LUT WILLIAMS BCSP Editor
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Randolph Ross Jr. -
Grace Nwokocha
Fourteen (14) HBCU track athletes entered last week’s (June 23-26) U.S. Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon looking to earn berths into the World Track & Field Championships to be held right back in Eugene in three weeks (July 15-24).
Only one emerged.
North Carolina A&T junior quartermiler Randolph Ross Jr. was the only HBCU product to make the U. S. team.
Ross finished third in the 400 meters final to earn his place on the U. S. squad. The top three finishers in each event earned spots on the U. S. team that will compete at the Worlds.
Randolph, who repeated as the NCAA Outdoor 400 meters champion two weeks ago, finished in 44.17 seconds behind Nike sponsored champion Michael Norman (43.65) and Florida’s Champion Allison (43.70). Norman’s time was the fastest in the world this year.
Ross also finished third behind Norman and Michael Cherry at last year’s Olympic Trials to earn a spot on the U.S. team for the Tokyo Olympics. He did not make the 400 meters final in Tokyo. He did win a 4×400 relay gold medal for the U.S. in Tokyo.
Allison had finished second in 44.41 behind Ross’s winning time of 44.13 at the NCAA championships.
The other HBCU product at the Worlds
Another HBCU athlete from A&T will compete at made it to the finals of their events but did not finish in the top three.
NC A&T freshman sprinter Grace Nwokocha is from Nigeria. The Big South 100 and 200 meter champion who also finished sixth in both events at the NCAA Outdoors, won her country’s 100 (11.03) and 200 meter champion- ships over the weekend to earn a spot on her nation’s team for the Worlds.
Those that came up short
Several other HBCU tracksters who compete or have competed for A&T made it to the finals of their events but did not finish in the top three.
A&T grad student Paula Salmon made it to the women’s 100 meter hurdles final Saturday evening. Salmon finished sixth in 12.78 seconds.
Keni Harrison, who runs for adidas, won the event (12.34) with Alaysha Johnson (12.35) second and LSU’s Alia Armstrong (12.47) third. Armstrong won the 100 hurdles at the NCAAs. Salmon was fourth at the NCAAs.
Former Aggies Cambrea Sturgis and Kayla White both grabbed one of the eight spots in the women’s 200 meters final Sunday.
Sturgis, who is sponsored by adidas, finished just out of the top three in fourth in 22.16 seconds. White, who now runs for Nike, finished seventh in 22.39.
Abby Steiner of Kentucky, who also won the 200 meters at this year’s NCAA Outdoors, won the event in 21.77 seconds ahead of Tamara Clark of adidas (21.92) and PUMA’s Jenna Prandini (22.01).
NC A&T sophomore Javonte Harding made it to Sunday’s men’s 200 meters final. Harding finished eighth in 20.31 seconds.
Noah Lyles of adidas won the event in 19.67 seconds with Erriyon Knighton (19.67) of adidas second and Nike’s Fred Kerley (19.83) third.
Harding, Sturgis and White also competed in their respective 100 meter events at the U.S. championships but did not make the finals.
A&T had 12 of the 13 HBCU athletes that competed in Eugene. Howard 400 meter hurdler Jessica Wright was the other HBCU product.
Former Livingstone and CIAA standout Quanera Hayes, who won the 400 meters at last year’s US Trials, qualified in the 200 and 400 but did not participate because of a lingering ham-string injury.
