North Carolina Central University

TRACK & FIELD

NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Irwin Belk Complex - Johnson C. Smith University - Charlotte, N.C.

     CHARLOTTE, N.C. - North Carolina Central University senior Hakeem Mohammed ended his standout running career at a place he had never been before on a national level ... the top of the awards platform.
     The Winston-Salem, N.C. native posted a career-best time of 45.37 seconds in his specialty event, the 400-meter dash, to win the national title during the final day of the 2007 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the Irwin Belk Complex on the campus of Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N.C.
     His mark was the fastest time at the NCAA championship since 1998.
     Mohammed, a seven-time All-American, had never finished higher than third place at an NCAA indoor or outdoor championship meet, until Saturday when he leaned at the finish line to edge Cal-State Stanislaus senior Joel Stallworth be three one-hundredths of a second (45.40).
     NCCU's other top performance was by sophomore Jessica Mills (Thorofare, N.J.), who leaped a season-best 12.74 meters (41-feet, 9.75 inches) to place second and claim All-America honors in the women's triple jump. As NCCU's lone female representative, her eight points were good enough to place NCCU 31st in the women's overall standings.
     Other All-Americans for NCCU were freshman Karjuan Williams (New Bern, N.C.) in both the men's 400m dash (4th, 46.24) and 800m run (8th, 2:08.21), junior Maurice Gailey (Pensacola, Fla.) in the men's 200m dash (6th, 21.04), and sophomore Brandon Jones (Lynchburg, Va.) in the men's 800m run (7th, 1:53.31). 
     Each of the All-American Eagles recorded season-best times during the national championship meet, with Williams running a blistering 1:48.81 in the 800m preliminaries and a 46.24 in the 400m finals, Jones finishing the 800m preliminaries in 1:49.16, and Gailey posting a time of 21.04 in the 200m finals.
     A pair of NCCU foursomes also claimed All-America honors in the relay events. Sophomore Christopher Davis (Charlotte, N.C.) and freshman Rigdon Whitfield (New Bern, N.C.) teamed up with Mohammed and Gailey to place third in the 4x100m relay with a season-best time of 40.05. Then seniors Brian Hope (Raleigh, N.C.) and Shareef Muhammad (Willingboro, N.J.) joined Williams and Jones to finish fifth in the 4x400m relay with a season-best time of 3:07.96. 
     As a team, the NCCU men finished seventh in the overall standings with 31 points, the highest total points at an NCAA outdoor championship in the past 18 years under head coach Michael Lawson and the third-highest total in school history.
     This event marked the end of NCCU's illustrious athletic career as a member of the NCAA Division II, as the Eagles will begin its transition to Division I (Championship Subdivision in football) as an independent on July 1.

Women's Triple Jump (Finals)
Jessica Mills (2nd) 12.74m (41-9.75)  All-American

Men's 100-Meter Dash (Preliminaries)
Brian Hope (False Start)

Men's 200-Meter Dash (Preliminaries)
Hakeem Mohammed (7th) 21.10
Maurice Gailey (8th) 21.18

Men's 200-Meter Dash (Finals)
Maurice Gailey (6th) 21.04  All-American
Hakeem Mohammed (Did Not Finish)

Men's 400-Meter Dash (Preliminaries)
Hakeem Mohammed (1st) 46.08
Karjuan Williams (2nd) 46.37
Brian Hope (20th) 51.15

Men's 400-Meter Dash (Finals)
Hakeem Mohammed (1st) 45.37  National Champion
Karjuan Williams (4th) 46.24  All-American

Men's 800-Meter Run (Preliminaries)
Karjuan Williams (1st) 1:48.81
Brandon Jones (2nd) 1:49.16

Men's 800-Meter Run (Finals)
Brandon Jones (7th) 1:53.31  All-American
Karjuan Williams (8th) 2:08.21  All-American

Men's 110-Meter Hurdles (Preliminaries)
Carrington Queen (19th) 19.99

Men's 400-Meter Hurdles (Preliminaries)
Shareef Muhammad (19th) 52.82

Men's 4x100-Meter Relay (Preliminaries)
NCCU (2nd) 40.12
(Chris Davis, Rigdon Whitfield, Hakeem Mohammed, Maurice Gailey)

Men's 4x100-Meter Relay (Finals)
NCCU (3rd) 40.05  All-Americans
(Chris Davis, Rigdon Whitfield, Hakeem Mohammed, Maurice Gailey)

Men's 4x400-Meter Relay (Preliminaries)
NCCU (4th) 3:08.26
(Karjuan Williams, Brian Hope, Brandon Jones, Shareef Muhammad)

Men's 4x400-Meter Relay (Finals)
NCCU (5th) 3:07.96  All-Americans
(Karjuan Williams, Brian Hope, Brandon Jones, Shareef Muhammad)

Men's High Jump (Finals)
Mark Davis (9th) 2.05m

Men's Long Jump (Finals)
Mark Davis (16th) 6.96m (22-10.0)

Men's Triple Jump (Finals)
Will Scott (9th) 15.21m (49-11.0)

Men's Shot Put (Finals)
Eric Smalls (12th) 16.02m

Men's Discus Throw (Finals)
Eric Smalls (18th) 44.85m (147-02)

HOST SITE:  http://www.jcsu.edu/athletics/ncaa/07DIINationals.htm

Start of 400m dash finals. Hakeem Mohammed in lane 4. Karjuan Williams in lane 5.

NCCU's Hakeem Mohammed edges Cal-State Stanislaus senior Joel Stallworth at the finish.

Hakeem Mohammed reacts after being announced as the winner.

Hakeem Mohammed is all smiles when he is congratulated by head coach Michael Lawson.

Hakeem Mohammed shows off his National Championship trophy at the top of the awards podium.

Jessica Mills warms up for the triple jump finals.

Jessica Mills soars through the air in the triple jump finals.

Jessica Mills with her national runner-up hardware.

Christopher Davis at the start of the 4x100-meter relay.

Maurice Gailey (left) crosses the finish line in the 4x100m relay.

Rigdon Whitfield, Christopher Davis and Maurice Gailey on the awards podium.
The fourth member of the 4x100m relay squad, Hakeem Mohammed, is warming up for another event.

Brandon Jones and Karjuan Williams take the top two spots in the 800-meter run preliminaries.

Eric Smalls prepares to throw the shot put.

Eric Smalls

Mark Davis prepares for the high jump competition.

Will Scott in the triple jump finals.

NCCU Assistant Coach Bernard Austin