BIRMINGHAM, Ala. | The Alabama State men's indoor track and field program captured their fifth consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) championship, while the women finished second overall Thursday night at the Birmingham Crossplex.
At the conclusion of the meet,
Ritchie Beene was named the Coach of the Year on the men's side, with
Caesar Kemp and
Marcus Cade sharing Most Outstanding Field Performers after scoring 18 points each. Meanwhile, on the women's side,
Kyana Evans was named the Women's Outstanding Track Performer after scoring 21 points for the Lady Hornets.
The men were able to pull away from the field with 164 points, 34.5 points ahead of second place Prairie View A&M.
Ulyesses Grace captured the conference title in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.04 seconds, winning one of seven titles for the Hornets on the night. Also, on the track,
Matthew Clarke claimed the 200-meter championship with a time of 21.38 seconds and
Duvaire Wauchope claimed the 800-meters with a time of 1:55.19.
In the field events, the Hornets were able to capture a pair of titles with
Cedric Jones winning the pole vault with a height of 4.20 meters, and Kemp won the shot put with a throw of 15.72 meters. Alabama State swept the relay competition, winning the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:18.95 and the distance medley in a time of 10:17.01.
The men also had several student-athletes reach the medal stand in their events including
David East (third in the 60-meters and second in the 200),
Kevin Smith (second in the 800),
Ricky Thornton (second in the 800), Smith (third in 1-mile run),
Abdi Hussein (second in 3000 and third in 5000), and Cade (second in high jump). Hussein reached the medal stand in two different events in two of the fastest races in SWAC history as was in a group of runners to top the previous fastest time in the events in conference history.
Meanwhile, on the women's side, Alabama State finished second (141.5 points) to Prairie View A&M (172).
Tionna Brown won two of the six championships won by Alabama State on the day, earning the crown as the fastest woman in the SWAC with wins in the 60-meters and 200-meters. Brown set a new conference mark in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.31 seconds, tying her for the 18th-best mark in the country, and ran a time of 23.87 seconds to win the 200-meters.
Evans won a gold in the 400-meters with a time of 55.22 seconds, while
Michaela Lewis set a new Crossplex record in the 800-meters with a time of 2:10.12. Alabama State swept the relay events, winning the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:47.45 and the Distance Medley with a time of 12:18.96.
Several other Lady Hornets reached the medal stand including
Ulani Toussaint (60-meters), Evans (third in the 200-meters), and
Shamia Jones (second in 1-mile run and third in 3000-meters).
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