UAPB Track & Field Make Huge Statements in Prelims at the SWAC Championships

PRAIRIE VIEW, TX – The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff men's and women's track teams completed a well competitive day two at the Southwestern Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships Friday at the Prairie View A&M track facility. After day one of the SWAC Championships, UAPB head coach Christopher McCoy was very pleased with the performances he saw yesterday and was highly excited for day two of the meet. McCoy told his team, "We are the Golden Lions, and our job is to hunt." Energy from McCoy rubbed off on the team and helped junior sensation Safiya John and sophomore Franklyn Stanislaus pick up where they left off yesterday in the women's heptathlon and men's decathlon. John would be the first Lady Lion to collect a gold medal in the women's heptathlon and bring hardware back to Pine Bluff, AR. Winning first place in the heptathlon long jump, javelin throw, and 800-meter run proved why John is the best in the SWAC and one of the nation's best in the heptathlon. At the top of the podium, John earned an outstanding 5450 points, beating her competition by more than 1300 points. John would also break her record that she previously set in the SWAC women's heptathlon. Stanislaus would become the runner-up in the men's decathlon competition, stacking an impressive 6134 points, showing off his athleticism, the fight he has inside of him, and his true passion for the sport of Track & Field. After winning the multi-events, John would put all of her focus to her open events, starting with the women's 100-meter hurdles, where she cruised her way into the finals with a leading qualifying time of 14.02 seconds. Junior Jyzmin Gray qualified for finals right after John is currently sitting in second place with a qualifying time of 14.30 seconds. Gray would then go on to qualify for the 400-meter hurdles finals, taking things easy and qualifying with a time of 64.41 seconds. In the men's shot put, the Golden Lions from Jamacia took over the competition bringing home more hardware back to Pine Bluff, AR. Sophomore Deandre Fyffe gave the crowd some huge electrifying throws and earned a silver medal with a mark of 15.58 meters. Junior Danniel Bailey followed right behind Fyffe, showing lots of emotion which earned him a bronze in the men's shot put with a mark of 15.12 meters. UAPB entered the competition with two hurdlers in the men's 110-meter hurdles. Stanislaus qualified for the finals and currently sits in sixth place with a qualifying time of 14.74 seconds, with freshman hurdler Stephen Lane right behind, who will stay in his lane for finals as well, qualifying with a time of 15.20 seconds. Lane went from staying in his lane in the 110-meter hurdles to the 400-meter hurdles, where he would qualify for finals with a time of 55.95 seconds. In the women's 400-meter dash, freshman Tatyana McKenzie ran a jaw-dropping race in the prelims, getting out the blocks quick and early to qualify for finals, running 54.91 seconds, leading all competitors in the 400-meter dash. Sophomore Jada Sabir will also be performing in the 400-meter dash finals after running a strategic race, cruising her way into the finals with a qualifying time of 55.99 seconds. Not only are the Lady Lions dominating in the 400-meter dash, but senior Wade Garner ate up the track today in the men's 400-meter dash prelims, leading his way into the finals with a leading time of 46.88 seconds. Giving his all to make finals, senior Akeem Marshall ran his pace before putting his foot on the gas, giving everything he had, and collapsed at the finish line with a hard-earned qualifying time of 1:54.78 to make finals. McKenzie would close out day two of the SWAC Championships, shocking the spectators after running a blazing 23.64 seconds to break the UAPB women's 200-meter dash record and to lead all competitors with both Jade Sabir and Jada Sabir to make finals with a time in the 24-second barrier looking to break the 23-second mark. "Despite all of the challenges and adversity the team had to overcome this season, we just want to show the SWAC who we are and how well we can compete," said sophomore sprinter Jada Sabir about her team's passion for the sport. UAPB men's Track & Field currently sits in second place as a team with 51 points, and the women are in fifth place with 25 points as a team. Golden Lions Track & Field will compete on day three of the SWAC Championships today, starting off with the field events. You can follow the meet with live results on the official UAPB Athletics App or visit SWAC.org.