GREENSBORO, N.C. (May 4, 2019) – Howard University men's track and field squad finished seventh overall at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Outdoor Championships where they recorded 32 points throughout the three-day event, held at Irwin Belk Track on the campus of North Carolina A&T State.
Howard's seventh-place finish is six spots better than a year ago.
"Last season, we scored six points and finished dead last," said Howard Director of Track and Field
David Oliver. "This year, we scored 32 points and finished seventh. We're a very young squad on the men's side [with] four seniors, no juniors and the rest of our championship squad comprised of freshmen and one sophomore."
Freshman thrower
Mekhi Abbott (Monroe, N.J.) highlighted Championship Saturday by winning the javelin with a new personal best (56.70 meters; 186 feet).
"Today truly met the expectations I had coming into Championship Saturday," Director Oliver stated. "[What]
Mekhi Abbott did in the men's javelin was incredible."
The New Jersey native produced 10 points for HU while being named to the 2019 All-MEAC First Team.
Senior
David Hudson (New Rochelle, N.Y.) also competed in the javelin where he placed sixth overall while tossing a lifetime best (49.27 meters; 161 feet).
"A real unsung hero was
David Hudson," Director Oliver continued. "He threw huge personal bests in both his events and exceeded expectations coming into the meet. Coach [Danny] Stokes and the throwing squad really buoyed the team scoring efforts."
With Hudson's four points from Friday's shot put, the New York product tallied seven points for the Bison.
Overall, Abbott, Hudson, and newcomer
Michael Codrington (Brooklyn, N.Y.) generated 19 of HU's 32 points at the MEAC Outdoor Championships.
Second-year jumper
Nathaniel Are (Chicago) scored a point in the triple jump after finishing eighth place (13.17 meters; 43 feet).
On the track, freshman
Jermaine Byrd (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) led the way with a fifth-place finish in the 110-meter hurdles after setting a new personal best (14.33).
"
Jermaine Byrd has had an injury plague freshman campaign," Director Oliver stated. "But [he] persevered and scored in three events, that should do wonders for his confidence going forward."
The first-year sprinter was also part of two relay squads: 4x100 and 4x400.
The 4x100 relay team of Byrd, seniors
Kenneth Chigbue (Bowie, Md.) and
Korey Lombard (Antioch, Calif.) and sophomore
Mekhi Closson (Baltimore) earned eighth overall, scoring a point with a season-best 41.53.
The same four Bison wrapped up Championship Saturday with a sixth-place finish in the 4x400 event. With their efforts, HU set a season-best (3:13.56) and qualified for the IC4A Outdoor Championships in Princeton, N.J.
Other notable performances on the track included freshman
Aariq Nixon (Baltimore) placing sixth in the 800-meter (1:55.51) while senior
Tariq Fullerton (Kington, Jamaica) took eighth in the 1500-meter run (4:19.27).
North Carolina A&T State men won the 2019 MEAC Outdoor Men's title for a third consecutive year.
To view the complete results from the 2019 MEAC Outdoor Championships, please click
here.
After the meet, Director Oliver thanked all his seniors for their commitment to the program.
"I'm very happy for all the seniors who stuck it out, stayed focused and came thru in the clutch," said Director Oliver. "They all contributed points in this championship and Howard's track and field team will always be thankful for their services."
Howard men who contributed included Chigbue, Fullerton, Hudson and Lombard.
"The track and field program is heading in the right direction," Director Oliver concluded. "But we've still got a long way to go to get to the program that I envision us becoming."
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.
