Hampton's McCorory takes third NCAA title in 400 meters

Hampton University's American and Collegiate Indoor record holder Francena McCorory, won her third NCAA National Championship title in the 400 meters on Friday. The senior All-American is from Bethel High School, Hampton, Virginia.

(photo by Mark Sutton)

EUGENE, Oregon – Hampton University senior Francena McCorory made her final collegiate track meet unforgettable, winning her third NCAA championship by outracing her competitors in the 400-meter dash late Friday night at famed Hayward Field.

McCorory ran a season-best time of 50.69 seconds to take her third title in the event – her first in the outdoor season. The Bethel High graduate also won the indoor 400 in 2009 with a 51.54, before repeating that title in March 2010, setting the American record with a 50.54. McCorory's title is also the fifth NCAA Division I crown in HU history; former Lady Pirate Yvette Lewis, who attended Denbigh High and then Menchville, won a pair of NCAA triple-jump titles, taking the indoor crown in 2006 and the outdoor title in 2007.

The Pirates sophomore sprinter Reggie Dixon ran a 10.39 in the 100-meter dash final to finish seventh. Jeff Demps of Florida won in 9.96. Dixon, from Plainfield, N.J., ran the seventh-fastest preliminary time in the 100-meter dash, turning in a 10.24 to advance to the final. The Hampton men's team finished the meet tied for 60th and the women's team was tied for 26th place with Georgia and Hawaii-Manoa.



Francena McCorory of Hampton Breaks the American and Collegiate Indoor Record with an amazing run of 50.54 at the 2010 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships earlier this year.

Lakeland alum gets Hampton University Pirates out of the blocks

Predist Walker, Position: Hurdles/Relays, Height: 5-11, Weight: 158, Class: Junior, Hometown: Suffolk, VA, High School: Lakeland HS.

HAMPTON, VA — Anyone who thinks track isn’t really a team sport should chat with Hampton’s Predist Walker. Walker, a junior for the Pirates and a Lakeland graduate, is the first leg of Hampton University’s 4x100-meter relay team and what a team it’s been during this outdoor season. The Pirates set a new school record and a new MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) record (39.71 seconds) in winning the conference crown in early May.

Last weekend, in the NCAA East Regional in Greensboro, N.C., the Pirates took more time off their new school record with a time of 39.55 seconds. More importantly, HU’s relay team qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. June 9-12. Hampton’s time is the ninth-best time in NCAA Div. I this season. In addition to the outstanding, and steadily improving, times for the Pirate sprinters, the team is as unified as any sports squad around. In fact, it’s part of why they’re having success. “We’ve been together since our freshman year, so we’ve built a real connection. We’re pretty much like brothers,” Walker said.

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