LUT WILLIAMS, BCSP Editor
EUGENE, OR – Athletes with HBCU roots at the U. S. Olympic Track & Field Trials made game efforts but came up short this past week in making the team for this summer’s Paris Olympics. Former Livingstone and CIAA standout Quanera Hayes and former North Carolina A&T sprinter/long jumper Brandon Hicklin impressively advanced to the finals in their respective events.
Hayes, 32, the senior member of the HBCU contingent made the 400 meter finals and finished fifth in 50.55 seconds behind winner Kendall Ellis (49.46).
Hayes was second (50.94) in her first round heat and finished third (50.46) in her semifinal heat to advance to the finals on time.
She was the 400 meter champion in 49.78 at the 2021 Olympic Trials. She finished seventh in the event at the Tokyo Olympics. The 2017 U.S. 400 meter champion, had her second child after the Tokyo Olympics.
Hicklin, who won MEAC and CAA long jump titles before transferring to LSU and fo- cusing on sprints, made the finals of the 100 meters and finished seventh in 10.03 seconds. World champion Noah Lyles won the event in 9.83 seconds.
Hicklin entered the Trials with the fifth best 100 meters time of 9.94 seconds. He ran 10.18 seconds to win his heat in round one and was second in his heat in round one and was second in 9.95 to Christian Coleman’s 9.86 in the his heat.
Based on their finishes, both Hayes and Hicklin have shots at making U.S. relay teams–Hayes for women 4×400 meter relay squad and Hicklin for the men’s 4×100 meter relay team.
Former NC A&T sprinter and two-time NCAA sprint champion Cambrea Sturgis made it through to the semifinal round of the women’s 100 meters. She finished sixth in 11.34 seconds in the fourth heat of round one behind SheCarri Richardson (10.88) to advance on time to the semifinal round. Sturgis was again paired with Richardson (10.86) in the first heat of the semis but finished eighth in 11.35 seconds to miss the finals.
Richardson ran 10.71 seconds to win the event.
One HBCU athlete has advanced while other have not started their competition.
Dylan Beard, who finished his collegiate career running for David Oliver at Howard after stints at Hampton and Wagner, ran 13.19 seconds in his 110-meter hurdles opening round to finish second behind Trey Cunningham (13.12) and advance to Thursday’s 5:01 p.m. semifinals.
Beard, who appeared recently on NBC’s Today Show, currently works at a WalMart deli in the Raleigh/Durham, N. C. area and is unsponsored as a professional.
Former NC A&T hurdler Michael Dickson (13.36) was nipped for third place by Devion Wilson (13.34) in the same heat as Beard and did not advance.
The 110-meter final is Friday at 7:50 p.m.
The men’s high jump with SWAC champion and Arkansas-Pine Bluff product Caleb Snowden in the field gets started with the qualifying round Thursday at 5 p.m. The high jump final is Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
Snowden enters with the sixth best jump at 2.26 meters (7.0 feet, 4.98 inches).
SWAC 100- and 200-meter sprint champion Jamarion Stubbs of Alabama State begins his quest to make the Olympic team Thursday (5:51 p.m.) in round one of the men’s 200 meters. The semis follow Friday at 7:28 p.m. with the finals on Saturday at 6:49 p.m.
Three HBCU products are in the competition for the women’s 400-meters hurdles competition that begins Thursday at 6:49 p.m.
Sydni Townsend, who has collegiate stints at NC A&T and Howard, will be joined in the competition by Howard products Jessica Wright and Simone Watkins chasing world champion and world record holder Sydney McLaughlin Legrone.
The 400 hurdles semis are set for 5:41 Saturday with the finals scheduled for 5:29 p.m. on Sunday’s final day of the Trials.
Wright was also in the field for the women’s 400 meters but did not advance as she finished seventh in 52.76 in the first heat or round one.
