In its final competition before the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Indoor Championship, the Florida A&M women’s track team set out to prove that it is a contender in the conference.
The runners did exactly that during Friday and Saturday’s Clemson Invitational in Clemson, S.C., earning top-tier finishes in nearly every event.
“The young ladies are putting it all together, and I can tell that what we’ve been doing in practice is starting to unfold,” head coach Darlene Moore said after the meet. “We have a total of 17 young ladies that have qualified in 15 of the 17 events posted in the championship; that is a tremendous feat.”
Nakia Linson led the Rattlers to a second-place finish in the 60m dash in a time of 7.74. Jasmine Pleasant followed closely behind in third place in a time of 7.75.
Linson would dominate again in the long jump, soaring to second place with a 5.81m distance. Kinnesha Jones leapt to a distance of 5.29m, securing eighth place. Jones would later leap to first place in the triple jump with a distance of 11.92m.
Chandelic Jackson displayed another promising performance, blazing to second place in the 800m run (2:18.71). Nicola Listhrop secured a top-10 finish, coming in seventh place in a time of 2:25.61.
“This meet was a good indicator of how we’re going to do at MEAC [championships],” Jackson said. “Everybody pushed today and some people PR’d (personal best) between the two days. So it’s a good indicator for a good finish, if not a win for MEAC.”
In a collective effort, the 4 x 400m relay team rallied to a second place finish in a time of 3:54.58.
Ariel Allen jolted to third place in the 400m dash in a time of 57.16. Dynasty Jones (57.54) and Jeanette Hulse (1:00.29) finished sixth and 16th, respectively.
FAMU secured top-5 spots in the 5000m run. Nadine Mulvany taped in second place in a time of 17:59.20. Ciera Williams (18:46.77) and Clarricia Golden (18:52.64) finished in fourth and fifth place, respectively.
Stephanie Colter continued the pace, leaping to third place in the high jump with a distance of 1.55m (5-01.00).
In the shot put, Sasha-Ann Lerbert would secure second place with a toss good for 12.55m. Cynthia Clark (12.17m) and Shamona Haughton (10.67m) finish fifth and ninth, respectively for top-10 spots.
Clark (14.01m), Haughton (14.04m) and Lerbert (14.07m) would earn more top-10 finishes in the weight throw, securing the fifth, sixth and seventh spot.
FAMU will return to action on Feb. 16, as the team travels to Landover, Md. to participate in the MEAC Indoor Championship.