(Dover, Del.) – The Delaware State track & field program will begin its outdoor portion of the 2016 season this weekend in Richmond, Va. with the VCU Ram Invite.
DSU is looking to improve from its indoor season that concluded with the women placing 11th (17 points) in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Championships, while the men finished near the bottom.
“Moving forward towards the outdoor season, they can improve by continuing on proper work ethic as well as scoring more points in the field as well as on the track,” stated head coach Damion Drummond. “We want to continue to stress that every point counts for the conference championship.”
At the end of the indoor season, the women's 4x400-Meter Relay team of Faleesha Dowe, Rayanna Releford, Omealla Gordon and Leandra Nyemeck placed fifth (3:52.74) in the MEAC Championships.
“As a senior on the team, I would like the men and women to compete at the highest level they can,” stated Relerford. “As an individual, my goal is to make it to the NCAA Outdoor Championships.”
For the men, 400-Meter Dash competitors Emanuel Hitch, Charles Wullf-Cochrane, Jonathon Jones and Laray Smith will look to build on a solid indoor season.
“I want us as a team to score more points and increase our exposure,” said Smith. “Individual wise, I would like to qualify to compete in the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Oregon.”
Last outdoor season for the Hornets were headlined by the 4x400-Meter Relay team of Relerford, Gordon, Ke'Shaun Davis and Sabrina Burrell bringing home the silver medal (3:42.60) in the MEAC Championships. Morgan Durham, on the other hand, took home the bronze in the Javelin, recording a personal best mark of 121-09 (37.12m). Gordon placed fifth (54.23) in the 400-Meter Dash, while Relerford went on to finish seventh (55.45).
On the men's side, Jones (48.40) and Michael Cummings (6-03.25 – 1.91m) finished seventh in their respectable events, as Jones competed in the 400-Meter Dash, while Cummings took part in the High Jump.
Next week, the Hornets will return to action Thursday to compete in the Wesley Invitational in Dover, Del.
