However, after weeks of additional training, booking flights, and making travel arrangements with his family for the cross-country trip, Cole found out he wouldn’t fulfill his lifelong dream and compete for a spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics. According to an email sent to Cole by USA Track & Field statistician Glen McMicken, Cole’s time at the MEAC championships didn’t count because it was not a USATF-sanctioned event.

“I will say I’m numb to it now, like, in the moment,” Cole told Andscape. “Just kind of, like, trying to keep my composure. It just sucks that something I worked, like, my whole life for is just [taken] away from me for something that’s out of my control. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, it’s just taken away from me.”

When Cole, the two-time MEAC 100-meter dash champion, went to register for the Olympic trials, USA Track & Field rejected his time. According to the sanction application on the organization’s website, “An event may obtain a USATF sanction by filing a completed USATF sanction application with the appropriate USATF Association, paying the requisite local and national sanctioning fees and complying with the requirements of obtaining a sanction.”

The USATF events calendar outlines which track and field events are sanctioned by the organization. The MEAC’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships aren’t listed on the calendar, and neither are the Southwestern Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

The USATF Virginia Association, which has direct knowledge of the USATF sanction applications submitted in the state of Virginia, confirmed to Andscape that the MEAC didn’t complete the application to have its conference outdoor championship in consideration to be USATF-sanctioned meet.

In a statement released Friday, the MEAC said: “The MEAC was recently informed that our multiple appeals submitted last week to have Kai Cole approved to compete at this year’s USATF Olympic Trials were denied by USATF, despite his posting an automatic qualifying time at the MEAC Outdoor Track & Field Championship. Although the MEAC Outdoor Track and Field Championship remains an official NCAA Division I championship event, USATF policy changes implemented this year resulted in the event not being officially sanctioned by USATF, making all competition results ineligible for Olympic Trial qualification. 

“We understand Kai’s frustration and took all available steps to rectify the situation so he could compete in the Olympic Trials — an opportunity he clearly deserves. The MEAC fully supports our member institutions and student-athletes as they pursue their dreams and strive for excellence. We are disappointed by the decision from USATF and are working to ensure our track and field championships are sanctioned USATF events moving forward. No further comments will be made regarding this matter.”

After several efforts to appeal, Cole exhausted his options.

“I was under the impression that I didn’t have to worry about that,” Cole said. “So when I found out it wasn’t sanctioned, it’s just like how could you forget something so important like this for an Olympic year, out of all years. [I’m] just seeking clarity on why it happened.”

Cole and his family have canceled their travel plans. Cole said he is taking some time to figure out his options for pursuing a pro track and field career. Before the USATF decision, he was in talks with agents and sponsors about deals depending on his trial performance. Now he is waiting to see what opportunities are still available to him.

“[This season] was definitely at its height kind of cool. Then it was completely shut down,” Cole said. “Before, I felt like I exceeded my own expectations running college track and field. Everyone knows I ran 10.05. It feels like it was erased because it’s not recognized by anything. It’s like I never did it.”

After graduating in May 2023 with his master’s degree, Beard moved to North Carolina to pursue a pro track career as a hurdler. Beard, who currently lives with his aunt, is usually up by 7 a.m. He heads to the gym to do an individual lift before driving 40 minutes to NC State University to practice for a few hours. After practice, he works in the deli section of a local Walmart until closing at 11 p.m. most weekdays. However, on the weekends, he travels around the country competing.

Beard is one of several track and field athletes from historically Black colleges and universities who will compete in the U.S. Olympic trials, which start Friday in Eugene, Oregon.

His faith has been his driving force throughout his career. He uses his favorite Scripture, Joshua 1:9, as a guide to get through difficult days: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

“[I tell myself] you got no time to be afraid. You gotta go. God gave you this opportunity to lock-in and do something that you want to do and he wants you to do,” Beard said. “It’s just perfect. You feel like you can’t fail.”

In October 2023, he competed in the Pan Am Games in Santiago, Chile, finishing sixth in the 110-meter hurdles. At the Millrose Games in February in New York City, Beard won and set a personal best time in the 60-meter hurdles. His time of 7.44 seconds was the third fastest in the world at the time.

“Every time I line up, I’m looking to win. So I mean, it’s not necessarily looking at the outcome of the Olympics [and] being on the team,” Beard said. “It’s just like every time on a track and I’m healthy, I’m good to go. I really think I can beat anybody out there.”

Howard University hurdler Simone Watkins also knows firsthand how much an athlete’s life can change in one year. 

A year ago she was a hurdler at Texas Tech University and considering retiring from track and field. Watkins, who has been running track since she was 8, transferred to Howard this past season to train under Howard director for track and field David Oliver, who won the bronze medal in the 110-meter hurdles at the 2008 Olympic Games.

In the last two months, Watkins has run a personal best of 55.92 in the 400-meter hurdles, earned NCAA All-American honorable mention honors and qualified for the Olympic trials. 

“Being coached by someone who has been where I want to be, it’s so much easier to buy in because what he says he backs it up. His mindset, too, he’s just taught me to be a champion,” Watkins said. “It starts before you get to the Olympics. It starts before you get to the [NCAA] national championships. [Preparing] for all this stuff starts really as soon as you get on the track.”

She has spent the last week and a half before the Olympic trials working on her pattern and approach for the women’s 400-meter hurdles. Being at an HBCU for her final year of college has been transformational, she said. 

“They have all the resources. We have all this glitz and glamour, and it’s nice and it’s definitely enticing. But being from [an] HBCU, being able to show this stuff is nice, but it’s not necessarily needed to get you to the same place,” Watkins said. “So it’s exciting putting on at HBCUs.

“I love it, the culture and the environment. … I feel like these people [at HBCUs] really care. I want people to know you don’t have to forfeit that for your sports goals, because you can do both. You can be around your people [and] still succeed.”

She has dreamed of competing against the best track and field athletes in the world, but Oliver has constantly reminded her that she, too, is one of the best track and field athletes. 

“Just that lesson of never ever doubting yourself, never giving up on a dream if it’s on your heart, like, go for it has been the biggest lesson I’ve learned,” Watkins said. “[Oliver says] keep believing in ourselves, believing in our training, knowing we can go out there and compete against the best.”

Several other Howard student-athletes and alumni will compete in Olympic trials, including Jessica Wright (400-meter hurdles, U.S. Olympic qualifier), Samuel Bennett (110-meter hurdles, U.K. Olympic qualifier), Otto Laing (100-meter hurdles, Bahamas Olympic qualifier), and Adam Musgrove (100-meter hurdles, Bahamas Olympic qualifier).

Oliver, a Howard alumnus, is proud of all the HBCU athletes who will compete in the trials.

“It is extremely special and is such a great honor to represent not only your university but the greater HBCU community as a whole,” Oliver said. “Our schools are always overlooked in things of that nature when it comes to our bigger sports, but the sports like track and field, where it’s really just about you, the athlete, it doesn’t really matter where you go to school.”

A year ago, Jamarion Stubbs was a member of Alabama State University’s 4×100 relay team, and this season he is breaking out on his own as an individual runner. Now a sophomore, Stubbs finished seventh in the 200-meter dash at this month’s NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a time of 20.59, earning first-team All-American honors.

“I’ve gotten a lot more consistent and committed to, like, my training in track. … My freshman year, I was moving across the country. I wasn’t sure about a lot of stuff,” Stubbs said. “Since it’s my second year, I’m more comfortable in Alabama. I don’t have as many distractions as I did last year.  I think I’ve grown mentally and physically also because I’ve gained a lot of weight and a lot of muscle over this year.”

Since then he has been training at his home in Las Vegas so that he can stay acclimated to the Pacific time zone before heading to Oregon on Tuesday to compete in the Olympic qualifiers for the 200-meter dash. Until then, he is simply focusing on speed, nutrition and endurance and keeping himself healthy.

“[Alabama State track and field head coach Ritchie Beene] basically just told me, like, to run my race. … I made it this far for a reason,” Stubbs said. “Just because I’m running against pros or other top athletes doesn’t mean anything because I’m one of them also. I just have to run my race and do what I usually do – go out there and compete.”

Stubbs has already packed his Alabama State gold and white uniforms to wear during the trials. He’s very proud he will have Alabama State across his chest while running in the qualifiers. 

“People sleep on HBCUs,” Stubbs said. “[They] don’t expect to see an athlete come out of an HBCU [like] Alabama State and be one of the top athletes or be just as good.”

University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff jumper Caleb Snowden also performed well at the Outdoor Track and Field Championships, finishing third in the high jump after clearing 7-3 ¾.

He was happy the championships gave him a chance to compete at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, so he could get comfortable with the field before the Olympic trials.

“Jumping at the same place you know what you’re going to experience there,” Snowden said. “I just got back [to UAPB] working on what I did good and wrong and fixing it, so when I come back [to Oregon] I’m expecting to come and make the USA team.”

Snowden has spent the last two weeks working on his high jump approach, maintaining his speed and perfecting a little technique work over the bar. This season he cleared a personal best of 7-5, a UAPB record, at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays.

Snowden hopes he can finish his senior track and field season in Paris.

“In 2022 is when it was starting to get talked about being in Paris. I’ve always thought about it, but I was never really at the level that I am now,” he said. “But as I started getting closer, I started getting some higher marks and the more I just started thinking about it … all I have to do is just show up and compete [and] I’ve got a chance to go.”

Lindsay is a recipient of the USA Track & Field National Championship Mentorship Grant, which allows her to be a coach for the Olympic trials taking place at the University of Oregon through June 30. It’s the second time she has received the grant. She also a mentor at the 2022 USATF Outdoor Nationals.

The assistant coach from the Division II HBCU will mentor athletes competing in the multi-event sports pentathlon, heptathlon and decathlon. Lindsay won’t physically be in Oregon for the Olympic trials. She will work as a mentor virtually.

“She’s studying with many of the best coaches in the U.S. So I think she’s going to take this as another challenge, that she’s going to go ahead and she’s going to be successful no matter what,” Marquita Mines, Edward Waters’ head track and field coach, said. “She’s going to give those athletes her full attention and all the tools they need to be successful to represent the United States at the highest level at the Olympics.”

Mines and Lindsay were USA Track & Field members and regional representatives. The two further built a relationship when they were in the Division III Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Mines was an assistant coach at Roanoke College and Lindsay was an assistant coach at Hollins University.

When Mines accepted the coaching position at Edward Waters in 2022, Lindsay was her first hire.

“When it comes to community engagement she’s excellent. I don’t think she ever met a stranger,” Mines said. “She would meet somebody and generally just pick up a conversation. The students love her. She’s like a mentor for them. So she brings that aspect to the team, and it’s one thing I cherish about her.”

Andscape spoke with Lindsay about mentoring athletes and finding success.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Edward Waters is the first HBCU you’ve coached at professionally. How has the experience been for you? 

My husband’s an Aggie (North Carolina A&T alum). I love being at an HBCU. And I do feel it’s somewhat remiss that I did not choose to pursue my college career [at an] HBCU, but I’m not going to say I didn’t enjoy my time and my experiences at work at Western Carolina that did build me.

I love seeing the Greek sororities on the yard. I always tell [student-athletes] don’t lose sight of what you’re doing. I say that because that’s something that a lot of people do not have. You’re at an HBCU culturally and [historically] that is absolutely astounding. Just to see how they walk around campus, see how our staff are walking on campus and just me wearing my polo that has Edward Waters on it and going to Morehouse or going anywhere and they know that I’m going to an HBCU. And I’m telling them we are the first Black HBCU in Florida. 

What was the grant application process like for you?

Now it’s a lot more structured, and that’s something that everybody at USATF was trying to make it easier. So there’s more young ladies and more young men that want to have these opportunities, and those opportunities are there for you but they’re not easy to get. Because it still is a very inclusive society where they don’t let everybody in. So that’s something that we’re working on is filling that resource. I’m an official as well. [I] really started learning about my sport more because of that, and it opened those doors as well by just meeting people. …

So by putting myself in the right place at the right time, and then I decided not to be quiet, that’s how I was able to say, ‘You know what? I’m not afraid anymore.’ If I want something, [I] go get it and ask the questions.

As a mentor at the Olympic trials, what are your daily duties?

I can analyze and break down a handle or break down their posture and foot placement, and they see it and I can actually speak to them in vernacular that is easy for them. That’s what these grants have done for me. They open up something for you. Some people may have just gone, but I actually go to learn. I’ll be doing videos and making sure I’m analyzing and [giving] feedback to them. So I’m not gonna be there, but I’m there. … Sometimes you really can’t do much anyway, especially not at the trials. … The last time it was like, ‘We already gave you everything. Now you just have to apply what we gave you.’

How is it coaching the pentathlon, heptathlon and decathlon?

I’m always coachable, but I tend to catch onto things. The heptathlon has basically all the events that I already know how to do minus, you know, the hammer throw. The hammer throw, it’s not what I do, but I love it because it’s a game of numbers and the way you train the athlete is different. … Whenever I take on a ministry, I give them the tools for success and the resources. … When it gets down to athletes, those first two days they already know we have a tradition that we have to do in the beginning, and then we execute from there. I ask [the athletes] each and every time, ‘What do you expect to achieve from the start?’ And then tell them, ‘I’m holding you to it.’ Then I record everything, and we talk about it later.

What have you learned being a coach within U.S. Track & Field?

I tell everybody you can open up your mouth and say, ‘help me.’ I am quick to ring up a phone and call people who I know are old mentees of mine or just people that I’ve met in passing. I’ll just say, ‘OK, I need help.’ … I aspire to be like a bridge that helps athletes. I tell my stories and show them how I learn.

As the Hornets look back on their fifth-place finish in the men’s 4×100 final to cap their milestone season, they spoke to Andscape about their pride in knowing a historically Black university now ranks among the best collegiate relay teams in the nation – and in history. The team earned the 16th-fastest 4×100 men’s relay time on collegiate record in late May at the NCAA regionals, running a time of 39.52 seconds; it now ranks 17th.  

“When you look at the top 20 schools, you see the Power 5 schools that you expect to be there, like LSU, Georgia, and then you see Alabama State, and it’s like, wow,” Clarke told Andscape. “HBCUs can do it, too.”

When Alabama State’s bus arrived at Mike A. Myers Stadium and Soccer Field in Austin, Texas, on the first day of the championship semifinals, Morrie Turner, the Hornets’ assistant sprints coach, had a message on his mind from his mentor, University of Florida track and field coach Mike Holloway.

“He told me that around championship season, you want your athletes to be 80% ready but 100% healthy to perform to their maximum potential,” Turner said.

The Hornets finished third in their heat, qualifying for the men’s 4×100 relay final with a season-best time of 38.56 seconds. Their time also set a new school record, breaking the previous Alabama State men’s 4×100 relay record of 39.16 seconds, set in 2017. 

“When they crossed the line and I saw 38.56 come up, I wasn’t surprised, because I thought we could run 38.40. But when I saw that we qualified, I started thanking and praising God,” Turner said. “I always knew we were capable of running something that fast. I was mainly happy because I knew we were able to execute on a big stage and advance.”

On the day of the final, the athletes worked to stay calm and focus on the race ahead.

“That morning I was nervous but wasn’t scared because I was envisioning and anticipating the outcome before it happened, which energized me more,” Smith said.

As the Hornets lined up in their blocks for the final, ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III recognized Alabama State “putting on for all historically Black colleges and universities” as the only historically Black university competing.

“It was a humbling experience to let the world know that an entire culture and section of colleges [HBCUs] are in this one race in lane three,” Turner said.

As the baton made its way around the track, the pressure began to build for Stubbs, the anchor leg and only freshman on the relay team.

“I was just focused on getting the baton and going,” Stubbs said. “I had to run a hard leg for my team. As the anchor, I had to bring it home, so I stayed calm and did what I had to do.”

Though Alabama State initially finished in sixth place with a time of 38.79 seconds, the Hornets moved up to fifth place overall after Texas Tech was disqualified due to an exchange zone error.

Reaching the national championships is the goal for many track and field programs, and the Hornets established their plans to do so before the outdoor season began in March. 

“My teammates and I sat down before the season and had a conversation that we can go with some of the top teams in the nation,” Smith said. “We knew that with what we have, as long as we execute the way we needed, we knew we had a pretty good shot at going to NCAAs.”

The 4×100 men’s team served a wake-up call to competitors early in the season by winning the Florida Relays, one of the top collegiate meets, in April with a time of 39.43.

“At that point, that gave us a vision, like, we’re going to do something amazing this season,” Smith said.

As the teammates’ chemistry grew, so did their achievements. Alabama State won the Southwestern Athletic Conference men’s outdoor track and field title in May, with the 4×100 relay team drawing national attention by tying the SWAC record of 39.35 seconds, set by Texas Southern University in 1988.

Later that month, the 4×100 men’s relay team went to the NCAA East Regional, where it would qualify for the national championships.

Analyzing where the Hornets needed to improve was key to the team’s success this season, Turner said.

“This resulted from identifying what you need and getting the right people,” Turner told Andscape. “Alabama State track and field is now a name on the national stage, and that’s the product of what you see today.”

Trainer, who ran the third leg of the 4×100 relay, came to the program from Tuskegee University in the fall of 2021 as a walk-on athlete. When Turner started working with Trainer, he was an 10.78-second sprinter in the 100-meter dash. After a year of working with the coach, Trainer shaved a half-second off his time to record a personal best of 10.28 and became an All-American this season.

“Being a Division I All-American means the most to me because the track is one of the few things I really care about, and I’ve been working for something like this for years,” Trainer said.

Smith trained with Turner at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas, where Smith went from running the 100 in 10.68 seconds to 10.02, his career-best time, before following Turner to Alabama State last fall.

“It was all about trusting the process, and the feeling is surreal after it’s all said and done of how many coaches helped us accomplish this season and myself individually,” Smith said. “We’re not done. Next year is going to be even better.”

For now, though, the Hornets are enjoying the moment.

“I told my guys at regionals that a year ago nobody knew their name. It’s a special moment now to see these guys earn their notoriety and build and learn from it,” Turner said.

“The way I think, look good, feel good, run good,” Harding told Andscape. “So, I try to put everything together every meet. … Every time I step on the track, I’m like, ‘You know what you can do, right?’ Now it’s just a matter of showing people who don’t believe you can do it. The confidence is always there.”

Harding will be participating in the 2022 USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships Thursday-Sunday in Eugene, Oregon, where runners compete for an opportunity to represent Team USA at the world championships in July. Harding will run the men’s 100-meter and 200-meter races.

“Even though this might be the biggest meet that I’ve run in so far, I honestly treat it like any other meet,” Harding said. “Execute whatever we’re working on. Every meet could potentially be my last meet, so I treat it the same.”

Harding spent the first two years of his collegiate track career running at North Carolina A&T State University under coach Duane Ross, a 2004 Olympic hurdler and the 2021 co-national coach of the year.

Ross was recently named the next head coach at the University of Tennessee, and Harding plans to follow Ross entering his junior season in the fall.

“That wasn’t really a hard decision for me,” said Harding. “I’m happy to be able to go to Tennessee. To go to a Power 5 school in the SEC is pretty big for me, mainly because I’ll be the first person in my family to go to one of those type of schools for athletics. I’m going to have to take some time and get used to the environment and stuff. HBCUs and PWI, there’s gonna be a little bit of a difference.”

After very few looks from colleges out of high school, the opportunity to attend an SEC institution isn’t lost on Harding, and Ross expects him to continue to compete at a high level.

“A lot of people missed out on that kid,” said Ross, who helped the historically Black N.C. A&T receive national recognition for its track program during his 10 years as coach. “He didn’t have the fastest times in the country. But, when you watched him race, man, you could just tell it was nothing but heart. Somebody who has that heart like that wants to be good, you gotta roll the dice with a kid.”

For Harding, a Prince George County, Virginia, native, the characteristics he embodies are artistically placed as tattoos along his right arm. His shoulder is adorned with a lion, there’s a black panther on his inner forearm and an elephant on his outer forearm. Each represents a different attribute he hopes to exemplify in his life.

“The lion meaning royalty to me because that’s how I like to see myself and nothing less,” Harding said. “Then with the black panther on my forearm for power. They’re literally one of the strongest animals in the animal kingdom. With the elephant on the back side of my forearm meaning wisdom. …

“I always like to keep a mindset to not allow anybody to diminish me. If I imagine myself as royalty and nothing less, I will not allow anybody to tell me that I’m not. If I believe that I am, that’s all that matters. If I believe I have power, then I believe there’s nothing that I can’t do. With wisdom, there’s always a chance to learn something new. Everything that’s on my body reminds me to be myself every day.”

Harding’s confidence wasn’t built overnight. In elementary school, he was diagnosed with bilateral hearing loss, a condition that affects the hearing in both ears to various degrees. His mother, Roxanne Harding, has the same condition, and she was still able to compete in track and field for Virginia State University in 1988. His father, Wayne, also attended Virginia State and was a two-sport athlete, running track in high school and playing football for the Trojans.

Javonte spent most of his childhood working through and becoming comfortable with his hearing loss.

“Once you start to make your own name, make your own identity and find who you are, he really stopped caring what people outside of him really said about it,” said Dajuan Harding, Harding’s older brother. “Like, he would just either take his hearing aids out, turn them off or just not care because he knows what he can do and who he is.”

Harding doesn’t use hearing aids in college and doesn’t believe he’s at a disadvantage.

“I never felt like there was really much of a problem for me … it’s a part of who I am,” Harding said. “So my hearing impairment is just another aspect of my life that pushes me to do everything.”

For Harding, hearing anything, including a starter gun, requires him to focus intently on the sound. Ross noticed there was a slight delay in Harding coming out of the blocks during his freshman season, which hindered him in shorter races such as the 60 and 100 meters. A year later, it’s no longer a problem.

“One of the things his first year we thought might have been an issue was just his reaction time. We didn’t give any power to [his hearing loss]. We know it’s there, but we had a conversation, ‘If you’re gonna be one of the best in the world, man, you got to be one of the best in the world period,’ ” Ross said. “We [had] to find a way to circumvent this, and that’s what we did. We went to work. He works on his reaction a lot so that he can feel that vibration of the gun and hear it. … He doesn’t let that hold him back. He doesn’t make excuses for anything.”

In his freshman year alone, Harding took home the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference outdoor track and field most outstanding athlete honor after winning in the 100 meters, 200 meters and as a member of both the 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams. He finished his freshman year narrowly missing podium placement in the 100-meter and 200-meter races at NCAA nationals, but helped the men’s 4×100 relay place fourth.

His prowess on the track earned him a new nickname, which Harding has adopted on all of his social media handles.

“The name ‘Pac Man’ just started coming about [for Harding]. If most people watch him race, and they know the game of Pac-Man, he’s right behind you,” his brother said. “He’s coming down your back easily. So it’s a name that stuck with him and it just worked out in his favor.”

When Harding became an NCAA champion, winning the men’s 200 meters at the NCAA indoor national meet with a time of 20.46 in May, it proved the days that Dajuan Harding, a member of the Aggies’ track and field team from 2014 to 2018, begged Ross to give his little brother a shot were worth it. Ross said it was rare that someone’s younger sibling actually was as good as described, but Dajuan knew Ross could have an impact on Harding.

“I knew the type of coach that Duane Ross was,” Dajuan Harding said. “I tell everybody, I just wanted Duane Ross to touch Javonte because I knew after being there for four years what Javonte could do. Now everybody has seen who Javonte is. I was just giving them the inside scoop being that I’m his older brother.”

Harding finished third overall in the men’s 100-meter dash at NCAA nationals with a personal-best time of 10.08 this season, and he anchored the men’s 4×100-meter relay, which finished eighth overall.

A year ago, Harding qualified for the Olympic trials in the 200 meters but didn’t get the opportunity to race due to a hamstring injury. Now he’s healthier and hoping to accomplish his dream of running for Team USA.

Leading up to the USA championship, Harding ran what would’ve been a personal-best 19.98 in the 200 meters at NCAA nationals, but he was disqualified for a lane violation coming off the curve. It was Harding’s first disqualification in an individual event.

“Even though it was a DQ, it was the first time I ever ran 19 [seconds]. The fact that I know I can run it, I believe highly in myself that I can run it again,” Harding said at the NCAA outdoor championships. “Although it didn’t count when I really needed it at nationals, it helped a lot. Especially with the fact that I’m running against better world-class athletes and I know I have a higher chance because I have people to push me to be my best on the track.”

That moment is still fresh in his mind, but he’s more than prepared for the next opportunity.

“He’s become a superior competitor,” Ross said. “He’s always been a talented athlete. He trains hard. … When this guy gets on the line, I’m expecting him to win or to be in the mix to win.”

Shortly after being named the Aggies’ director of track and field programs in July 2012, Ross Sr. outlined his vision for the program to the school’s alumni base. However, some deemed his expectations a bit too lofty, especially for a historically Black college and university (HBCU).

“During the first meeting I had with some of our alumni, I told them the goal was to win a national championship,” Ross Sr. said to Andscape. “I was told by another Black man that I was too ambitious [and] that we couldn’t do that here. That has never sat well with me because that’s what society has poisoned us with [and] has put limits on us. I’ve never raised my children like that. I don’t coach my team like that. Ten years later here we are, but trust me, every year that conversation has been in the back of my mind as we’ve continued to try to get to this point.”

Currently ranked fifth in the nation, the Aggies have held the No. 1 spot twice this season. Led by Randolph Ross Jr., Ross Sr.’s son and the reigning NCAA outdoor 400-meter champion, the team has a good shot at becoming the first HBCU to win an NCAA Division I title in track at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships March 11-12.

“This is what we’ve been training and preparing for over the past three or four years, even before I got here,” said Ross Jr. “Being ranked No. 1 is nice and all, but when it comes down to who’s really the best team, it’s going to be [decided] starting on March 11. [Being] ranked No. 1 is what a lot of teams see [and] a lot of teams aim for, but No. 1 in the rankings isn’t necessarily going to get you the trophy in the end. So we decided to stay focused and prepare for nationals. When it comes down to it, we’ve got to perform.”

Since taking over the program, Ross Sr. has transformed the Aggies into a powerhouse. During his tenure, N.C. A&T has won 16 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference titles in cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field.

“It’s been a challenge,” said Ross Sr. “We’ve had our challenges [and] haven’t always been in positions to win national championships, or even win conference championships. We had to start at a certain place, and we had to build it to where we are. The journey has absolutely been wonderful. So here we are, close. In my opinion, the best chance that an HBCU has had to make some history is here.”

One of the key components to the Aggies’ run for history has been Ross Jr., who spurned offers from Iowa, South Carolina, Ohio State and others to join the Aggies and run for his father.

“It’s [playing for my father] not as bad as somebody will believe,” Ross Jr. said. “When we get to track practice, he and I understand that this is business now and we can’t really be distracted by other stuff. Yeah, it’s different seeing a parent every day during practice, but [I] actually kind of like it.”

Not only is Ross Jr. the reigning NCAA outdoor champ, but he is also the top men’s 400m runner in the world, with a record time of 43.85 set at last year’s outdoor nationals in Eugene, Oregon. He’s also one of four athletes the Aggies sent to the Tokyo Games last summer, where he took home a gold medal in the 4×400-meter relay.

When Team USA arrived in Tokyo last July, Ross Sr. was in the stands watching his son compete, a role reversal of the 2004 Olympics in Athens, when the younger Ross watched his father compete in the 110m hurdles. As exciting as competing in his first Olympics at age 20 was, it was a learning experience for Ross Jr. After he mistakenly let up on his final few strides and failed to advance to the semifinals in the 400, Ross Sr. was there to offer him advice. Then, when the men’s 4×400 lineup changed with Ross Jr. left out of the relay final, Ross Sr. was again there to comfort him.

“While we were in Tokyo at the Olympics, one of the most important lessons that stuck with me was never let anybody else make decisions for me,” Ross Jr. said of his Olympic experience. “We didn’t have the best first round for the relay, which allowed everybody else to decide who was going to be on the relay team going into the final. But if we ran the way we were supposed to, there wouldn’t have been any debate about who’s going to be in the final. So being able to hear that [advice] from him in the moment and then experience it in real time really opened my eyes about what it takes to win at that level.”

Joining Ross at nationals will be Aggies sophomore Javonte’ Harding, who is ranked third in the nation in the men’s 200m, and freshman Leonard Mustari, who is one of the two fastest U20 60H runners of all time. He tied the U20 record this season when he ran a 7.55 at the Tiger Paw Invite on Feb. 11.

Then there is the Aggies’ defending 4×400 relay indoor national championship team, which is currently ranked No. 4. Three of last year’s squad members are back, including Ross Jr. and seniors Daniel Stokes and Elijah Young. Senior Akeem Lindo is scheduled to replace Trevor Stewart, who graduated in 2021.

Last month, the Aggies men’s team placed third at the Big South Indoor Track & Field Championship, and the women’s team, which features Ross Sr.’s daughter Jonah, a sophomore sprinter, won the indoor title. Heading into the Big South tournament, N.C. A&T had won four consecutive indoor conference championships. This year, its third-place result was likely due to Ross Sr.’s decision not to have several of his athletes, including Harding, Ross Jr. and Stokes, compete because of the flat surface at the tournament’s venue, the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The plan going into nationals is for everyone to compete and make it to the finals to ensure that the Aggies collect the much-needed points.

“When it comes to nationals, it’s really about getting into the final,” Ross Jr. said. “So when we get there, everybody has to do their part in the prelims. [We have to] run smart, like [we] were trained to do and everybody can make it to the final. Like I learned at the Olympics, all we gotta do is just run the way they’ve been running all year and go place. We’re more spread out than we were years ago.”

There might be a lot of pressure on the Aggies as one of the clear favorites to win. However, the team has been embracing the pressure of being at the top.

“We’ve trained for this,” Ross Jr. said. “That’s been the objective this whole year and everybody knows it. [Coach] tells the guys all the time about the HBCU [angle]. So, everybody now uses it as motivation to go forward instead of being a little frightened by it.”

Added Ross Sr.: “This is their moment. Breaking down barriers and doing something that’s never been done … I tell them that so they’re mentally prepared. They’ve been disciplined all year. We can’t wait for that moment to get here.”

Coming from the nation’s largest historically Black college and university (HBCU), the contingent traveling from Greensboro is representing the more than 100 HBCUs, and they’ll be showcasing the results of the familylike, melting-pot atmosphere fostered by Duane Ross Sr., the Aggies’ director of track and field since 2012.

The Aggies’ 2021 Olympians are all members of the men’s 4×400-meter relay team, which finished the season ranked No. 1 in the nation.

Ross’ son, sophomore (Duane) Randolph Ross Jr., and Trevor Stewart, a senior from Lorton, Virginia, will represent the United States. Daniel Stokes, a junior from Pomona, California, will compete for Mexico, and Akeem Sirleaf, a graduate student from St. Paul, Minnesota, will compete for Liberia.

“Anytime you can put an athlete on the Olympic team, that is history in the making,” Ross Sr. said in a Zoom news conference after the Olympic Trials. “It is very hard to make the Olympic team. Trust me I know. So, I’m so excited for these guys … excited for North Carolina A&T and the city of Greensboro as a whole.”

The Olympics this week are also a crowning achievement for the elder Ross, a former Clemson track athlete who competed in the 2004 Games as a hurdler. Fittingly, it was Father’s Day when Randolph Ross qualified for the Olympics at the U.S. trials, symbolically taking the baton from his father.

“The father came out in me,” Ross Sr. said on the N.C. A&T website. “For him to do something at this level, at his age (20), he had me in tears.”

At the Olympics, Ross Jr., who was born Jan. 1, 2001, will compete in the 400-meter and 4×400-meter relay, and Stewart qualified for the 4×400.

To cap things off, after the NCAA championships, Ross was named co-national men’s coach of the year by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

These Aggies are the first Olympians from N.C. A&T since 1992, when Troy Douglas and Ruth Morris competed in the Barcelona Games.

The Aggies could have had an even larger Olympics contingent, but several athletes, including alums, came up short in the trials, including Christopher Belcher, Michael Dickson, TeJyrica Robinson, Rodney Rowe, Cambrea Sturgis and Kayla White.

The Olympic trials came a week after the Aggies competed in regionals and nationals, and some athletes might have performed differently with more recovery time.

“Now that we got them to this point, we get a break,” Ross Sr. said after the trials on the N.C. A&T website. “Can you imagine what a rested Junior and a rested Trevor are going to look like at the Olympic Games?”

The spring track season was also the final session that the Aggies competed in – and dominated – the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), as most of N.C. A&T athletics move in the fall to the Big South Conference, where they will join former MEAC member Hampton University.

Ross has coached N.C. A&T track athletes 16 MEAC titles – four in men’s indoor track and field, four in women’s indoor track and field, four in men’s outdoor track and field, three in women’s track and field and one in men’s cross country. And the Aggies won four straight (2017-2020) MEAC women’s and men’s indoor championships, the first MEAC school to win four straight concurrent men’s and women’s indoor titles.

“It’s an incredible feeling to be able to have the opportunity to compete in the Olympic Games,” Ross Jr. said. “It’s an even better feeling being able to also represent my school and the whole community as well. Being a member of Team USATF is something I’ll never forget.”

Stewart called the Olympics “definitely a big moment” that will project us farther into the eye view, and it’s going to be something to watch.”

Sturgis, who won the 100 and 200 meters at the nationals, said that despite the Ross’ Father’s Day moment, Ross Sr. does a good job managing the coach-star athlete dynamic.

“Even though we know that’s his dad, he still treats him like a regular athlete,” Sturgis said. “He treats him like everyone else.”

That also includes Ross’ daughter, Jonah Ross, who competed as a freshman this past season.

Sturgis, a junior from Kannapolis, North Carolina, said that as a coach, Ross Sr. is a stickler for details. Sturgis announced shortly after the Olympic trials that she has joined Adidas and will now compete as a professional, with Ross Sr. continuing as her coach.

Ross Sr. also has continued to coach Belcher, Rowe, White and others who have graduated and now compete as professionals.

“Coach Ross is the type of coach that will tell you you’re going to do something and then make it happen,” Sturgis said. “But it has to be a 50-50. You have to put in the work.

“He’s never going to give up on you,” Sturgis added, “even though you might want to give up, he’s never going to give up on you.”

She said that Ross Sr. once chastised her when he overheard her speak about longing for pizza.

“Why are you having that?” he asked Sturgis. “That’s not healthy.”

Sturgis didn’t intend for Ross Sr. to hear her desire for the fast food, but: “Well, actually, I was just saying I wanted that, and he was eavesdropping, like always.”

Sturgis, who is 4-foot-11, said Ross Sr. and the coaching staff have helped her improve her starts and “being tall when I run.”

“He has taught me to be more patient with the run, instead of just racing, in order to be more relaxed.”

In describing the newly minted Aggie Olympians, Sturgis said Ross Jr. is the serious one, Stewart is the quiet one, Stokes is the funny one and Sirleaf is the helpful one – “on and off the track.”

She cited togetherness as the strength of the Aggies program.

“The glue that makes us is everybody working together,” Sturgis said. “Even though we sometimes race each other, we’re always looking out for each other and representing our school.”

Kennedy Thorne (Class of 2019), a former Aggies middle-distance runner and hurdler from the Raleigh-Durham area, remembered how Ross Sr. created a family atmosphere.

“He does his best to foster a family environment by having team get-togethers outside of the university – orchestrating team-building games and having frequent team meetings,” Thorne said.

“Structure and order have been his desire, besides execution, for this team,” she added.

“What Ross tries to instill in all his athletes is confidence,” Thorne said. “No matter what brand we wear, or how much our team has in funds, we show up and we show our Aggie pride. That has been my biggest takeaway from the sport. Always be aware of the talent and skill you possess, and never let anyone make you feel otherwise.”

But with the coronavirus pandemic, Ross couldn’t hold the traditional in-person gatherings. Like everyone else, he resorted to the Zoom platform, where he held regular meetings, stressing the team’s structure and discipline and the importance of individual training – in the absence of competition.

In-person training resumed in September, which set the stage for the Aggies’ best season.

At the NCAA indoor championships, the Aggies’ men finished fifth, receiving the program’s first NCAA title in the 4×400. Adding to that, Ross Jr. won the men’s 400-meter indoor title.

The Aggies did even better outdoors, winning two event national championships (4×400, 400 meters) on the men’s side with nine Aggie men receiving at least one All-American honor.

Ross Jr. was among four Aggies to earn multiple first-team All-American honors (4×400, 4×100, 400 meters).

Meanwhile, nine Aggies women received at least one All-American honor, including Sturgis, who was first team in the 100, 200 and 4×100.

Besides a family atmosphere, his athletes cite Ross Sr.’s attention to detail and technical knowledge about track that convinced them to attend N.C. A&T, despite opportunities at schools that might have more money.

Ross Sr. knows where his athletes are going and what it takes because he has been there. After a professional track career, Ross Sr. began coaching as an assistant at Clemson, his alma mater, where he was a seven-time All-American, including winning the NCAA championship in the 110-meter hurdles in 1995.

Before coming to N.C. A&T, Ross Sr. served five years heading the track program at Division III Methodist University in Fayetteville, North Carolina. At Methodist, Ross Sr. won multiple regional and conference coach of the year honors, produced nine individual champions and 46 All-Americans. His Monarch teams also finished as high as third and fourth in Division III national championships.

Horne provided one clue as to why Ross Sr.’s athletes produce peak performances, describing the coach’s attitude toward the competition as, “Step on their necks and don’t let up.”

“Ross never wanted us to hold back,” Thorne explained, “whether we are five points ahead or 50, we keep pushing. No mercy rules in the sport of track and field.”

Even as Ross’ teams obliterate opponents, his softer side knows that on the Olympics stage, he’s also blazing a trail for teams he competes against.

“We understand the impact of what we’re doing for our school and our culture and not just for HBCUs,” Ross said. “We’ve been hearing this all week from schools, from the smaller conferences — about how inspirational it is.

“We’ve known all along that we’re doing more than just winning races. And this moment is no different.”

Since 2012, when coach Duane Ross arrived, the Aggies have won 16 MEAC titles in indoor and outdoor track and cross-country. With the Aggies joining the Big South Conference later this year, both the men’s and women’s teams will attempt to earn their last MEAC title on their home track at Truist Stadium in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, which prevented an outdoor season last spring, N.C. A&T’s track program came out of the starting blocks blazing in 2021, competing and winning against top programs. At the Division I indoor championship in March, the men’s team placed fifth overall, ahead of the perennial power Arkansas.

The top-5 finish was powered by the 4×400 relay of Randolph Ross Jr., Daniel Stokes, Elijah Young and Trevor Stewart, who won their event with a time of 3:03.16. Before their stellar run, there had been some anxiety as Young, who runs the third leg of the relay, was having a problem with his left hamstring.

“The day of the meet, [Coach Ross] was contemplating on a lot of stuff and 10 minutes before racing, I told him, ‘You should really trust me on this one and just let me run,’ because at that time I really did feel better,” said Young. “He was like, ‘All right, I got you,’ and at that time it was more like me just doing my part for the team. When the race was over, it was more like a relief to me.”

With the win on March 13, N.C. A&T became the first historically Black college and university (HBCU) to win an indoor NCAA Division I track and field title in the 4×400 since Morgan State won in back-to-back years in 1965 and 1966, the first two years of the NCAA indoor championships. The Aggies not only had the best 4×400 relay, but put people on notice that they have the potential of making history as the first HBCU to win a NCAA Division I track and field championship.

“This is our moment to create history,” said Ross. “A lot of us don’t get this opportunity. To be the first HBCU to do that in a sport in this country where you’re not expected to do the same thing as other institutions primarily because of money, that’s the mistake people make. They’re not looking at the hearts of these men. You can look at the size of our wallet all you want, but you can’t measure the hearts of these men, my coaching staff and the athletes on this team.”

The team didn’t revel in its success for too long. At the Texas Relays outdoor meet, the 4×400 quartet claimed the world’s leading time in the 400 relay for 2021 with a time of 3:00.23. (The world record is 2:54.29.) Now, days ahead of the MEAC championships, N.C. A&T’s men’s program is currently ranked No. 11 overall and the women had been ranked as high as No. 8 in late March.

Much of this growth could be attributed to the commitment from athletes and Ross’ approach.

“It gives me a base to stand on as a Black person representing an HBCU,” said Stewart. “It gives me a sense of pride and mainly because the coaching staff and Ross, who coaches me, actually helped me up to a point that if it hurts in practice then I’m doing something right. If you go all the way down to the basics and break yourself down to rebuild yourself, you’re doing something right.”

When Ross first came to the program, he was the Aggies’ fourth coach in three years.

From 1984 to 2010, the team had been headed by four-time MEAC Coach of the Year Roy Thompson. Under Thompson, N.C. A&T’s track team became a national presence, winning four outdoor MEAC championships and one indoor title.

“He was like a grandpa figure,” said Darryl Williams, an alum of North Carolina A&T’s track and field team and a previous captain. “He was a motivator. He would tell you, ‘If you’re going to make a mistake, make it an aggressive one.’ ”

But the death of Jospin Milandu during an unauthorized tryout in the summer of 2010 forced the resignation of Thompson. In fall 2012, Ross arrived from Methodist University after two other coaches didn’t work out.

For some athletes, it was a slow transition because there was a lack of trust. Ross came from a Division III school and no one really knew his coaching methods or how long he’d be around.

“I got way faster [under Ross],” said Williams. “Every coach got different training styles and Coach Ross as a coach was more understanding, so he catered to the training styles that he recognized.” 

Since 2017, Ross has led a dominant program, winning MEAC titles and now placing in the top 5 in an NCAA championship. Although an NCAA outdoor championship is the current goal, a handful of N.C. A&T’s athletes are anticipating the Olympic trials or have already qualified for the Olympics in their respective countries.

“A lot of people are sleeping on the women because the talk has been all about the men the last couple of years, but our women are just as strong. Not necessarily in the 400, but in the sprints, the 100, 200 and hurdles. We got four of the best hurdlers in the country, and it’s really impressive to watch this women’s team and I’m proud of them,” said Ross.

Athletes such as Madelieine Akobundu (hurdles and jumps), TeJyrica Robinson (hurdles), Breanne Bygrave (hurdles), Paula Salmon (hurdles), Delecia McDuffie (sprints) and Cambrea Sturgis (sprints) are all having very good seasons.

“The women’s program is a program that is constantly evolving,” said Akobundu, a graduate student and qualifier for the Olympic trials in the 100-meter hurdles. “It’s changing and we are getting newer people. Right now, the attention is on the men, which is great, the men have had an amazing season, but I feel like this outdoor season is the women’s season. We’re coming up. We’re making a lot of progress and we’re hitting a lot of good times.”

The growth that Akobundu has seen since her freshman year at N.C. A&T is part of Ross’ game plan in having an effective team.

“I’ve seen the team grow by leaps and bounds,” said Ross. “We came in and just built it the way I thought it needed to be built. We somewhat changed the culture there and put a lot of emphasis on what I thought was important to the program.” 

Stokes has qualified to run for Mexico in the 400 meters. Akeem Sirleaf will be running for Liberia and currently holds the country’s 200- (20.37) and 400-meter (45.42) records. Rasheem Brown will be running for the Cayman Islands in the 110-meter hurdles. Ross Jr., Ross’ son, has qualified for the U.S. Olympic trials in the 400 along with Stewart.

Others who have qualified for the trials June 18-27 are Sturgis (200), alums Kayla White (100), Christopher Belcher (100 and 200), and Rodney Rowe (100 and 200).

“Our entire culture is looking at this and saying we need this to happen. This is not just for A&T. This is for our alumni. This is for our culture. This is for all the Black coaches that have come before me that struggled to get in this game because there was a time they couldn’t even get into the track meets that we go to,” said Ross. “This is a part of our legacy that we want to leave, this is bigger than just winning races for us.” 

Thomas said the team has missed out on at least three national outdoor and indoor titles by a total of five points.

Thomas and the Blue Tigers left nothing to chance Saturday, building up an insurmountable lead and cruising to the team’s eighth national outdoor championship at Johnson C. Smith’s Irwin Belk Complex.

Lincoln was led by the quick feet of sophomore Rene Medley, who won the 200-meter dash, finished second in the 100-meter dash and teamed with Diana Cauldwell, Christine Moss and Shaian Vandenburg to win the 4×100 relay in 44.51 seconds.

Medley said she had extra incentive in the 200 meters because she wanted revenge on the runner who finished ahead of her in the semifinals.

“It was a great race,” Medley said. “In the prelims I came in second place and I got lane 3, and the girl who beat me got lane 4. So that really motivated me to just run her down, and I did just that.

“It’s a great feeling to win the national championship with these great ladies. We came in third indoor in the nationals with just three girls, so this feels great.”

Cauldwell, a senior, also won the triple jump and was second in the long jump to help the Blue Tigers build a nearly insurmountable lead by midday.

“I just came out here to deliver, and do what my coach said I should do,” Caldwell said. “This is amazing; it is so amazing to win a national championship.”

Moss also helped pick up a third-place finish in the 4X400 relay, for which she teamed with Renea Ambersley, Segale Brown and Shanice Clarke.

“I think the girls did excellent,” said Thomas, Lincoln’s head track and field coach for 15 years. “We have three superstars, along with a supporting cast who did the job that they were supposed to do, and we were able to pull it off quite comfortably.”

Lincoln is a historically black university with an enrollment of 3,000-plus students in Jefferson City, Missouri. The Blue Tigers finished the meet with 60 points, followed by runners-up St. Augustine’s, which in typical fashion, climbed from 19th at the start of the day to second place at the end.

In fact, St. Augustine’s, whose men’s and women’s teams failed to achieve a 40th national championship for coach George Williams, was racing for second place in the final event and secured it when the Falcons’ Shannon Kalawan passed a Lincoln runner on the backstretch and cruised to the finish line for St. Aug’s victory in the 4X400 meter relay.

The Falcons finished with 48.5 points.

But Medley, Caldwell and Lincoln teammates had already been fitted for the crown.

Before that final event, Lincoln already had 54 points — 11.5 more than the next-closest competitor.

Angelo State (42.5 points), Grand Valley State (40.5) and Adams State (39) rounded out the top five.

For Lincoln, it was the school’s eighth national outdoor women’s championship to go with five indoor titles.

The Blue Tigers won five straight, from 2003 to 2007, and again in 2009 and 2014. Their national indoor titles came in 2004, 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2016.

For Williams, it’s back on the recruiting trail and back to trying to cajole St. Augustine’s administrators for more scholarship funds.

“We only had five girls, and Lincoln had quite a contingent,” Williams said. “We put up a good fight, we just ran out of bodies. Until we can be able to find scholarships to get some more student-athletes, that’s about the best we can do.”

After finishing in the top 12 of their respective events at the NCAA East Regional in Lexington, Kentucky, 17 HBCU athletes have earned the right to compete for their titles at the historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

HBCUs will participate in 12 events, including the 100-meter dash and the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Several of these athletes are in prime position to capture an NCAA championship after their stellar performances in Lexington.

This competition has historically served as the foundation for track and field athletes interested in participating for the United States in the world championships and the Olympics.

They will look to follow in the footsteps of prominent HBCU track stars such as 2016 Olympic gold medalist Jeff Henderson, who won NCAA Division II titles in the 100 meters and the long jump while at Stillman College, and Hampton University alum Francena McCorory, who won gold in the 4-x-400 meter relay.

North Carolina A&T standout sprinter Chris Belcher will be in three championship finals after an extraordinary first day of competition Wednesday in Oregon. Belcher shattered his Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference record in the 100 in the semifinals and later posted the fastest time of the day in the 200-meter dash. He also was key in helping the North Carolina A&T men’s 4-x-100 meter relay team finish with the second-fastest time overall.

Belcher is one of an HBCU-record 13 athletes who traveled to the championships from North Carolina A&T.

“Schools like us don’t really get the attention or big-time athletes like the ACC, SEC and the Pac 12 do, so it’s nice to finally have people paying attention and understand what we are doing,” Belcher said. “All year long we have been anticipating heavy-hitting competition, and now we got it.”

Bethune-Cookman triple jumper Michael Tiller, who placed first at the NCAA East Regional, shared sentiments similar to Belcher’s. Tiller is looking to embrace the underdog mentality that lifted him to have the best overall mark in Lexington.

“It’s a great feeling to be able to compete in Eugene. We are a very small school and rarely have people competing,” said Tiller. “I feel like some people might look past us; it just gives me more push to prove who I am and put my school on the map.”

Representatives from Prairie View A&M (Deonca Bookman, 400 meter hurdles; men’s 4-x-100 relay), Hampton University (Jaelen Williams, 400 meter hurdles), Alabama State (long jumper Jamie Brown; 4-x-100 men’s relay team), Tennessee State (Amber Hughes, women’s triple jump) and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (Khalil Rmidi Kinini, 3,000-meter steeplechase) will also compete.

Donovan Dooley is a Rhoden Fellow from North Carolina A&T University.