The A&T men’s and women’s track and field teams combined to put together eight top 15 finishes at the Florida Relays at the University of Florida. All heats are timed finals, making the performances even more impressive.

A&T won 6 of 9 heats with opening marks ahead of last season’s progression. The meet featured some of the best athletes and schools in the country.

“Without a doubt I am very proud of what we were able to accomplish this past weekend,” associate head coach James Daniels said. “We had two cases of food poisoning, so other people were called upon to step up and they responded.”

What aided the Aggies was the presence of former A&T track and field standouts. Al-Aakhir Grimes, a school record holder in the pole vault, drove from Tampa, Fl, to watch the Aggies compete.

Grimes competed at A&T from 1999-2003. Loreal Smith, who earned outdoor All-American honors in the 100 meter hurdles in 2009, was also in attendance. The former MEAC Woman of the Year is now competing for Nike.

“It was great to see the team compete so well,” said Al-Aakhir, who recently obtained his doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of South Florida. “It was not hard at all to yell Aggie Pride with fellow Aggies at the meet. They did an outstanding job representing our great institution.”  

The Florida Relays is one of the most prestigious meets in the country, and has existed for 67 years. The meet featured NCAA outdoor champions and All-Americans.

Despite the competition, the Aggies still had a good showing in the relays.

The Aggies men’s 4×100 meter relay team finished sixth with a time of 40.10. The men’s 4×200 meter relay team had an eighth place finish with a time of 1:24.81.

There was also a ninth place finish by the women’s 4×1 relay team.

In the individual events, Shakia Forbes followed up her win at the Raleigh Relays with a 10th place finish in the women’s long jump. Her best jump was 18-feet, 10 inches.

Krystin Lawson had an 11th place finish in the women’s 100 with a time of 11.75.

Freshman Dotrine Jacobs, Newburg, N.Y., qualified for the USATF Junior Nationals in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 60.03.

The Junior Nationals will be held June 23-26 in Eugene, Oregon. The Aggies have competed well at the event. A year ago, Jenea McCammon became the first Aggie to qualify for the finals of a USATF Junior National event.

“After competing against a lot of the top schools in the region, professional athletes and MEAC schools, we believe as a team we are getting ready to compete well,” said senior Crystal Carrington.”

The Aggies are preparing for their first home meet on April 15-16 when they host the Friendship & Freedom Games at Irwin Belk Track.

• Brian Holloway