PETERSBURG, Virginia – The names may change but the winning never stops for the Saint Augustine's University men's track & field team. The Falcons cruised to their 17th consecutive men's conference title at the 2014 CIAA Outdoor Championships at Rogers Stadium on the Virginia State University campus Saturday, April 19. They scored 193 points for an 89-point victory margin. Virginia State University was second with 104 points and Virginia Union was third with 94 points.
Coupled with 18 straight CIAA Indoor men's titles, the Falcons have dominated league competition for nearly two decades. And they show no signs of slowing down.
"They just keep continuing to work hard," said legendary Head Coach George Williams, who has guided the St. Aug men's and women's teams to 34 NCAA Division II national titles and over 150 CIAA championships during his illustrious coaching career. "We get a new group every year, and every four years we graduate them. The new ones come in and try to keep the legacy up. It's something that we do."
The St. Aug women's team almost made it a sweep, losing by one point to Johnson C. Smith 132-131. The Lady Falcons led by one point heading into the final event, but they finished second to JCSU by approximately two seconds in the 4x400 meter relay.
"The women had a good run [at the meet]," Williams said. "I feel sorry for them. We lost points in some events because we had a couple of young ladies injured who already qualified for nationals. They couldn't score because of their injuries.
"But you are going to win some and lose some. They fought hard and left it all out there but Smith had a little more left."
St. Aug still won five of the six CIAA men's and women's track & field and cross country championships for the second straight season. The Falcons claimed the men's cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field titles. The Lady Falcons took home the women's cross country and indoor track & field crowns.
The Falcons also claimed the NCAA Division II men's indoor track & field championship for the second straight year. The defending Division II outdoor champs as well, the Falcons are ranked No. 1 nationally in the men's outdoor rankings.
This weekend, St. Aug breezed by its opponents in the men's division with talent and depth. They claimed eight of the 17 events with two Falcons finishing among the top three in six events.
The men's individual winners for the Falcons were Eddie Shelton (Sr./Deltona, FL) in the high jump, DeJon Wilkinson (Sr./Summerville, SC) in the triple jump, Ty'reak Murray (Sr./Portsmouth, VA) in the 110 meter hurdles, James Quarles (Sr./Washington, DC) in the 400 meter dash, Roxroy Cato (Sr./St. Mary's, Jamaica) in the 400 meter hurdles and Torion Bailey (Sr./Compton, CA) in the 800 meter run.
Saint Augustine's won the 4x100 and 4x400 meter relays. The quartet of Jermaine Jones (Sr./Wilmington, NC), Quarles, Daniel Jamieson (Soph./Windsor, CT) and Taffawee Johnson (Sr./St. Ann, Jamaica) were on the 4x100 squad, and the foursome of Joshua Edmonds (Sr./Jacksonville, FL), Quarles, Kevaughn Hewitt (Fr./Miamar, FL) and Cato were on the winning 4x400 team.
Among the women, Shakinah Brooks (Fr./Raleigh, NC) captured the long jump and Tia-Adana Belle won the 400 meter hurdles. The 4x100 team of Shamia Lassiter (Soph./Chesapeake, VA), Ornella Livingston (Fr./Jamaica), Brooks and Kandace Thomas (Canton, OH) and the 4x400 squad of Belle, Akeisha Dumont (Jr./Brooklyn, NY), Brittany Brown (Sr./Akron, OH) and Cherrisse Lynch (Jr./St. Lawrence, Barbados) placed second. One Lady Falcon placed among the top three in seven of the 16 events which helped the team stay in contention.
After outstanding performances by both the men's and women's teams, St. Aug will make its annual trek to Philadelphia, Pa., for the Penn Relays. The prestigious meet will be held Thursday, April 24 thru Saturday, April 26, at Franklin Field.
Results
COURTESY SAINT AUGUSTINE'S UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
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