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HIGH POINT, NC – North Carolina A&T Track & Field men’s and women’s athletes started the outdoor season at High Point University’s Bill Webb Combined Events/Bob Davidson Memorial Invitational at Vert Stadium. After the rankings finish on Saturday, the Aggies’ debut earned multiple spots in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) top 10.
Junior Reheem Hayles took A&T’s only victory, taking first place in the men’s 400 meters. His time of 46.89 was not only enough to place him first in the conference, but it also placed him eighth nationally. Not far behind Hayles, senior Shemar Chambers placed second in the competition with 47.05.
Chambers is ranked ninth in the nation and second in the CAA. Hayles and Chambers also competed in the men’s 200m, where Hayles placed second and Chambers finished 17th. This run placed the men at No. 5 and No. 9 in the CAA.
Helping the men dominate the 400m, second Caleb Jackson (48.70), junior Brandon Nya (50.55) and rookie Thomas Smith (52.14) used their season debuts to place fifth respectively , ninth and tenth in the CAA rankings.
On hand for the male athletes on the field, sophomores Brayden Hodgest and Carlos Alexander performed well in the shot put and elite discus events. Hodgest finished second in the shot put contest at 55 feet, 7 inches, and Alexander landed fifth with a throw of 53 feet, 8 1/4 inches. In the elite discus event, Hodgest placed sixth (158 feet, 11 inches) and Alexander was ninth (156 feet, 9 inches). In conference, the pair rank No. 1 and No. 2 in the shot put and No. 2 and No. 3 in the discus throw.
Alexander found another No. 3 spot in the CAA by scoring 152 feet, 11 inches in the hammer throw. However, his teammate Qualiar Newton took second place, who threw a hammer throw of 162 feet and 6 inches.
On the women’s side, sophomore Pebbles Scott and junior MyKayla Perry went into overtime, competing in three events on Saturday – the 400m, 200m and 4×400 relay.
The pair found their best results in the 400m, as Pebbles crossed the finish line in 56.15 for second and Perry finished in 56.28 for third. The ladies rank 2, 3 in the conference. In the 200m, Scott (25.07) placed fifth and Perry (25.46) ninth. Scott ranks 10th in the conference.
Scott and Perry teamed up with Nia Frederick and Lucheyona Weaver for the final women’s event of the day, the 4×400. Together the ladies ran in 3:54.32 to rank No. 2 both on the track and in the conference.
Another top-10 finish was claimed for Lady Aggies in the 800m. Sophomore Ania Campbell ran 2:20.46 for fifth place at HPU, which puts her 8th in the conference.
