VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Latifa Ali won the 200m dash while
Kimani Alphonse, Kaelyn Woodrum, Shenelle Tomlinson and the 4x400m Relay all medaled as the Coppin State women's track & field team took fifth at the MEAC Indoor Championships at Virginia Beach Sports Center. The Eagles scored 57 points, just two points shy of fourth place in the team standings.
After being disqualified from the 400m dash, despite originally winning the event in 52.64, Ali rebounded and cruised to victory in the 200m dash in a school-record 23.61. After the disqualification in the 400m dash which would have ranked her 24
th nationally, Alphonse moved up to second in the event in an indoor personal record of 54.40, followed by Tomlinson in third at 54.65.
Destinee Mcloud clocked a 57.91 in the prelims but did not advance to the final.
Alphonse took sixth in the 200m dash in 24.50, a personal record and fourth in school history, with
Halutie Hor and
Gifty Oku coming in at 24.76 and 24.89, respectively. Oku and Hor took fourth and sixth in the 60m dash in 7.61 and 7.62, both of which were PRs and rank third and fourth in CSU history.
The quartet of Alphonse, Tomlinson, Ali and Mcloud also took second overall in the 4x400 Relay in a season-best time of 3:40.58 to rank second in school-history.
Kaelyn Woodrum put together a personal-record 3,137 points in the pentathlon to earn the silver medal. Woodrum's best efforts in the multis came in the 60m hurdles (9.24), receiving 860 points, the long jump (17' 0.5") where she picked up 612 points, and the 800m Run (2:29.33) to earn 701 points. She also racked up 610 points in the high jump (4' 10.5"; 610 points) and 354 points in the shot put (23' 11.5").
Jahmei Wyatt also took fourth in the 800m Run (2:14.44) while
Saidai Stuteley finished eighth in the Mile (6:03.78) to earn points for Coppin. Stuteley also took ninth in the 3,000m (12:14.18) while Woodrum and Palmer went 9.26 and 9.30 in the 60m hurdles.
Also competing over the three-day Championship were
Serena Harrison in the long jump (15' 6.75") and
Angel Davis in the 60m dash (8.29).
The Eagles are scheduled to compete at the IC4A/ECAC Championships in Boston, Mass., on March 3-5 in the final qualifier before the NCAA Championships in Albuquerque, N.M.
