NCAA East Regionals: Day 1
By Keith Henry

GREENSBORO- For Coppin State, Morgan State and UMES, the results for the first day weren’t much to write home about at the NCAA East Regionals Track Meet at North Carolina A&T’s Irwin Belk Track. UMES provided something positive out of the experience yesterday. However, Coppin State and Morgan State didn’t register a blip on the track or field.

For the UMES Hawks, Allodin Fothergill provided the only highlight advancing to the finals of the 400 meter dash.

Akheem Gauntlett didn’t advance in the 200 meter dash. Thomas Kean-Dawes didn’t advance in the 400 meter dash.

The 400 meter relay team failed to advance to the final finishing 11th overall. James Moore struggled in the high jump. Moore missed all three attempts at the opening height of 2.05 meters.

As for the women, the middle distance ladies fared horribly. Merrecia James didn’t compete in the 1500. But James was disqualified from the 800 meter run because of a false start. Of the other 800 runners, senior Celia Whyte was the closest to qualifying for the finals placing 12th overall while the top eight advanced.

Coppin State only had the 400 meter dash runners in Carlinton Morgan and Teo Bennett. Neither one qualified for the final. Bennett placed 15th overall while Morgan finished 23rd in the event.

Morgan State couldn’t put much of anything together yesterday as well. Ashley Hines placed 34th overall in the 100 meter dash. Tanisha Kendrick just missed a spot in the finals placing ninth in the 400 meter dash behind Howard’s Lauren McNary who clinched the last spot in the finals.

As for the men, Kevin Bowen didn’t advance in the 200 meter dash. Bowen placed 26th overall in the event. Bowen placed 19th in the 400 meter dash as well. Freshman Justus David got chewed up and spat out in the 1500 and 5000 meter runs. David finished last out of the 42 competitors in the 1500 and didn’t finish the race in the 5000.

Junior James Blocker finished in a tie for ninth in the high jump. Blocker is in a position to perhaps clinch a wild card spot in the event for nationals. Senior Tyron Benjamin placed 13th in the shot put.