Aggies set pace at Phoenix Invitational
Courtesy NC A&T Sports Information / April 12, 2019
A&T junior Camille Martin captured second in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase with a time of 12 minutes and 48 seconds. Photo courtesy Michael Simmons
The Aggies, who are a week away from hosting their own track meet on the A&T campus at Irwin Belk Track and four weeks shy of hosting the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships again at N.C. A&T, prepared their young athletes by coming away with four first-place finishes and four second-place finishes at Elon.
It was a big day for freshman Kamaya Debose-Epps who won the women’s 100 and 200 meters. Junior Kemarni Mighty, who is in his first season with the Aggies, won the men’s 400m at 48.40 seconds. Sophomore Joshua Faison also grabbed a win as he took first place in the men’s discus.
Debose-Epps competed in the 100 for the second straight week. In her collegiate debut in the 100 two weeks ago at High Point University, Debose-Epps ran an 11.73. On Saturday, she won the event in 11.91.
It was a blowout win for Debose-Epps with her closest competition coming from High Point’s Leah Bolden at 12.15. Debose-Epps made her collegiate debut in the 200m with overwhelming success as she captured the race in 24.59 finishing ahead of Elon’s Lauren Brzozowski who finished second in 24.87.
Mighty’s best time at Barton County Community College in the 400m was 47.41. Mighty won the 400 at Elon with a time of 48.40.
Freshman Malcolm Croom-McFadden also had a good showing over the weekend. He finished second in the 100 with a time of 10.76. In his collegiate debut in the 200, he finished fourth by crossing the finish line in 21.86.
Joshua Faison headlined a big day in the field events for the Aggies. by winning the men’s discus with a throw of 149-feet, 11-inches. It was his first collegiate win in his third overall collegiate event. Teammate and sophomore Aaron Wilkerson finished third in the same event with a personal-best throw of 147-feet, 4-inches.
Wilkerson also finished second in the men’s shot put at 51-feet, 2 ¼ inches. He led two other Aggies in the event as freshman Obie Taylor finished sixth (47-feet, 11 ¼-inches) and senior Derrick Wheeler finished ninth (42-feet, 8 ¼-inches). Wilkerson also competed in the men’s hammer where he finished 12th at 122-feet, 1-inch.
Division I transfer Kevin Fofanah and Wheeler finished ahead of Wilkerson in the hammer as Fofanah finished third with his best throw landing at 173-feet, 5-inches. Wheeler was fourth recording a measurement of 168-feet.
On the women’s side in the throws, sophomore Loren James finished second in the women’s shot put at 48-feet, ¾ inches.
Freshman Camille Martin had a second-place finish as she finished the women’s 3000m steeplechase in 12:48.79. On the men’s side of the steeplechase, freshman Regan Kimtai finished third in 9:58.14. Kimtai also finished third in the men’s 800 in 1:54.39. Senior and teammate Coy Brown finished in fourth behind him at 1:55.07. Nicholas Pope finished ninth (1:59.26).
The Aggies will host the annual Aggie Invitational, April 12-13 at Irwin Belk Track. They will also honor their seniors during the meet.
