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The NCCU 4x100-meter relay team of Deontae Williams, Jonathan Williams, Blake Hartsfield and Isaac Roberts celebrate a runner-up finish at the Penn Relays with head coach Tavius “T.J.” Walker (middle). Photo courtesy NCCUPHILADELPHIA – The North Carolina Central University men’s 4x100-meter relay squad placed second in the college finals of the prestigious Penn Relays on Saturday at Franklin Field, posting a season-best time of 40.26 seconds, while achieving their best event finish and time at the Penn Relays since 2008.
NCCU’s foursome of Jonathan Williams (Wake Forest, N.C.), Deontae Williams (Tampa, Fla.), Blake Hartsfield (Goldsboro, N.C.) and Isaac Roberts (Greensboro, N.C.) recorded a time of 40.82 on Friday, April 28, to qualify for the college finals.
In Saturday’s finals, the runner-up Eagles were edged at the finish line by UWI Mona out of Kingston, Jamaica, with a winning time of 39.96, while NCCU beat Coppin State (40.57), UConn (40.62), Virginia Tech (40.77), Troy (40.80), Johnson C. Smith (40.91) and N.C. State (40.99).
The last time NCCU placed as high or ran as fast in the Penn Relays 4x100m relay was in 2008, when Mark Davis, Jeff Rankins, Christopher Davis and Maurice Galley posted a time of 40.05 seconds to win the college finals.
In the women’s 4x100m relay, the NCCU team of Markiara Staten, Bethany White, Miaysha Bryant and Deja Stevenson placed 31st with a time of 47.20.
Up next, the NCCU men’s and women’s teams will compete at the MEAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships on May 4-6 on the campus of N.C. A&T State University in Greensboro.
