After setting a personal best on March 27 for outdoor shot put at the Raleigh Relays, senior thrower Brayden Hodgest has set a new outdoor program record for N.C. A&T.
Hodgest surpassed the previous top spot set by his teammate Carlos Alexander, after a record-breaking throw of 17.82 meters (58 feet, 5 ¾ inches). Alexander’s now broken record measured at 17.68 meters (58 feet, ¼ inch) and was set in 2023 at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational at the University of Florida.
Hodgest started his collegiate career as a thrower at A&T in 2021 after graduating from Brewer High School in Fort Worth, Texas. He was originally committed to the University of Arkansas before deciding to attend A&T.
“Right before I was going to go, I ended up having hip surgery. I texted the coach and… I don’t know, something was just in my spirit,” said Hodgest. “I felt like I needed to be in a different place and just in a different atmosphere.”
That decision would change Hodgest’s life as a student-athlete, as he became a six-time throwing champion over four years on the A&T roster. He recorded three outdoor titles, three indoor titles, and entered his name in the history books among Aggies in terms of program records.
In February, a month before his most recent record in Raleigh, the A&T Men’s Track and Field team had a historic moment of its own as they won the 2024-25 Colonial Athletic Association Indoor Track and Field Championship. That win marks the first CAA title for not only track and field, but for the rest of A&T’s athletic programs as well.
“I feel like as a team, collectively, we’ve worked hard every single day and we’ve shown up with one goal, which was to be the first team to win,” said Hodgest. “I think going into it, we had the confidence that we were the best team. Even on our worst day, we can be better than everyone else.”
Hodgest’s leadership skills and competitive flair come from many things, ranging from his mindset on the gridiron in high school to setting an example for his underclassmen teammates. Among the many points of inspiration, he found a role model figure in a then graduate student, Nazah Reddick.
Reddick was on A&T’s roster from 2017 to 2022. She also took the title of Big South Conference high jump champion in 2022 with a 1.78-meter jump, to complement her several impressive performances during her athletic career at A&T.
“I’ve always been a big personality on the team,” Hodgest said. “I’ve always been the guy who tries to stay in the middle of everything, and she was that person.”
Above all, Brayden Hodgest exemplifies consistent work ethic and to trust that the fruits of your labor will be reflective of what you put in.
“Things aren’t always going to go your way, and it’s not always going to be rainbows and sunshine, but with hard work and faith, I think anything can be done, especially at a school like this,” said Hodgest. “To those around me, I’m super appreciative, but I’m more appreciative of where we’re going because I know where we come from.”
A&T will compete again at the Florida Relays in Gainesville, Fla. on April 4-5, looking to continue their streak of sensational performances in the CAA and at the national level.
