By: Jarrett Hoffman
HBCU Sports
https://hbcusports.com/
With the NCAA Division I Track & Field Preliminary round in the books, here is a list of every HBCU athlete who punched their ticket to Eugene for the Outdoor Track & Field National Championships.
Men
110 Hurdles
Jason Holmes, North Carolina A&T
It was a strong performance for North Carolina A&T men’s athletes at the East preliminaries, accounting for four of the six individual qualifiers, while also sending both relay teams to Nationals. Among those returning Outdoor National Championships is Jason Holmes, making his second career appearance and first since 2024. Holmes secured his spot by clocking a 13.41-second time in the quarterfinals, finishing third in his heat and eighth among all qualifiers.
Leonard Mustari, Florida A&M
Joining Holmes in the men’s 110 hurdle field is Florida A&M’s Leonard Mustari, making his first trip to Eugene, Oregon for Outdoor National Championships. Mustari put forth a career-performance to clinch his spot in the semifinals, running a personal-best 13.53 seconds to snag the final qualifying entry.
400 Hurdles
Isaiah Taylor, North Carolina A&T
Isaiah Taylor, one-half of the Taylor brothers for North Carolina A&T, breezed through the first two rounds of the 400 hurdles to cement his spot in Nationals. Taylor had the best qualifying time of all athletes in the first two rounds, clocking in at 48.71 seconds in the quarterfinals. This is the second straight year he has qualified for the Outdoor Championships in the 400 hurdles.
Xzaviah Taylor, North Carolina A&T
His brother, A&T junior Xzaviah Taylor, made it through the quarterfinals with the third-fastest time in the quarterfinals of 48.82 seconds. This will also be his second straight National Championship appearance in the 400-hurdle field.
4×100/4×400 Relay
North Carolina A&T
It was a great day for the North Carolina A&T men’s relay teams in the quarterfinals, clinching a berth at Nationals in both the 4×100 and 4×400 relay. On a 4×100 team that included 110-hurdle qualifier Jason Holmes and 100m quarterfinalist Jalen Booth Mitchell, the Aggies made it in as an auto qualifier, finishing second in their heat with a season-best time of 38.84 seconds. The 4×400 team also posted a season-best to make it in as an auto bid, crossing the finish line in 3:01.22.
Long Jump
Justin Walker, Alabama A&M
Alabama A&M long jumper Justin Walker was the first HBCU athlete to punch their ticket to Eugene, advancing on the first day of the East preliminaries. Walker snuck into the long jump field by posting a personal-best mark of 7.67m, securing the final qualifying position.
Triple Jump
Xavier Partee, North Carolina A&T
Another North Carolina A&T athlete who is making his second appearance at the Outdoor National Championships is triple jumper Xavier Partee. The junior Aggie posted the second-best measurement in the triple jump field of 16.26m, setting a new personal best.
Women
200m
Yahnari Lyons, Howard
Whereas North Carolina A&T dominated the East preliminaries on the men’s side, Howard did so on the women’s side, accounting for three of the seven individual qualifiers. This includes Yahnari Lyons, the only individual HBCU athlete (man or woman) to clinch a spot in a non-hurdle track event. Lyons posted the sixth-best time in the quarterfinals of the 200m field in 22.72 seconds.
100 Hurdles
Tashina Alase, Southern
The SWAC 100-hurdle champion, Tashina Alasa, also had a strong performance in the quarterfinals to make it into the National Championship field. She finished atop her heat in 12.74 seconds to make it in as an automatic qualifier, making the trip to Eugene for the first time in her career.
400 Hurdles
Cenaiya Billups, Howard
The first of two Bison to qualify in the women’s 400 hurdles, Cenaiya Billups came through with a personal-best to secure her spot. She paced her heat in 55.09 seconds, making it past the preliminaries for the first time.
Aniya Woodruff, Howard
Returning to the National stage for the second straight year is Howard senior Aniya Woodruff. Like Billups, Woodruff also clocked a personal best time to win her heat, finishing in 55.43 seconds.
4×100 Relay
Howard
For the third straight year, Howard will field a team in the women’s 4×100 relay at the Outdoor National Championships. The Bison claimed the final automatic qualifying time in their heat, posting a season-best 43.23 seconds.
Florida A&M
Although Florida A&M finished just behind Howard for the last automatic bid, they got in as the fastest time qualifier in the field. The Rattlers also recorded a season-best of 43.31 seconds.
High Jump
Spirit Morgan, North Carolina A&T
North Carolina A&T high jumper Spirit Morgan will compete at the Outdoor National Championships for the second straight year. Morgan tied for the best jump in the field of 1.82m (technically finishing second because of attempts needed).
Triple Jump
Olivia Dowd, North Carolina A&T
Another North Carolina A&T field athlete returning to the National stage is Olivia Dowd. Dowd cemented her second straight National Championship appearance with a personal-best mark of 13.23m, ranking eighth amongst the field.
Daedrian Beville, Alabama State
Rounding out the list of HBCU qualifiers is Alabama State’s Daedrian Beville. The only HBCU freshman to punch their ticket to Eugene, Beville snatched the final qualifying spot with a 13.21m jump.
