New York City, New York -This past weekend, the Central State Men's and Women's Track and Field Program had the opportunity to travel to New York City, New York to compete at the HBCU Showcase sponsored by KPMG. The student-athletes combined to have 14 athletes finishing in the top 15 in their events. 3 athletes were in the top 5 and Amarianna Lofton Recorded a win in the high jump with a leap of 1.70m.

The top performers in the track events include Paige Turner in the 500 with a time of 1:25.76 and an 8th place finish. Tamara Myers was not far behind with a time of 1:30.56 with a 10th place finish. Freshman Jasmine Williams in her collegiate debut, ran a solid 800m with a pace of 2:25.71 for a 12th place finish. Sophomore Amarianna Lofton finished 13th place in the 60m hurdles with a time of 9.07. Jeremiah Cadet had a 15th place finish in the 60m dash with a time of 6.97. Freshman Antonio Wallace also finished 11th in the 400m dash with a time of 51.12. Juwan Rigby, Myles Lacking, and Desmond Hardy all competed in the 500m race and had great finishes. Juwan Rigby with a time of 1:09.38 for an 8th place finish, Myles Lacking with a time of 1:11.20 for an 11th place finish, and Desmond Hardy with a time of 1:11.94 for a 13th place finish. QiAden Marks finished 15th place in the 800m dash with a time of 2:00.37 making it a season's best.

The top performers in the field events include Amarianna Lofton with another win in the high jump, which marks her 3rd win of the indoor season. Mitchell Jean-Baptiste receives 4th place in the high jump with a leap of 1.90m. Aden Fisher finished 4th place in the pole vault with a vault of 3.80m. Recording a 9th place finish in the shot-put Andre Calvert throws a 13.46m to solidify his spot in the finals. Also, in the shot-put Darcey Dorris recorded a season's best with a throw of 11.40m and finishing with a 12th place finish.

The men's and women's 4x4 teams both received top 8 finishes. The women's 4x4 team (Kapri Dawkins, Jaylin Bradshaw, Jurnie Hemsley, and Michael Addison) finished 5th place with a time of 4:02.70 and a season's best. And the Men's 4x4 team (Demari Johnson, Juwan Rigby, Antonio Wallace, and Jae-Lijah Cochran) finished with a time of 3:23.05 for an 8th place finish.

A strong way to start 2024 for the Marauders. The teams will be back on the road on Saturday, January 20th, 2024, to compete at the HBCU Classic in Louisville, Kentucky.

Story By: Darcey Dorris
Track & Field Athlete, SAAC Member and Athletic Department Intern