WASHINGTON (April 30, 2019) – With months of training and facing tough competition throughout the season, the Howard University men's & women's track and field squads are set to take part in the 2019 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Outdoor Championships. The three-day event (May 2-4) takes place at the Irwin Belk Track, hosted by North Carolina A&T State.
Fans can follow all the action at
www.MEACSports.com.
Furthermore, for the first time, FloSports, through its FloTrack platform, will stream Saturday's action live.
LAST TIMEOUT
On April 25-27, Howard excelled at the 125
th annual Penn Relays in Philadelphia at Franklin Field, hosted by the University of Pennsylvania.
On the men's side, senior thrower
David Hudson (New Rochelle, N.Y.) competed in the men's shot put where he qualified for the MEAC Outdoor Championships in Greensboro, N.C., tossing a new personal best at 14.57m (47'9.5").
For the women, three relay squads had top 3 finishes in the 4x100, 4x400, and sprint medley.
MEET PREVIEW
The MEAC Outdoor Championships feature all 12 members: Howard; Bethune-Cookman; Coppin State; Delaware State; Florida A&M; Maryland Eastern Shore; Morgan State; Norfolk State; North Carolina A&T State; North Carolina Central; Savannah State; and South Carolina State.
For HU, both squads are seeking their first MEAC Outdoor Championships. Director of Track and Field
David Oliver brings 28 Bison to the big event, looking to leave their marks.
On the men's running events, senior
Korey Lombard (Antioch, Calif.) competes in his final MEAC Outdoor Championship where he will take part in a team-high four events: 100-meter; 200-meter; 4x400 relay; 4x100 relay. Second-year runner
Mekhi Closson (Baltimore) is second on the squad, participating in three races: 400-meter; 4x400 relay; 4x100 relay.
In the men's field events, sophomore
Nathaniel Are (Chicago) takes part in a team-leading three events: Pole Vault; Long Jump; Triple Jump. Freshman standout
Mekhi Abbott (Monroe, N.J.) ranks among the favorites in the javelin after throwing a MEAC-best (51.63m; 169'5") at the Towson Invitational (April 6).
For the women's running events, junior
Uchechi Onuoha (Yardly, Pa.) and sophomore
Jessika Gbai (Philadelphia) are each competing in three races. Third-year hurdler
Oluchi Ike (Upper Marlboro, Md.) enters the weekend with a MEAC-best in the 400-meter hurdles (58.80), which ranks 16
th among NCAA East Regional qualifiers.
Additionally, the women's 4x400 relay squad of Gbai, Ike, junior
Sydney Benson (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.) and sophomore
Ozioma Scott (Georgetown, Guyana) are among the favorites after running a MEAC-best (3:38.53) at the prestigious Penn Relays.
In the women's field events, sophomores
Kaylah Clark (Miami) and
Rachel Edler (Stone Mountain, Ga.) headline with two events apiece. Senior
Lauryn Galloway (East Brunswick, N.J.) spearheads the Bison with a MEAC-best (38.02m; 124'9") in the javelin.
To view the list of Howard student-athletes competing, please click
here.
North Carolina A&T State is the defending outdoor champion on the men's side, while Florida A&M claimed last year's women's title by half a point over the host Aggies.
A complete schedule of events and live statistics for the 2019 MEAC Men's & Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships can be found at
www.MEACsports.com.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
On May 11-12, Director Oliver and the Bison travel to Princeton, N.J. for the IC4A/ECAC Championships, hosted by Princeton University.
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at
www.HUBison.com.
