March 14, 2021 --

The 2021 NCAA Division I Men and Women's NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships were held inside the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas.  The NCAA 3-day event began with qualifying meets and event on March 11 with finals taking place on March 12 and 13.

12 HBCU student-athletes, men and women, from three schools participated in events over the weekend headlined by 10 athletes from North Carolina A&T State.  Alcorn State and Norfolk State were represented with one athlete participating in one event.

Aggies Make History

North Carolina A&T State men's track and field program was the headline HBCU program heading into the weekend and the young men from Greensboro did not disappoint.

A&T's 4x400 relay team ran the fifth-fastest time in NCAA history, 3:03.16, surpassing a pair of SEC schools, Kentucky and Tennessee on the final leg to secure the national championship.  Senior Trevor Stewart ran the anchor leg, starting in third place, and made his move towards the front at the start of the last lap and concluded it with a smooth stride past his last opponent on the back straight.

Stewart and sophomore Randolph Ross, Jr., senior Elijah Young and junior Daniel Stokes won the NCAA indoor national championship in the 4x400-meter relay to give the men's program (indoor or outdoor) its first-ever national championship. The Aggies are the first HBCU to win an NCAA indoor title in the 4x400 since Morgan State won in back-to-back years in 1965 and '66, the first two years of the NCAA indoor championships.

This is the second national title in the A&T track program, first for the men. Two years ago, Kayla White won the first-ever NCAA national championship in any sport by winning the indoor 200M.

To watch the 4x400M Final, CLICK HERE.

TOP 5 FINISH FOR MEN

The North Carolina A&T State men finished fifth overall in the team scoring just four points behind the University of Florida and five behind University of Georgia thanks in large part to the outstanding individual performances.

In addition to winning the 4x400, Ross Jr. finished second nationally in the 400 meters by running a blazing 44.99 to establish a new personal record. Ross Jr.'s time is the eighth-fastest in NCAA history. Stewart finished seventh in the 400m in 45.83. 

The Aggies had a fourth-place finish in the men's 60m as senior Tavarius Wright crossed the finish line in 6.65. On Friday, he ran a personal-best 6.56 in 60m semifinals. Freshman Javonte Harding also had a fourth-place finish. He finished fourth in the men's 200m with a personal-best 20.39.

Stewart, Young, Strokes, Wright, and Harding all earned first-team All-American honors. Ross Jr., earned two first-team All-American recognitions.

Grant and McDuffie Represent For The Ladies

There were only two women representing HBCU schools participating in the indoor championships, and both left Arkansas as All-Americans.  North Carolina A&T State junior Delecia McDuffie was scheduled to run in the 200M and 400M Dash. Norfolk State University senior Kiara Grant was scheduled to run in the 60M Dash and 200M Dash, according to the NCAA.

Grant was making her third appearance at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships. She won her preliminary heat of the 60-meter dash Friday night in a new school-record time of 7.11 seconds to qualify for Saturday's championship final.

In the final, Grant finished third with a time of 7.16 behind the two young ladies that finished first and second in the other prelim heat.  Her time was still faster than her previous personal best heading into the weekend, 7.20.

To watch the 60M Final, CLICK HERE.

McDuffie ran in the fastest of four heats in the 200M Prelims. She finished third with a personal-best 22.94, which was the fifth-fastest time among all preliminary runners.  In the finals, she ran a 23.01 in her race finishing third in the race and was seventh overall.  The top two runners overall in the finals ran with her.

To see all NCAA team and individual results, CLICK HERE.