A.W. Mumford Stadium and the campus of Southern University and A&M College have been the center of attention recently. The Southern University Track and Field Team hosted the Pelican Relays, attracting numerous high school and collegiate programs from the southern region, including Southeastern Louisiana, Dillard University, Grambling, Alcorn State, Loyola-New Orleans, the University of Louisiana Lafayette, and many others.
The track team was riding a wave of momentum, considering in their most recent track meets the men and women have managed to score some podiums in several events. The Jags looked to continue the momentum on opening day. For the women, for Hammer Throw, senior thrower A’ja Gore placed 3rd, throwing for a total distance of 49.53 meters. She was followed by her teammate in 6th place, sophomore thrower Layla Spann-McDonald, throwing for a total distance of 46.15 meters. For Javelin, senior thrower Uzuri Graves placed 3rd, throwing for 36.10 meters. Her teammate, junior thrower Kinzli Zenon, placed 5th, throwing for 35.90 meters. In terms of running events, sophomore sprinter Rondisa Williams placed 7th overall in the women’s 200 meters with a time of 24.50 seconds. The women finished 6th overall at the SWAC Indoor Championships in February, but their teammate, senior distance runner Christian Phillips, spoke about the women’s potential ceiling. “I would say that my expectation is for us to honestly, I say for the women’s side that they can win a championship.” On Day 2, there appeared to be some indications of that, with freshman jumper Sincere Wilson securing 2nd place in the Women’s Long Jump, jumping for 5.89 meters. Junior jumper Sahnya Lathon claimed 3rd place in the High Jump, jumping for 1.60 meters. For the Women’s Triple Jump, Southern dominated with 3 Lady Jags securing the podium positions. Junior jumpers Azariah Foster and Sahnya Lathon secured 1st and 2nd, with Foster jumping for 11.88 meters and Lathon jumping for 11.58 meters. Senior jumper Yahria Bass recorded 11.46 meters for 3rd place.
The men, on opening day, did make some noise in the event of the hammer throw. Junior thrower Josiah Parker threw for a total distance of 55.28 meters, securing a first-place win for the Jags in the event. In terms of running events on Day 1, senior middle distance runner Ta’Cardrick Alexander, junior middle distance runner Bryce Campbell, senior middle distance runner Rushane Miller, and senior middle distance runner Marciano Taylor helped get the Jags first place in the 4x800m relays, clocking at 7:58.59, posting a season-best. One of their teammates, junior sprinter Derick Washington, spoke on the type of performance the team wanted to give the fans. “It’s looking all good, so I’m expecting to go out there and perform at their best. We’ve been kind of training for this moment, and it’s finally here.” On Day 2, Washington would help contribute to a 3rd-place finish in the 4x100m relays with his teammates’ freshman sprinter Darryl Washington, sophomore hurdler Christion Washington, and freshman sprinter Herman Baptiste, scoring a time of 40.92 seconds, a season-best. Derick would go on to have a 4th place finish in the 100 meters, scoring a time of 10.40 seconds. Darryl won the 400 meters, having a time of 47.49 seconds. In terms of the field events, senior jumper Roman Smith placed 3rd in the high jump, scoring 2.02 meters. Phillips spoke on how to keep the momentum going forward. “The biggest difference is the team’s morale and the mental health behind the sport…being able to check on one another can be the biggest component.” The track team will be at the Strawberry Relays hosted by Southeastern Louisiana on April 11th at 11 AM.
