NORFOLK, Va. (May 16, 2026) – Howard University women's track & field squad won its fifth consecutive MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) Outdoor Championship in Norfolk, Va., Saturday afternoon after trailing the first two days of competition.
 
HU delivered another dominant performance on Championship Saturday, tallying 235 points across the three-day event. Junior Yahnari Lyons (Hampton, Ga.) and freshman Nilijah Darden (Greensboro, N.C.) were named MEAC Outstanding Runners of the Meet after leading the Bison to their fifth straight crown.
 
Darden, Lyons, graduate Marcia Sey (London, United Kingdom) and junior Mackenzie Robinson (Ypsilanti, Mich.) set the tone early with a convincing victory in the 4x100 relay, posting a 43.99 mark.
 
Lyons, Darden and Robinson sweep the 200-meter dash final round, earning gold (22.94), silver (23.29) and bronze (23.55), respectively. The trio also competed in the 100-meter dash where Darden won with a 11.41 time, followed by Lyons (11.44). Robinson placed fourth overall (11.63).
 
HU had six Bison in the 100-meter hurdles final round where Sey won with a 12.96 mark and senior Lauren Thompson (Frisco, Texas) took home bronze (13.37). DMV native freshman Gabby White (Silver Spring, Md.) also took part in the race, securing fifth (13.57).
 
Second-year Bison Cenaiya Billups (Denver) claimed gold in the 400-meter hurdles, clocking in at 56.86, while fellow classmate Lindsay Johnson (Detroit) grabbed bronze (58.35). Senior Aniya Woodruff (Harrisburg, N.C.) and rookie Carrie Vannoy (Oak Park, Mich.) also participated, taking fourth (58.86) and seventh (1:00.69), respectively.
 
Sophomore Tiffany Mugubi (Houston) grabbed first place in the 800-meter run (2:05.19).
 
Billups, Johnson, Woodruff and senior Zoe Turner (Mableton, Ga.) closed out the afternoon with a victory in the 4x400 relay race, producing a 3:35.30 mark. Turner also won the 400-meter dash with a 53.15 time.
 
Other notable performances on the track included freshman Alexis Jones (New Windsor, N.Y.) and sophomores Ester Kirk (Morristown, N.J.) and Chloe Poindexter (State College, Pa.) competing in the 1500-meter run where they finished second (4:38.64), third (4:39.64) and fifth (4:47.93), respectively.
 
In the field, seniors Kelis Armstrong (Plano, Texas) and Ija Mumford (Winston-Salem, N.C.) and sophomore Jasmen Walker (Flossmoor, Ill.) scored points in the triple jump after landing sixth (12.12 meters), seventh (12.06 meters) and eighth (11.90 meters), respectively.
 
Bison Director of Track & Field David Oliver was named MEAC Most Outstanding Coach of the Meet after becoming the third school in conference history to win five consecutive conference titles, joining Hampton (2006-10) and South Carolina State (1982-86).
 
HU also completed the triple crown, winning cross country and indoor and outdoor championships in the same season, which is the second time in four years.
 
Morgan State finished runner-up with 119 points, followed by Norfolk State (111 points).
 
On May 27-30, several Bison travel to Lexington, Ky., for the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.