North Carolina Central University

OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD

     DURHAM, NC -- Eight North Carolina Central University student-athletes will compete at the 2002 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas starting Thursday, May 23.
     Three-time National Champion Jason Smoots (Gadsden, Alabama), who will run in the 100 and 200-meter dashes, tops the list for the NCCU men. Freshman Steven Enoch (Burlington, NC), who earned All-America honors in the indoor triple jump at his first national championship event in March, will have a busy weekend as a qualifier in three individual events - the 100m dash, long jump and triple jump. Two other Eagles, sophomore Jamie Richardson (Paterson, New Jersey) and freshman Detric Branch (Garner, NC), will join Enoch and Smoots in the 4x100m relay.
     The NCCU women are led by indoor 800m National Champion Katerina Glosova (Cernotin, Czech Republic), who will look to repeat the feat during the outdoor championships. Junior Rosalyn Pollard (Hendersonville, NC), the 2002 CIAA Champion of the outdoor 100m dash, will race in both the 100m and 200m dashes. Junior Kennisha Moten (Fayetteville, NC), who earned 400m dash All-America honors in each of her last two national championships (2001 outdoor, 2002 indoor), will run for her first national title in the quarter-mile event. Freshman Chanda Powell (Durham, NC), the 2002 CIAA Champion in the outdoor long jump, will compete in two events - the 100m hurdles and long jump - during her second NCAA meet.
     Although Smoots enters the championships with the third fastest time in the 100m (10.33) and the sixth best time in the 200m (21.03), he is by no means an underdog. Smoots entered the 2001 Division II outdoor championships with the fourth fastest time, yet walked away with the national title. 
     "Jason has been in this position before, and it is not phasing him," said head track & field coach Michael Lawson, who has produced 43 individual All-Americans in his 13 years at NCCU. "Sometimes it's good not to be on the top of the list. He can not let his guard down, though, because the rest of the field is out to get him."
     Enoch, who has earned three all-conference merits in the long and triple jumps during his first indoor and outdoor campaign, is heading to his second NCAA meet with confidence. "He is more of a long jumper than a triple jumper, but qualifying for both has really improved his confidence," said Lawson. "Although he is inexperienced in the 100m dash on a national level, I think he has the potential to become an All-American. The 100m will be fun for him."
     Glosova, who was recently named the 2002 CIAA Female Scholar Athlete of the Year, is at a high point in her running career, according to her head coach. "She is on a high right now," Lawson said. "This is the hardest she has trained in her four years at NCCU. She is focused and ready for her last national championship track meet."
     Pollard, who has earned two All-America citations in the 4x400m relay, will have two chances at reaching that milestone individually. "She has the talent to be an All-American in both (100m and 200m)," said Lawson.
     Moten, a four-time All-American in the 400m dash and 4x400m relay, has felt the wrath of her head coach in her quest for her first national title. "I have been really hard on Kennisha," admits Lawson. "She has the talent to win a National Championship, but she has to believe in herself."
     Powell, a rookie who delivered an all-conference performance in the 100m hurdles to accompany her CIAA championship in the outdoor long jump, is poised to surprise the competition at the nationals. "Chanda is going to be a sleeper," Lawson said. "I think she will come back to her hometown as an All-American."

Last Revised:  May 21, 2002