After a stellar showing at the Penn Relays, Saint Augustine’s University maintained its top ranking for the fifth consecutive week in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA Division II Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Rankings, which were released Tuesday, April 29, 2014.
Adams State University is second and Ashland University is third in the men’s rankings. Saint Augustine’s University is sixth in the women’s rankings. Grand Valley State University is first followed by Adams State (second) and Johnson C. Smith University (third). Lincoln (MO) is ranked fourth.
The Saint Augustine’s University men achieved four season-best times and marks at the prestigious Penn Relays, which was held April 24-26 in Philadelphia, Pa. DeJon Wilkinson (Sr./Summerville, SC), the top-ranked triple jumper on all collegiate levels, became the top long jumper in Division II after leaping a career-high 25-10¼. He won both the long jump and triple jump at the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships in March which earned him the USTFCCCA Division II Indoor Field Athlete of the Year Award.
The Falcons’ quartet of Daniel Jamieson (Soph./Windsor, CT), Taffawee Johnson (Sr./St. Ann’s, Jamaica), Burkheart Ellis Jr. (Soph./Raleigh, NC) and Jermaine Jones (Jr./Wilmington, NC) remained the top-ranked men’s 4×400 relay squad after running a sizzling time of 39.19 at the Penn Relays.
The other top-ranked men’s competitors for the Falcons this week are Roxroy Cato (Sr./St. Mary’s, Jamaica) and the 4×400 relay team. The No. 1 400 hurdler of all collegiate levels, Cato won his event at the Penn Relays. Cato held the world’s fastest time for three weeks (48.67), and is currently the second-fastest 400 hurdler in the world. The foursome of Joshua Edmonds (Sr./Jacksonville, FL), James Quarles (Sr./Washington, DC), Elhadji Mbow (Sr./Dakar, Senegal) and Cato are ranked first in the 4×400 relay.
David Shaw Jr. (Jr./Red Springs, NC) won the men’s long jump at the Penn Relays with a career-high mark of 24-5 to rank eighth in the event. Shaw also leaped a career-best 49-7¼ at the Penn Relays to rank ninth in the triple jump.
The Lady Falcons posted two season-best times at the Penn Relays. The quartet of Shamia Lassiter (Soph./Chesapeake, VA), Ornella Livingston (Soph./Jamaica), Shakinah Brooks (Fr./Raleigh, NC) and Kandace Thomas (Jr./Canton, OH) ran 44.95 to claim the top ranking in the women’s 4×100 relay in Division II. The squad of Tia-Adana Belle, Cherrisse Lynch (Jr./St. Lawrence, Barbados), Brittany Brown (Sr./Akron, OH) and Akeisha Dumont (Jr./Brooklyn, NY) finished in 3:40.82 to rank third in the 4×400 relay. Shakinah Brooks (Fr./Raleigh, NC), ranked fifth in Division II in the long jump, won at the Penn Relays in her event.