Construction begins on new track surface

(Greensboro, NC) - 6/13/03 - A look into Aggie Stadium right now would not reveal much to the average college campus visitor. Groundbreaking and construction are signs of change and growth, and the two signs are all over N.C. A&T.

However, to the university's track program, the broken surface around the football field is a huge deal. In the upcoming fall, the stadium will be equipped with an eight lane track and full jumping pits, a major improvement from the gravel surface five lanes that the general public used.

Roy Thompson, head of track programs at N.C. A&T, can hardly speak of the impact of the new track to his program after completing his 21st season in Aggieland. "This new surface will change the face of N.C. A&T track as we know it. I expect us to not only compete against the MEAC, which we are doing right now, but I have a vision of having an entire team at the NCAA Championships. The completion of a track surface will bring me closer to that vision."

In addition to improving recruiting collegiate athletes, the new surface will allow opportunities to host events such as instructional camps, high school meets and championships, the State Games of North Carolina, along with in season outdoor collegiate meets.

The lanes will be colored in alternating blue and gold streams to match the university colors. The completed track is expected to be opened in middle of the upcoming football season. Details will be posted at this website. 

Bruce fares well, but misses NCAA Triple Jump Finals

(Sacramento, CA) - 6/13/03 - Everette Bruce jumped 15.73 meters, a career best, on his first triple jump at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. However, his best was not quite good enough to earn a shot at All-American status, as he was eliminated from the final round.

Bruce finished in 17th place out of 26 competitors from across the nation. The top 12 advanced to the championship final today. Bruce hit a 16-meter jump on his second attempt, but it was ruled a foul. He landed a 15.11-meter mark on his third and final jump of the season.

Bruce, a junior, will return to compete in 2004 and will likely face several of these competitors again, as the field consisted of only eight seniors. He will also have work to do against the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, where he won the indoor title and finished as the runner-up in the outdoors.

Bruce Qualifies for NCAA National Championships

(Fairfax, VA) - 6/1/03 - Everette Bruce landed a mark of 15.58 meters in the triple jump on Saturday at the NCAA Outdoor Track East Regional, finishing in fifth place out of 30 participants and earning him a trip to Sacramento, CA to compete in the 2003 NCAA National Championships.

Bruce landed the top mark on his third of five attempts, and nearly repeated it on his fourth jump, a mark of 15.57 meters. He has earned trips to both national indoor and outdoor championships this season and will attempt to become the sixth All-American coached by Roy Thompson in a span of three seasons.

"I've said all year long that Bruce is among the best in the nation and he continues to prove me right," said Thompson, "We have a special bond and I am so proud to have coached him. He has worked hard with all of our student athletes and this is a crowning moment in his career."

Fellow junior Charone White barely missed qualifying for the NCAA Championship with a 7.44 meter mark in the high jump, good enough for ninth place in the region.

Freshman Dominique Camm also competed, landing a 2.03 meter mark in the high jump, to finish in 11th place. 

On the women's side, Courtney Clark capped her season with an 11th place finish in the 400 hurdles, as she ran a time of 1:02.56 seconds in the finals. Clark also ran the second leg of the 4 x 400 meter relay with Carl-Ann McBean, Phykesha Blackmon, and Crystal Williams finished 11th with a time of 3:39.48.

Tiffany Purham finished 14th out of 35 competitors with a 12.41 meter mark in the triple jump.

Aggie Outdoor Track Prepares for NCAA East Regional

(Greensboro, NC) - 5/14/03 - A host of Aggies will continue their quest for All-American status at the NCAA East Regional, scheduled for May 30-31 at George Mason University.

MEAC Outdoor Champions Dominique Camm (high jump) and Courtney Clark (400 hurdles) reached the NCAA standards last weekend at the championships.

Sean White (long jump), Brandon Via, Everette Bruce (triple jump) and Tiffany Purham (triple jump) also have qualified for individual events.

The women's 1600-meter relay team, which also earned the outdoor championship, will also compete.

Aggie Teams Compete in MEAC Championships

(Lake Buena Vista, FL) - 5/11/03 -N.C. A&T completed the 2003 outdoor track season at the MEAC Championships, held at the Wide World of Sports Complex. 

The men's team finished with 50.5 points, taking seventh place. Dominique Camm won the high jump at 2.09 meters. Jimmie Fields took third with a 1.99 meter mark. Sean White (7.38 meters) and Brandon Via (7.24 meters) finished 3-4 in the long jump. Everette Bruce finished second in the triple jump with a mark of 15.53 meters.

The women's team finished fourth, with 70 points. Courtney Clark won the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 59.24 seconds, a new school record. Clark also was a part of the 4 x 400-meter relay team that took first place. The team of Clark, Phykesha Blackmon, Crystal Williams, and Carl-Ann McBean, ran a season best time of 3.38.70. Tiffany Purham won the triple jump with a mark of 12.22 meters. Tawana Norman finished second with a 5.86-meter long jump, while Donisha Freeman took second in the discus (42.58 meters) and shot put (13.29 meters).

Several Aggies will compete in the NCAA East Regional, which will be held at George Mason University on May 30-31.

Outdoor Track Makes Noise at Penn Relays

(Philadelphia, PA) - 4/27/03 - N.C. A&T had a strong showing from its participants at the Penn Relays, which were held last week in Philadelphia.

The women's 4 x 400 relay team ran the third fastest time in school history with a 3:39.56, finishing in fourth place among 50 teams in the college division.

In individual events, Everette Bruce finished fifth in the triple jump finals with a leap of 15.67 meters. Brandon Via finished fifth among the open division with a leap of 15.17 meters. Sean White finish fifth in the open division in the long jump, with a leap of 7.34 meters. Courtney Clark turned in a time of 61.79 in the women's 400 hurdles. Tiffany Purham landed a mark of 12.26 meters in the triple jump, finishing seventh in the open division.

N.C. A&T will travel to Orlando, FL, to compete in the 2003 MEAC Outdoor Track Championships, which will be held at the Disney World Complex on May 7-10.

Outdoor Track Makes NCAA Qualifying Marks

(Greensboro, NC) - 4/18/02 - N.C. A&T has several NCAA Championship hopefuls currently ranked in the 2003 NCAA National Rankings.

Everette Bruce, a junior, ranks 20th in the nation in the men's triple jump, with a mark of 15.59 meters, which he earned at the Raleigh Relays on March 29th.

Freshman Brandon Via also earned national status in the triple jump, earning a mark of 15.14 meters at the Walker Invitational one week earlier. He ranks 42nd in the nation.

Junior Sean White is currently ranked 47th in the high jump, jumping 7.38 meters on April 5th, at the NCCU / Duke Invitational.

Junior Tiffany Purham is ranked 52nd in the triple jump, landing a mark of 12.27 meters on March 29th at the Raleigh Relays.

The women's 4x400 meter relay team ranks 42nd, with a time of 3.42.02 seconds. The foursome, which features freshmen Courtney Clark and Phykesha Blackmon, sophomore Crystal Williams, and junior Carl-Ann McBean, ran the time at the Sea Ray Relays last week.

To keep an eye on the 2003 NCAA Outdoor Performance Charts, Click Here.

The NCAA East Regionals will be held at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA on May 30th. Qualifiers will head to the 2003 NCAA Outdoor Champioships, set for June 11-14 at Sacramento State University in Sacramento, CA.

Record breakers lead N.C. A&T into the Outdoors

(Greensboro, NC) - 3/18/02 - After what is arguably the most successful indoor season in N.C. A&T track history, several school records fell, and two fourth place team finishes at the MEAC Indoor Championships have head coach Roy "Spaceman" Thompson thinking about winning not one, but two titles in the MEAC Outdoor Championships which will be held May 9-10 in Orlando, FL. The outdoor season will begin at the Eagle Relays in Durham, NC on Friday and Saturday.

Freshman Courtney Clark, who set the freshman 400-meter record with a time of 55.49, and sophomore LaSonja Collins, who ran the second fastest 200-meter at 24.39, have given the Lady Aggies upperclassmen some valuable fresh legs and a bright future ahead for the program. Veterans Tawana Norman (2003 MEAC long jump champion and record holder), and Tiffany Purham (2003 MEAC indoor triple jump champion) are coming off their best indoor seasons and look ready to win the team outdoor title, which would be the school's first since 1995.

Tim Walls added another school record to his resume with a time of 6.19 sec in the 55-meter dash. Everette Bruce took home his first MEAC Indoor title in the triple jump. Freshman Justin Byron ran a freshman record 48.77 sec in the 400-meter dash. He joined Enita Okodiko, Marcus Satchell, and De'ronte Polite to run a freshman record 3:13.55 sec in the 4 x 400 meter relay.  

Four Aggies Compete at the USATF Nationals

(Boston, MA) - 3/1/03 - Four student athletes represented N.C. A&T at the 2003 U.S.A. Track and Field Indoor National Championships, which were held at the Reggie Lewis Center. More than 800 of Americaís top athletes competed in Boston, with the top two finishers in each event being selected for the contingent of Team USA ñ the Worldís #1 Track & Field Team ñ that will compete at the 2003 World Indoor Championships March 14-16 in Birmingham, England. The 2003 USA and World Indoor Championships will serve as the first step on the road to Athens, Greece, and the 2004 Olympic Games.

N.C. A&T qualified the most number of athletes in a single season in school history to the championships, with five. Sean White qualified in the long jump, but was bumped as a provisional. In addition, former All-American sprinters and Aggie graduates Gerald White and Montay Wilds also earned provisional invites as well. 

Tim Walls competed in the 60-meter dash, however, he injured his groin in the preliminaries and had to withdraw from the competition. Walls also had to withdraw from the upcoming NCAA Indoor Championships as well. he had received a provisional invite. Everette Bruce finished ninth in the triple jump with a top leap of 14.97 meters. Tawana Norman finished ninth in the long jump with a leap of 5.91 meters. LaSonja Collins ran a 24.39 in the 200 meter dash in the preliminary round.

Walls, Wright reach top 10 status in IAAF rankings

(Monaco) - 2/25/03 - Two All-Americans, senior sprinter Tim Walls and graduate Gerald Wright have enjoyed world ranking status by the International Association of Athletics Federations, the governing body of all track and field organizations in the world.

Wright is ranked fourth and Walls ninth in the 55-meter rankings. The two comprise half of  the 2001 N.C. A&T 4x100 meter relay team, which earned All-American status at the NCAA Outdoor Championships by taking fifth place in a photo finish.  

Both athletes will compete in the US Track and Field Indoor Championships in Boston, MA on Feb. 28- Mar.1

N.C. A&T takes two fourth place finishes at the MEAC Championships

(Landover, MD) - 2/21/03 - N.C. A&T competed in the 2003 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Indoor Championships, with both the men's and women's teams taking fourth place after completion of the two day event. The men's team finished with 39 points, while the women finished with 46 points. The women's fourth place finish was the best in seven years.

Everette Bruce won his first MEAC Indoor Championship in the triple jump with a mark of 15.71 meters. Bruce has already earned a provisional invite to the NCAA Indoor Championships which will be held at the University of Arkansas on March 14-15. Tim Walls finished second in the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.68 seconds. Walls just missed his NCAA Provisional Qualifying time of 6.67 seconds, which he accomplished at the Armory Invitational. Sean White finished second in the long jump with a mark of 7.61m. Both Walls and White are provisional qualifiers for the NCAA Indoor Championships. Enita Okodiko finished fourth in the 400-meter dash with a 51.09. Jimmie Fields and Dominique Camm finished 3-4 in the high jump. Fields jumped 1.98m and Camm landed a 1.93m. 

Tawana Norman continued her dominance in the long jump, where she broke the school and MEAC championship record with a jump of 6.21 meters. Tiffany Purham won the triple jump with a leap of 12.19 meters. LaSonja Collins won the 200-meter dash in 24.87 sec. and took fourth in the 55-meters with a time of 7.10 sec. Donisha Freeman took fourth in the shot put with a toss of 13.34 meters. Courtney Clark took fifth in the 400-meters with a time of 1:01.72. Lauren Taylor finished in sixth place in the 55-meter dash with a time of 8.21 sec.

The track teams will take a small break to prepare for the outdoor track season, which begins March 21-22 at the Eagle Relays, hosted by N.C. Central.

Click on the links below for the complete results for the 2003 MEAC Indoor Championship.

Aggie Men are NCAA Championship Hopefuls

(Greensboro, NC) - 2/26/03 - Three N.C. A&T indoor track athletes have met provisional qualifications for the NCAA Championships, which will be held at the University of Arkansas on March 14-15. N.C. A&T has placed athletes in the NCAA Championships in each of the past three seasons. As provisional qualifiers, the athletes must wait until all last chance meets are completed. The final list of the 30 qualifiers for each event, including automatic qualifiers, will be announced by the NCAA Championships on March 10th.

Junior Sean White will return to the Indoor Championships, where he finished 10th nationally last season at Arkansas. White earned his provisional with a long jump mark of 7.58 meters at the Armory Invitational. He currently ranks 28th in the nation in his event.

Senior Tim Walls, already an NCAA Outdoor All-American as a member of the 2001 4x100 meter team, ran a 6.67 in the 60-meter dash at the Armory Invitational to earn a provisional invite to Arkansas. The time is the ninth best in the nation.

Junior Everette Bruce earned his provision with a triple jump of 15.07 meters at the University of North Carolina Invitational on December 7th. Bruce, who just earned his first MEAC Indoor Track Championship last Saturday in Landover, MD, ranks 13th in the nation.