PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas — For the first time in a decade, the Prairie View A&M Panthers are Southwestern Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field champions, besting Alabama State and Jackson State behind clutch victories in field action.
PVAMU scored 167 points. In second was Alabama State (161) and Jackson State (160). Up by two points heading into the final event, Prairie View A&M (3:09.81) managed a second-place finish behind Texas Southern (3:09.60) to seal it, as Alabama State and Jackson State faded during the stretch run of the relay. UAPB finished third at 3:13.42.
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Jackson State distance runners Vincent Langat and Henry Kiplagat (28 points) finished as Co-Most Outstanding Track Performers after winning a combined four gold medals. Alabama A&M’s Akeem Samuels won two gold medals in throwing events to earn Most Outstanding Field Performer (25 points). Prairie View A&M’s Chris Clay was named Coach of the Year.
TEAM STANDINGS:
1. Prairie View A&M (167)
2. Alabama State (161)
3. Jackson State (160)
4. Texas Southern (113)
5. Alabama A&M (84)
6. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (77)
7. Alcorn State (37)
8. Mississippi Valley State (16)
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DAY 3 RESULTS
Tristian Ham of Prairie View A&M had a pole vault outing for the record books as he shattered the previous SWAC championship mark of 5.05 meters in the event. Ham won the gold with a clearance of 5.12 meters. Teammate Sunne-Rodriguez Weems was second (4.55m), and Texas Southern’s Cassius King (4.05m) finished third.
Prairie View A&M’s Deante Crittenden won the men’s high jump, as he soared over a height of 2.06 meters. Harvey Kendall of Texas Southern and Aaron Worrell each cleared 2.02 meters to reach the medal stand, as Kendall won silver thanks to clearing the mark in fewer attempts.
Jackson State blazed to victory in the 4×100 meter relay with a time of 39.87 seconds. Prairie View took home the silver (40.37), edging out Alabama State (40.41) in the closing moments. Samuels won the men’s discus throw with a heave of 46.61 meters, nearly a full meter ahead of silver medalist Caesar Kemp (45.73m) of Alabama State. Prairie View’s Jovondi Williams (45.56m) was third.
In the triple jump, Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s Travis Bibbs bested the field, winning with a leap up 15.54 meters. Texas Southern’s Harvey Kendall (14.81m) earned the silver, and Jackson State’s Jauvany Hyde (14.74m) was third.
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Jackson State continued their late charge as Joshua Hilliard won the 100-meter hurdles by a hair over Terrence Adams of Alabama State. Hilliard timed a 14.17, and Adams finished in 14.19 seconds. Azariah Foster of JSU finished third (14.21). In the 1500-meter run, Jackson State’s Langat won with a time of 4:00.94. In second was UAPB’s Laural Heath (4:01.60), and Prairie View A&M’s Tracy Malrey (4:02.93) earned bronze.
Prairie View’s duo of William Polley and Carl Jordan finished 1-2 in the 400-meter dash, with Polley earning gold (46.59 seconds). Jordan took silver (46.63) after overtaking Mississippi Valley’s Laval Davis (46.67) at the finish-line lunge.
Alcorn State’s Bralon Robinson won the 100-meter dash by a razor-thin margin (10.331) over Jackson State’s Justin Thomas (10.338). Alabama State’s Josh Davis (10.35) seized the bronze. Thanks to a strong finish down the stretch, Alabama State’s Andrew Jackson won the 800-meter run with a time of 1:52.92.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s Laural Heath (1:53.93) and Jackson State’s William Carroll (1:54.08) were second and third, respectively.
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Alex Ward of Alabama A&M edged the field in the 400-meter hurdles (51.22), and UAPB’s Rasheed McAlpin (51.25) took the silver. Prairie View’s Logan Williams earned bronze with a time of 51.72 seconds.
Davis of Alabama State blazed a 20.70-second time en route to the 200-meter dash conference title. DeTorrian Green of Alabama A&M (20.88) finished second, and Jackson State’s Thomas was third (20.92).
Jackson State closed individual competition with a 1-2 finish in the 5000-meter run. Kiplagat (15:39.61) won the meet, with teammate Langat second.
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