Rattlers look ahead to MEAC championship

 

Florida A&M’s men and women’s track and field teams competed in the Florida State Invitational for high rankings in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference this weekend.

Sophomore Chandelic Jackson finished second in the 800-meter run with a time of 2 minutes, 13.42 seconds behind University of South Florida runner Christine Poole-Trice.

Women’s head coach Darlene Moore said the team is performing well and they are making a strive for the MEAC championship.

“The goal is to improve our ranking and to get ready for the MEAC championship,” Moore said.

Some of the runners thought this invitational was a practice for them to get better and exceed their personal goals.

Junior runner Jean Leon, who competes in decathlons and individual events, said he is preparing as much as possible for the upcoming championship.

“My goal for the MEAC championship is to dominate,” Leon said.

The invitational provided athletes who have not yet qualified for the championship a chance to improve their times and possibly earn an opportunity to compete.

Senior triple jumper Kinnesha Jones finished in third place with a jump of 11.98 meters (39-3.75 feet) but said she knows she can do better and wants to jump “at least 41 or 42 feet.”

Sophomore Sasha-Ann Lebert, who throws shot put, discus and javelin, said she used this meet to perfect her skills for the bigger meets in the future.

“It’s just a practice meet to practice my throws and techniques and to get better at my bigger meets,” Lebert said.

Both teams are continuing to prepare for the MEAC championship and the Tom Jones Memorial Classic on Saturday at the University of Florida in Gainesville.