North Carolina Central University

TRACK & FIELD

     EMPORIA, Kan. - North Carolina Central University's women placed ninth at the 2006 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships Saturday in Emporia, Kan., the Lady Eagles best-ever finish at the national championship event.
     The NCCU women scored 23 points to improve upon their 19-point, 11th-place performance in 1994. 
     The NCCU men placed sixth with 30 points, the highest point total under 17-year head coach Michael Lawson and equaling the third-highest in school history, matching the Eagles of 1964 and 1971.
     Following up on Friday's national championship triple jump title won by Lady Eagle freshman Jessica Mills (Thorofare, N.J.), NCCU posted a season-best time of 45.81 to place third in the women's 4x100-meter relay, earning All-America honors for junior Tiffany Mitchell (Philadelphia, Pa.), senior Christina Harris (Charlotte, N.C.), freshman Tyfia Lee (Virgin Islands) and senior Sharonda Arnold (Fayetteville, N.C.).
     NCCU also claimed All-America recognition in the women's 4x400m relay, as Arnold, Harris, freshman Ambria Alexander (Landover, Md.) and Lee placed fifth with a season-best time of 3:41.12. Arnold capped her collegiate career by running for individual All-America honors with a sixth-place effort in the 400m dash (54.57).
     NCCU's men were sparked by sophomore Maurice Gailey (Pensacola, Fla.), who ran the fastest time of his young career in the finals of the 200m dash (20.97) to place second and capture All-America honors. 
     NCCU junior Hakeem Mohammed (Winston-Salem, N.C.) earned individual All-America citations by finishing third in the 400m dash (46.83) and seventh in the 200m dash (21.16).
     Freshman Brandon Jones (Raleigh, N.C.) grabbed All-America honors in the 800m run with a third-place performance (1:55.75).
     The NCCU men's 4x400m relay squad, consisting of Mohammed, Jones, Gailey and junior Dorian Turner (Irmo, S.C.), claimed All-America merit by placing fourth (3:10.42), while the Eagle foursome of junior Jason Jowers (Winston-Salem, N.C.), Mohammed, Turner and Gailey finished sixth (40.63) in the 4x100m relay for All-America honors. 

     EMPORIA, Kan. - North Carolina Central University freshman Jessica Mills captured a national title in the women's triple jump at the 2006 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Emporia, Kan. Friday, and she did so in convincing fashion.
     On her third attempt, the Thorofare, N.J. native recorded the ninth-longest triple jump in NCAA Division II Championship history with a leap of 42-feet, 6.75 inches (12.97m).
     Mills is just the third female track & field national champion for NCCU, and the first Lady Eagle to claim the nation's top honor in a field event.
     NCCU men and women have also qualified for the finals in five individual events and four relays.
     Senior Sharonda Arnold qualified for the 400-meter dash finals with a season-best time of 54.52.
     Junior Hakeem Mohammed has qualified in two individual events, advancing in the 200m dash with the third-fastest time of 21.05 in the preliminaries and in the 400m dash with the sixth-best time of 46.96.
     Sophomore Maurice Gailey advanced to the finals of the 200m dash with a season-best effort of 21.11, while freshman Brandon Jones cruised to a heat one victory in the preliminaries of the 800m run with a time of 1:54.71.
     Three of NCCU's four relay squads posted season-best performances in the preliminary rounds, with all four advancing to the finals.
     The men's 4x400m relay (Gailey, Jones, Mohammed, Dorian Turner) clocked the third-best time of the preliminaries with a season-best 3:09.24. The women's 4x400m relay (Arnold, Tyfia Lee, Ambria Alexander, Christina Harris) qualified with the fourth-fastest time of 3:42.17, nearly three seconds better than their previous season-best performance. The women's 4x100m relay (Tiffany Mitchell, Harris, Arnold, Lee) also recorded a season best time of 46.14 to qualify sixth for the finals, while the men's 4x100m foursome (Jason Jowers, Mohammed, Turner, Gailey) also qualified for the finals by placing sixth in the preliminaries (40.66).

NCCU Results from 2006 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships

PRELIMINARIES:

Women's 4x100-Meter Relay
NCCU (6th) 46.14 (qualifies for finals)
(Tiffany Mitchell, Christina Harris, Sharonda Arnold, Tyfia Lee)

Men's 4x100-Meter Relay
NCCU (6th) 40.66 (qualifies for finals)
(Jason Jowers, Hakeem Mohammed, Dorian Turner, Maurice Gailey)

Women's 400-Meter Dash
Sharonda Arnold (5th) 54.52 (qualifies for finals) *** season-best time

Men's 400-Meter Dash
Hakeem Mohammed (6th) 46.96 (qualifies for finals)

Men's 100-Meter Dash
Maurice Gailey (11th) 10.64

Men's 400-Meter Hurdles
Shareef Muhammad (20th) 54.50

Women's 200-Meter Dash
Sharonda Arnold (18th) 24.63

Men's 200-Meter Dash
Hakeem Mohammed (3rd) 21.05 (qualifies for finals) 
Maurice Gailey (4th) 21.11 (qualifies for finals)
Dorian Turner (12th) 21.35

Men's 800-Meter Run
Brandon Jones (1st, Heat 1) 1:54.71 (qualifies for finals) 

Women's 4x400-Meter Relay
NCCU (4th) 3:42.17 (qualifies for finals) 
(Sharonda Arnold, Tyfia Lee, Ambria Alexander, Christina Harris)

Men's 4x400-Meter Relay
NCCU (3rd) 3:09.24 (qualifies for finals) *** season-best time
(Maurice Gailey, Brandon Jones, Hakeem Mohammed, Dorian Turner)
 

FINALS:

Women's Long Jump
Christina Harris (16th) 5.51m/18-01.00

Women's Triple Jump
Jessica Mills (1st) 12.97m/42-06.75 - NATIONAL CHAMPION !!! *** season-best jump

Women's 4x100-Meter Relay
NCCU (3rd) 45.81 - All-Americans *** season-best time
(Tiffany Mitchell, Christina Harris, Tyfia Lee, Sharonda Arnold)

Men's 4x100-Meter Relay
NCCU (6th) 40.63 - All-Americans
(Jason Jowers, Hakeem Mohammed, Dorian Turner, Maurice Gailey)

Women's 400-Meter Dash
Sharonda Arnold (6th) 54.57 - All-American

Men's 400-Meter Dash
Hakeem Mohammed (3rd) 46.83 - All-American

Men's 800-Meter Run
Brandon Jones (3rd) 1:55.75 - All-American

Men's 200-Meter Dash
Maurice Gailey (2nd) 20.97 - All-American   *** season-best time
Hakeem Mohammed (7th) 21.16 - All-American

Women's 4x400-Meter Relay
NCCU (5th) 3:41.12 - All-Americans   *** season-best time
(Sharonda Arnold, Tyfia Lee, Ambria Alexander, Christina Harris)

Men's 4x400-Meter Relay
NCCU (4th) 3:10.42 - All-Americans 
(Maurice Gailey, Brandon Jones, Hakeem Mohammed, Dorian Turner)