) and William & Mary (115). Saturday was the Aggies' ninth outdoor conference championship—seven in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), two in the CAA. Junior
Isaiah Taylor earned CAA Men's Track Athlete of the Meet by winning the 110H, 400H, and contributing to the Aggies' 4x100-meter relay victory.
His 110H win turned heads.
Taylor ran a CAA, meet, and program record 13.30 to win. In the next lane was senior
Jason Holmes, former CAA outdoor 110H champion and honorable mention All-American, who held the top four 110H times in school history. By defeating his teammate and practice rival, Taylor earned the fifth-best time in the East Region and 10th nationally.
"I just kept putting the work in and trying to sharpen my craft every day … get better every day," said Taylor. "I set goals for myself, and to be able to stay healthy throughout all three years and not miss training, it's a great feeling to do it."
Holmes placed second in 13.37. That ranks him ninth in the region and 15th nationally. Plus, he did not fret too much about losing the 110H crown to Taylor. He won the 100 meters, which he ran for the first time on Friday. Holmes posted Friday's fastest 100m qualifier (10.44) and then took the title in 10.53, ahead of senior
Jalen Booth-Mitchell (10.63).
"Jason is an excellent 60-meter runner indoors," said A&T director of track and field
Allen Johnson. "We were talking this week in practice, and he asked me to put him in (the 100 meters). And I asked him, 'Jason, are you sure?' And he said, 'Coach, put me in.' So, he didn't win his signature event, but it was great to see him come back and win the 100."
But the afternoon belonged to Mr. Taylor. Transitioning from his win in the 110H, Taylor next competed in the 400H, where he not only beat another teammate but also his twin brother,
Xzaviah Taylor, to win the championship in 50.33, just fractions of a second short of his personal record (50.25).
Xzaviah Taylor, who won the 400H last season, crossed with a time of 51.65. After these individual successes, the Taylor twins joined Booth-Mitchell and junior
Nakhi Benjamin to run a 39.40 and capture the 4x100 relay victory.
A&T also had wins in the discus, 200m, 400m, and the 800m. The discus win came from a freshman.
Barry Alston made the Aggies men's program even scarier for the rest of the conference by winning with a school record toss of 182 feet, 4 inches. The Aggies also have an excellent sophomore thrower in
Alex Henry. He finished second in the shot put at 54 feet, 2 ¾ inches.
Despite success in the throws, the Aggies remain Sprinter U. Booth-Mitchell won the 200m in 20.62.
Xzaviah Taylor defended his 400m title with a personal best 45.61. Junior
Dyimond Walker repeated as 800m champion in 1:49.52.
"This one is different. The first one, you get really excited about because it's the first," Johnson said. "This one is different and feels different because this one says we have established our mark on this conference. We came here and did what we were supposed to do."
Men's Standings:
1.North Carolina A&T – 184.33
2.Northeastern - 155
3.William & Mary - 115
4.Hampton – 111.66
5.Monmouth – 104.5
6.UNCW – 65.5
7.Stony Brook- 52
8.Hofstra - 13
9. Campbell - 8
