Sunday, May 5, 2013

HU Pirates, Lady Pirates Win MEAC Outdoor Track Titles


GREENSBORO, N.C. The Hampton University men’s and women’s track & field teams both won the 2013 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday at the Irwin Belk Track on the campus of North Carolina A&T.

The Lady Pirates won their second straight MEAC outdoor crown and their seventh in the last eight years. The Pirates won their first outright MEAC outdoor title since 2003 and snapped Norfolk State’s seven-year outdoor winning streak.

The Lady Pirates also won the MEAC indoor title back in February.

The Hampton women tallied 123 points, beating second-place Maryland Eastern Shore by four points. Florida A&M came in third with 104 points. On the men’s side, Hampton scored 119 points compared to just 92.5 points from second-place Norfolk State.

Director of Track & Field Maurice Pierce was named the Most Outstanding Coach.

“This is unbelievable,” Pierce said.  “To win two championships in one year, in this conference, is a tremendous blessing. Both teams worked together and the men were able to feed off the women.

“These wins are an attribute of these two teams working together as one.”

Senior Benita Taylor (Philadelphia, Pa.) won the women’s 800-meter run with a time of 2:10.91, and she also took the 1,500-meter run title after running a season-best 4:38.83.

Junior Breana Norman (Virginia Beach, Va.) ran a 13.76 to win the 100-meter hurdles title.

The Lady Pirates also won the MEAC title in the 4x400-meter relay in 3:40.44, with senior Shantae Boney (District Heights, Md.), sophomore Le'Quisha Parker (Silver Springs, Md.), Taylor, and junior Malekah Holland (Brooklyn, N.Y.) running the race.

Parker was second in the 200-meter dash with a season-best 23.15, and Norman was second in the high jump with a season-best mark of 1.72 meters (five feet, 7.25 inches). Boney finished second in the heptathlon with a season-high 4,696 points, while senior Shaquanda Gainey (Camden, N.J.) was third with 4,439 points.

Junior Nichelle Harris (Rahway, N.J.) came in third in the 3,000-meter steeplechase after running an 11:33.16. Junior Teiara Denmark (Virginia Beach, Va.) came in third in both the long jump (5.88 meters; 19 feet, 3.5 inches) and the triple jump (12.29 meters; 40 feet, four inches).

Sophomore Edose Ibadin (Glendale, Md.) won the men’s 800-meter run after turning in a 1:50.60.

He was also on the 4x400-meter relay team that won the MEAC title with a time of 3:10.14. Ibadin ran with sophomore Chidi Okezie (Philadelphia, Pa.), sophomore Mohamed Labor-Koroma (Chantilly, Va.), and junior Je'Von Hutchison (Boynton, Fla.).

Sophomore Stefano Nardini (Milan, Italy) won the javelin with a mark of 65.62 meters (215 feet, three inches), breaking his own school record set earlier this season.

Freshman Trey Holloway (Chesapeake, Va.) came in second in the 110-meter hurdles with a season-best 13.85. Sophomore Sulaiman Fareed (Richmond, Va.) tossed the shot put 16.46 meters (54 feet), breaking his own school record, to come in second.

Okezie was third in the 200-meter dash with a season-best 21.06 and third in the 400-meter dash with a 47.14.

The top three finishers in each event earn All-MEAC honors; event winners are named First Team All-MEAC, with second-place and third-place finishers earning Second and Third Team All-MEAC honors, respectively.

The Pirates and Lady Pirates will return to action on Saturday and Sunday, when they head to Princeton, N.J. for the IC4A and ECAC Outdoor Championships. For more information on Hampton University track & field, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.

Final Results

COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY PIRATES SPORTS INFORMATION

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