14 HBCU qualifiers for NCAA Div. I Outdoor Track & Field championships

Savannah State hurdler Cameron Hall leads a group of 14 HBCU individual performers and two relay teams who have qualified for the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon hosted by the University of Oregon, June 10-13. Hall was the top qualifier in men’s 110 meter hurdles at the East Preliminary Championship at North Florida’s Hughes Stadium from May 28-30.

Morgan State’s high jumper Jailah Mason was also a top qualifier, finishing first in the women’s high jump. In addition to Hall and Mason, 12 other athletes from eight different schools also qualified, primarily in the East Prelims, with Prairie View A&M sprinter Michael Prejean qualifying in the 110 meter hurdles and 400 meter hurdles at the West Preliminaries in Austin, Texas.

Le’Quisha Parker, Chidi Okezie, and Trey Holloway of Hampton all advanced in their respective events. Parker, who in the indoor season was a second team all-America honoree in the 200-meter dash, will compete for an NCAA title in the same event in two weeks after running a 23.16 in the semifinals to post the 10th-fastest time. That performance matched her best time of the outdoor season.

Okezie ran a season-best 46.07 in the semifinals of the men’s 400-meter dash, ranking ninth among the top qualifiers heading into Eugene. He also posted the fifth-fastest time in the preliminaries with a 46.18. Holloway, who placed third in the 60-meter hurdles at the NCAA Indoor Championships and was named First Team All-American, ran a 13.80 in the semifinals to post the 11th-fastest time and qualify for the NCAA meet. He was 10th in the preliminary round with a 13.86.

Relay teams from N.C. A&T (men’s 4×100 meters) and Alabama State (women’s 4×400 meters) qualified for a trip to Eugene. Despite a handoff mistake, the Aggies’ 400 meter relay team ran a personal-best 39.90 to qualify for nationals. The relay team consists of sophomores Maurice Eaddy and Caleb Gabriel and seniors Jeffery Lewis and Marquis Noble. Eaddy will also compete in the men’s 100 meters in Eugene after running 10.38 in the quarterfinals on Friday.