LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 24, 2024) – Howard University men's hurdlers graduate Samuel Bennett (Langdon Hills, United Kingdom) and senior Noah Langford (Portsmouth, Va.) punched their tickets to Eugene, Ore., at the NCAA East Preliminary Round in Lexington, Ky., hosted by the University of Kentucky.
 
The dynamic duo became the first pair of men's hurdlers to reach the national stage during the same season in more than 20 years.
 
Bennett advanced to Eugene after running a personal best in the 110-meter hurdles quarterfinal round, clocking in at an automatic qualifying (AQ) time of 13.52. For his efforts, he became the first men's short hurdler to reach nationals since 2006 (Jacoby DuBose) and seeks to become the first men's All-American since Bison standout and Howard Director of Track & Field David Oliver (2003).
 
Auburn's Ja'Kobe Tharp ran the fastest time during the 110-meter hurdle race at 13.52 (personal best).
 
For Langford, he had his best performance in the 400-meter hurdles quarterfinal round with a new personal benchmark (50.55). The Virginia native secured the final spot to Eugene, outlasting UNCW's Josh Parks (50.61), and looks to become the first men's long hurdler All-American in program history since 1989 (John Branch).
 
Alabama's Chris Robinson topped all participants in the 400-meter hurdle quarterfinals, registering a new facility record at 48.77.
 
Graduates Goba Dan-Princewill (Houston) and Ja'Leak Perry (Atlanta), sophomore Adam Musgrove (Nassau, Bahamas) and rookie Otto Laing (Freeport, Bahamas) represented Bison Nation in the 4x100 relay where they came up just short of making Eugene, producing an impressive 39.90 time.
 
Bennett and Langford advanced to the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, which will be held June 5-8 in Eugene, Ore.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.