Albany State and Benedict College won the women’s and men’s 2024 Cricket SIAC Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Championship at Morehouse’s Edwin C. Moses track.
The Golden Rams captured the women’s competition with 154 points behind five first-place finishes and six multiple finishes in the top 8. Sydney Blackburn, Mykhayla Carroll, and Levita Williams finished 1-2-4 in the discus throw. Nathalia Rowe, Kennedy Walker, and Imani Jones finished 2-6-7 in the 400-meter hurdles. Benedict’s women amassed 117 points to finish second, followed by Clark Atlanta in a close third with 104.5 points.
“We started counting last night,” said Kenneth Taylor, Albany State Head Coach. “Every race today we did a countdown about where we stood in this process. After the 4 x 100 m relay, we started to realize we were getting close.”
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Benedict College men’s track and field team secured their fourth consecutive championship with a commanding 28-point lead (192 points) over Morehouse College’s 164. and Albany State’s 92 points. It was a 1-2-8 finish for the Tigers of Benedict in the 400-meter dash. Javel Best and Jesaiah Jones bested the pack in 47.63 seconds and 47.86 seconds respectively. Matthew Paul’s eighth-place finish gave BC 19 points in the event.
“I think our staff did a great job maneuvering some athletes around and taking advantage of their talents to put us in the best possible position to be successful,” said Benedict Head Coach Danny Brooks.
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Sadiki Marsh from Benedict College demonstrated his prowess in the 800-meter run, clinching the gold medal with a time of 1:58.71. Marsh also finished sixth in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 4:13.36.
From start to finish, the Tigers collected wins in the 400-meter dash, 800-meter dash, hammer throw, long jump, and 4 x 400-meter relay.
The 4×400-meter relay team of Jesaiah Jones, Kevin Francis, Sergio White, and Quincy Harris clocked the 13th-fastest time in the country 3:10.73. Additionally, Benedict’s 4×100-meter relay team secured second place with a time of 40.67 seconds. Francis chipped in 11 more points finishing second in the 110-meter hurdles and sixth in the 400-meter hurdles.
The Morehouse distance runners earned 62 points for the Maroon Tigers in the men’s 1500-meter run, 10,000-meter run, and 3000-meter steeplechase. In the first day of competition Brian Kemei led a trio of Maroon Tigers to a 1-3-5 finish in the 10,000-meter run. Owynn Brown, Kemei, and Christian Pearson finished first, second, and seventh in the 1500-meter run. Kemei, Taylor Battle, and Phoenix Satterfield finished first, second, and sixth in the steeplechase.
Young Stars Show Promise
Twenty underclassmen won individual gold during the three-day competition. Allen’s Autumn Clifton took gold in the women’s 1500-meter run. She was followed across the line by Tuskegee freshman Anaya Martin, Clark Atlanta sophomore Aliyah Jackson, and freshman Lailah Sellers.
The finish was similar in the men’s event with the two freshmen Owynn Brown and Braylen Brooks (Benedict) among the top five finishers. Sophomores Brian Kemei, Juan Osorio (Edward Waters), and Andrew Drumwright (Central State) rounded out the grouping.
Freshmen: five women and three men
Sophomores: three women and nine men
Multiple Winners
Several athletes claimed gold in more than one individual event. Benedict sophomore Rajaun Ricketts won the men’s long jump and triple jump. Central State sophomore Amarianna Lofton won on the track and in the field competitions with a first-place finish in the women’s 100-meter hurdles and high jump. Freshman Angela Bitok takes the gold in the 10000-meter run and 3000-meter steeplechase back to Jacksonville, FL for Edward Waters. Morehouse’s sophomore distance runner Brian Kemei was the only athlete to win three individual gold medals -10,000 meter run, 3000 meter steeplechase, and 5,000 meter run.
Other notable performances from Benedict College include a second-place finish by Frank Hyland Jr. in the men’s javelin throw and a third-place finish by Jeremiah Hall-Jones in the men’s high jump.
Savannah State’s Dominique Bailey excelled in the men’s decathlon, particularly in the 400m and high jump events, earning him the top spot in the overall standings. Albany State’s Micah Forsythe and Fort Valley State’s Larry Turner also delivered commendable performances, securing second and third place, respectively.
In the women’s events, Benedict’s Santonia Freeman emerged victorious in the heptathlon, showcasing her strength in the shot put and the 200m dash. Albany State’s Mykhayla Carroll dominated the women’s hammer throw, while Allen’s Measha Jones clinched first place in the women’s long jump.
In the men’s events, Benedict’s Caleb Vance claimed the top spot in the hammer throw, while Rajuan Ricketts soared to victory in the long jump. Tuskegee University’s Shawn Jarrett II and Albany State’s Nathalia Rowe impressed in the 400m hurdles events for men and women, respectively.
Fort Valley State’s D’liyah Austell and Albany State’s Zenay Rhaney secured first place in the women’s 200m dash and 800m run, respectively. Meanwhile, Albany State’s Kibren Moore and Morehouse’s Owynn Brown clinched gold in the men’s 200m dash and 800m run, respectively.
Albany State’s men’s and women’s relay teams claimed the top spot in the 4x100m relay team.
Event Winners
| Men | Event | Women | Event |
| Dominique Bailey, SO Savannah State Univ. | Decathlon | Kaleah Kleckley, JR Albany State | Heptathlon |
| Caleb Vance, JR Benedict | Hammer Throw | Mykhayla Carroll, SO Albany State |
Hammer Throw |
| Joe Williams, SO Fort Valley State |
Shot Put | Nadejah Batts, JR Fort Valley State |
Shot Put |
| Rajaun Ricketts, SO Benedict | Long Jump | Measha Jones, SO Allen |
Long Jump |
| Rajaun Ricketts, SO Benedict | Triple Jump | Jada David, JR Benedict |
Triple Jump |
| Jordan Smith, SR Albany State | 400 m Hurdles | Megan Thompson, SR Benedict | 400 m Hurdles |
| Kibren Moore, SO Albany State |
200 m Dash | Kiersten Clark, JR Miles |
200 m Dash |
| Kibren Moore, SO Albany State |
100 m Dash | Xaria Bascombe, SO Benedict | 100 m Dash |
| Sadiki Marsh, JR Benedict | 800 m Run | Zenay Rhaney, JR Albany State | 800 m Run |
| Albany State “A” Jayvon Hutchinson, Kibren Moore, Jordan Smith, Ed Gilbert |
4 x 100 m relay | Miles “A” Kamora Taylor, Kaylin Robinson,Jurni Cummings, Kiersten Clark |
4 x 100 m relay |
| Benedict “A” Jesaiah Jones, Kevin Francis, Sergio White, Quincy Harris |
4 x 400 m relay | Central State “A” Jaylin Bradshaw, Kapri Dawkins, Michael Addison, Jurnie Hemsley |
4 x 400 m relay |
| Brian Kemei, SO Morehouse | 10000 m run | Angela Bitok, FR Edward Waters | 10000 m run |
| Brian Kemei, SO Morehouse |
5000 m run | Evelyn Hererra, FR Spring Hill |
5000 m run |
| Ethan Elliott, FR Spring Hill |
Discus Throw | Sydney Blackburn, SR Albany State | Discus Throw |
| Brian Golden, JR Kentucky State | Pole Vault | DeAna Albert, FR Albany State | Pole Vault |
| Jayvon Hutchinson, JR Albany State | 110 m Hurdles | Amarianna Lofton, SO Central State | 100 m Hurdles |
| Owynn Brown, FR Morehouse | 1500 m run | Autumn Clifton, FR Allen | 1500 m run |
| Brian Kemei, SO Morehouse | 3000 m Steeplechase | Angela Bitok, FR Edward Waters | 3000 m Steeplechase |
| Anthony Glover, FR Edward Waters | High Jump | Amarianna Lofton, SO Central State | High Jump |
| Aaron Frazier, SR Miles |
Javelin Throw | Simone Christman, SR Central State | Javelin Throw |
| Javel Best, SR Benedict |
400 m Dash | Anitria Sangster, SR Tuskegee | 400 m Dash |
Women
| Team | Points | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Albany State | 154 |
| 2 | Benedict | 117 |
| 3 | Clark Atlanta | 104.50 |
| 4 | Tuskegee | 79 |
| 5 | Central State | 71.50 |
| 6 | Fort Valley State | 68.50 |
| 7 | Miles | 57 |
| 8 | Edward Waters | 47 |
| 9 | Allen | 37 |
| 10 | Kentucky State | 31 |
| 11 | Spring Hill | 28 |
| 12 | Savannah State | 16.50 |
| 13 | LeMoyne-Owen | 5 |
Men
| Team | Points | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benedict | 192 |
| 2 | Morehouse | 164 |
| 3 | Albany State | 92 |
| 4 | Fort Valley State | 82 |
| 5 | Spring Hill | 58 |
| 6 | Central State | 55.50 |
| 7 | Savannah State | 47 |
| 8 | Edward Waters | 39 |
| 9 | Tuskegee | 24 |
| 10 | Kentucky State | 23 |
| 11 | Allen | 16.50 |
| 12 | Miles | 13 |
| 13 | Lane | 8 |
| 14 | LeMoyne-Owen | 3 |
Conference Honors
| Award | Athlete | School |
| Women’s Outstanding Track Performer of the Year |
Angela Bitok, FR Distance |
Edward Waters College |
| Men’s Outstanding Track Performer of the Year | Brian Kemei, SO Distance |
Morehouse |
| Women’s Outstanding Field Performer of the Year |
Mykhayla Carroll, SO | Albany State |
| Men’s Outstanding Field Performer of the Year | Ethan Elliott, FR | Spring Hill |
| Coach of the Year -Women’s Track and Field | Kenneth Taylor | Albany State |
| Coach of the Year – Men’s Track and Field | Danny Brooks | Benedict College |
| Cleve Abbott Award Women’s Track and Field | Santonia Freeman | Benedict College |
| Academic Honors – Elite 14 Women’s Track and Field |
Kaleah Kleckly – 4.0 GPA | Albany State University |
| Academic Honors – Elite 14, Men’s Track and Field |
Sukhraj Sandhu – 4.0 GPA | Central State University |
Gallery Images provided by Jason McDonald, JM Photography for CORE360 Sports