Lincoln Blue Tigers Win Seven Events At The Missouri Relays

COLUMBIA, Missouri  -- Yanique Ellington broke the meet record in 100m, posting one the Lincoln women's outdoor track & field team's seven victories at the Missouri Relays on Saturday (April 12). The Blue Tigers turned in 33 overall top-10 finishes at the meet, which was hosted by the University of Missouri.

Ellington was one of six Blue Tigers to finish among the top-15 in the 100m, winning the race in 11.52. That time, an automatic qualifier for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field National Championships, beat the previous Missouri Relays meet record of 11.58, set in 2007 by another Blue Tiger, Nandelle Cameron. Janae Johnson was the runner-up in the 100m, taking second in 11.60, while Judith Riley (11.98) and Kimberly Bailey (12.01) finished sixth and seventh, respectively. Nickeisha Beaumont, meanwhile, finished 12th (12.42) while Erika Spencer placed 15th (12.81).

Lincoln also had tremendous success in the 200m, with Johnson emerging as the winner with a time of 23.65. Ellington was the runner-up, clocking in at 23.86, and Riley finished seventh in 24.63. Bailey came in ninth (24.80) and Marcia Harrison placed 11th (25.12), tying fellow teammate Shakeisha Miller.

Tamara Keane
5'-8" Senior Sprinter
Hometown: Jefferson City, Missouri
Photo Courtesy: Lincoln University Athletics

The Blue Tigers also dominated the hurdle events, including the 400m race, where Tamara Keane won with a provisional time of 1:00.19. Ladonna Richards also had a provisional mark in the 400m hurdles, finishing second in 1:01.04, and Harrison rounded out the top-three with a time of 1:02.93. Juneille Barker finished fifth in both the 400m hurdles (1:03.52) and the 100m hurdles (13.94), with Richards winning the latter event in 13.44. Miller took seventh in the 100m hurdles (14.26) while Nadia Harriott finished 10th (14.74).

Monique Thompson led four Blue Tigers in the 800m, winning the race in 2:11.34. Jhevere Hall came in third (2:14.90) and Willomena Williams placed fourth (2:16.14) while Ebony Rose came in sixth (2:20.42). Hall, meanwhile, won the 1,500m, clocking in at 4:41.26, while Williams finished 10th (5:01.46).

The other win of the day for Lincoln came in the 4x400m relay. LU entered three foursomes into that event, with all three finishing among the top five. The group of Lovan Palmer, Donna-Lee Hylton, Hall and Keane won with a provisional time of 3:42.24. The group of Thompson, Barker, Harrison and Williams finished second, coming in at 3:46.00, and the unit of Rose, Richards, Bailey and Cynthia Halbert came in fifth with a time of 3:56.73.

The Blue Tigers also turned in a pair of second place results, including finishing as the runners-up in the 4x100m relay. In that event, it was the foursome of Bailey, Ellington, Richards and Johnson taking second in 45.78, a provisional-qualifying mark. Hylton finished as the runner-up in the 400m dash, clocking in at 55.17. Palmer finished seventh in the latter event, timing in at 57.13.

In the field events, Beaumont led LU with a third-place result in the long jump (5.79m). Miller placed eighth in that event, posting a top distance of 5.39m, and Jonelle Campbell took 12th (5.04m). Daniele Newman, meanwhile, turned in a pair of fourth-place finishes, including in the high jump (1.64m) and the triple jump (12.36m). Campbell placed sixth in the triple jump, posting a top mark of 11.97m.

Next week, Lincoln is scheduled to compete in two meets, including the Kansas Relays in Lawrence, Kan. from April 17-19. LU is also slated to compete in the Dewey Allgood Invitational, which will be hosted by Missouri S&T University in Rolla, Mo. on April 19.

Complete Results

Dan Carr, Assistant AD for Media Relations
COURTESY LINCOLN UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS