WASHINGTON (February 20, 2019) – After a year-long of training and preparation, the Howard University men's & women's track and field teams travel to nearby Landover, Md. for the 2019 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Indoor Championships. The three-day event (Feb. 21-23) takes place at the Prince George's Sports and Learning Complex (8001 Sheriff Rd, Landover, MD 20785).
Admission for the Indoor Track and Field Championships is $10 on Thursday, $15 on Friday and $20 on Saturday. Fans can purchase a three-day pass on Thursday for $15, or a two-day pass on Friday for $20. Tickets are available at the Prince George's Sports & Learning Complex on the event dates.
LAST TIMEOUT
On Feb. 8-9, HU participated in the VMI Winter Relays.
For the men,
Corintheans Payne (Apopka, Fla.),
Kenneth Chigbue (Bowie, Md.),
Korey Lombard (Antioch, Calif.), and
Aariq Nixon (Baltimore) ran a season-best in the men's 4x400 relay (3:19.28) while qualifying for the IC4A Indoor Championships in Boston.
On the women's side, sophomore
Jessika Gbai (Philadelphia) set a new school record (24.32) in the 200-meter dash.
MEET PREVIEW
The MEAC Indoor Championships feature 11 members: Bethune-Cookman; Coppin State; Delaware State; Hampton; Howard; Maryland Eastern Shore; Morgan State; Norfolk State; North Carolina A&T State; North Carolina Central; Savannah State; and South Carolina State.
HU men are seeking their first conference championship since 1985 while the women are pursuing its fourth MEAC title, but first since 1989 under William Moultrie.
Director of Track and Field
David Oliver and the Bison look to make some noise.
Entering the weekend, Howard has 15 Bison qualified: Chigbue; Gbai; Lombard; Payne; seniors
Tariq Fullerton (Kinston, Jamaica) and
Mi-ah Watkins (Bronx, N.Y.); juniors
Sydney Benson (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.)
Oluchi Ike (Upper Marlboro, Md.) and
Uchechi Onuoha (Yardly, Pa.); sophomores
Rachel Edler (Stone Mountain, Ga.) and
Destiny Stanford (Woolwhich, Township, N.J.); and freshmen
Jermaine Byrd (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.),
Ashton Daniel (Athens, Ga.)
Diana Effiom and
Jessica Wright (Durham, N.C.).
MEET SCHEDULE
Competition will begin Thursday, Feb. 21 at 2 p.m. with the men's heptathlon, followed by the women's 5,000m and women's long jump at 2:15 p.m. The day continues with the men's 5,000m race and semifinals of the men's and women's 200m races. Day one concludes with the men's long jump final.
The championships continue Friday (Feb. 22), with the men's heptathlon at 9 a.m. Other field events on Friday's slate include the women's pentathlon, men's and women's high jump, and men's and women's weight throw. The student-athletes return to the track for the semifinals in the men's and women's 60m hurdles, 60m dash and 400m dash. The day closes out with the men's and women's distance medleys.
The competition concludes on Saturday (Feb. 23), beginning at 9:30 a.m. with the women's pole vault, followed by the men's and women's shot put, men's pole vault, and the men's and women's triple jump. Running events begin at 12:30 p.m. with the women's mile run. Rounding out the afternoon's events will be the men's and women's 4x400m relay race at 3:40 p.m.
For the first time, FloSports, through its FloTrack platform, will stream Saturday's action live.
A complete schedule of events and live statistics for the 2019 MEAC Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships can be found at
www.MEACsports.com.
5K RUN TO CURE SICKLE CELL
The MEAC and Howard University will host a 5K walk/run, the Run to Cure Sickle Cell, to raise awareness of sickle cell Saturday during the 2019 MEAC Indoor Track & Field Championships.
Participants, led by Howard University president Dr.
Wayne A. I. Frederick, will start the 5K at 9 a.m. on the track in the Prince George's Sports and Learning Complex.
Donations can be made by clicking
here, and proceeds will go toward the Center for Sickle Cell Disease at Howard University Hospital.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
On March 8-9, Howard begins the outdoor season in Wilmington, N.C. for the Seahawk Invitational, hosted by UNC-Wilmington.
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at
www.HUBison.com.
