NORTH CAROLINA A&T’S TRACK AND FIELD MAKES HISTORY
Members of the illustrious NC A&T track and field took home titles in four events at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships over the weekend.
On the final day of the championships, NC A&T’s Cambrea Sturgis led the women to an overall fourth-place finish in the NCAA women’s 100 (fastest world time in NCAA history) and 200 meters with a third-place finish in the 4×100-meter relay.
“I was a little bit nervous,” said Sturgis as she described how she felt before the starter pistol went off for the 100m race. “Even though there were other good competitors, I knew I was just as good as them. I just went out there and ran my race.”
🏆 Women's 200m 🏆
Cambrea Sturgis… AGAIN! The 100-200 double is complete.#NCAATF x @NCATAGGIES
📺 ESPNU pic.twitter.com/FO3OHb9jHo
— NCAA Track & Field (@NCAATrackField) June 12, 2021
Saturday marked the 13th time in NCAA history a women’s sprinter has won the national championship in the 100 and 200m. Sturgis is the first female athlete to win both since Oregon’s Ariana Washington did it in 2016.
“It just shows NCAT can be an elite school, and we can run with the best,” said Sturgis.
The Aggie men also put on a show. Freshman Randolph Ross Jr. won the 400m NCAA national championship at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field with a time of 43.85. Ross also helped junior Daniel Stokes, and Seniors Akeem Sirleaf and Trevor Stewart bring home the 4X400 meter relay national championship. They ran a 3:00.92 race.
“We are an HBCU. We will always be an HBCU. That is who we are, that is our history, and we’re proud of that,” NCAT’s director of track and field program Duan Ross stated. “But that acronym needs to be retired if people are going to continue to misuse it. It’s almost like they are saying you guys are good for an HBCU. No, we’re good, period.”
Notably, twenty athletes have qualified for the NCAA indoor championships under Ross, while 14 have qualified for the NCAA outdoor championships. He’s also had 34 different athletes earn first-team All-American honors in either indoor or outdoor.
The Aggies were the only school at the NCAA championships to have their men and women finish in the top-4 this week. There’s no doubt that NC A&T is the best to do it!
