GREENSBORO, N.C. - The Bethune-Cookman Wildcats made program history on the final day of competition at the 2014 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday afternoon at North Carolina A&T's Irwin Belk Track, as the men's program earned the first MEAC Championship in program history, while the women finished fifth.
B-CU Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Donald Cooper was selected the MEAC Men's Track and Field Outstanding Coach for the first time.
“It was a hard fought battle and a lot of great competition from all teams,” Cooper said. “This has been one of the best MEAC (Championships) that I have been at, and our team persevered.”
Opening the final day with a 25-point advantage on the men's side, the Wildcats kept the momentum rolling in a complete team outing on Saturday, wrapping up the competition with 132 points and a 31-point victory over second place, North Carolina A&T.
“This is an amazing moment for the 'Wildcat Nation',” Cooper continued. “Hats off to all the other MEAC teams for their competiveness. I've got to give it to the student-athletes and my coaching staff, they all performed brilliantly. I could not have asked for a greater group to coach or a greater staff to work with. I want to thank the administration for allowing me the opportunity to bring a men's track & field championship to B-CU.”
“I just want to thank God for my path and purpose,” Cooper added. “Hail Wildcats! We are MEAC Champions!”
Turning in the top performance in the men's field events for the Wildcats was senior La'Quan Howard, who hit a career-best distance of 15.25m (50-00.50 ft.) to earn second in the triple jump. The Wildcats racked up 18 team points in the event, as freshman Kenneth Fisher was fourth at 15.15m (49-08.50 ft.), freshman Michael Tiller was sixth at an outdoor-best 14.83m (48-08.00 ft.) and junior Jimel Wright was seventh at 14.44m (47-04.50 ft.).
On the track, junior Tremayne Banks finished second in the 110m hurdles after clipping a hurdle in the finals, still finishing in 14.07 seconds. Banks also finished fourth in the 100m with a time of 10.89 seconds and logged a fifth-place finish in the 200m dash with a time of 21.05.
Teammate Angelo Cabrera persevered against injury, taking the track for the 100m and 200 finals, finishing each race to earn the Wildcats points, despite hindered times of 18.43 (100m) and 39.07 (200m).
Sophomore sprinter Tristie Johnson was the big scorer for the women on the day, earning the ladies' lone individual title with a first-place finish in the 100m dash, recording a MEAC-Record time of 11.29 seconds. Johnson ran a season-best 23.37 in the 200m to finish in fourth.
“Tristie Johnson was out of her mind,” Cooper noted of his young phenom. “11.29 in the 100m and a new school and MEAC record, it's simply amazing.”
An additional scoring resource for the Wildcats, three logged points in the men's pole vault, led by senior Curtis Riggins, who finished fifth with a height of 4.12m (13-06.25 ft.), while classmate Akeem Barthol was sixth at 4.07m (13-04.25 ft.) and junior Pierre Strother was eighth at 4.02m (13-02.25 ft.). On the women's side, junior Shantell Townsend finished fourth at 2.79m (9-01.75 ft.).
Junior Ricy Brown and sophomore Daniel Ketter went fifth and sixth, respectively, in the 1,500m run, recording times of 4:03.72 and 4:06.03. Ketter also chipped in with a sixth-place performance in the 3,000m steeplechase, recording a career-best time of 10:12.42.
The Wildcats logged scores in both the women's and men's 4x100m relays, with the women's squad of Keyona Thomas, Shalaneya Bryant, Breonca Reid and Johnson coming in third with a time of 45.81. The men's squad of Eddie Scott, Banks, Cabrera and Marquis Drayton were seventh in 41.64.
While the men earned the team title with 132 points, North Carolina A&T followed in second place with 101 points and Hampton finished third with 89 points. The women logged 70 points to finish fifth, just four points behind Morgan State. Hampton earned the women's title with 154.5 points.
Two Wildcats, Nnamdi Davis and Kenneth Fisher, earned Men's All-MEAC first team honors. Ed'Ricus Williams, Keron Stoute, Nicholas Williams, La'Quan Howard and Tremayne Banks earned All-MEAC second team honors. Michael Tiller earned a spot on the All-MEAC third team.
For the women, Tristie Johnson earned All-MEAC first team honors. Nyajock Pan and Desiree Richardson were members of the All-MEAC second team. Deidra Jordana, Breonca Reid, Shalaneya Bryant and Keyona Thomas were on the All-MEAC third team.
“The women's team performed beyond what others expected and are only getting better,” Cooper noted.
The MEAC Championships concludes the 2013-14 regular season for the bulk of the Bethune-Cookman track team, but many will be taking to the track on May 16-17 in Atlanta, attempting to earn qualifying marks for the postseason at the Georgia Tech Invitational.
With 13 Wildcats ranking among the top 48 in the East Regional in the current standings, there will likely be several B-CU entries in the upcoming NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships East Preliminary, running May 28-31 in Jacksonville, Fla.
For all the latest information on the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, including meet results and recaps, visit B-CUathletics.com. Be sure to follow the official Twitter feeds at @CookmanTrack and @BCUathletics or "Like Us" on Facebook at BCUAthletics.
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