May 9, 2009
CHAPEL HILL, NC - Before the Rams and Lady Ram seniors walk across the stage at the Winston-Salem State University Commencement Ceremony on Saturday morning, the Rams and Lady Rams were sprinting towards the finish lines at the 2009 Chick-fil-A UNC Elite. The Rams and Lady Rams had to shake off the rust after a few weeks off during exams.
"We had some outstanding performances from the Rams and Lady Rams today," WSSU head track & field coach. "All in all, it wasn't a bad day. It could have been better, but it wasn't bad at all."
WSSU freshman hurdler Janae Jeter broke her school record in the women's 400m hurdles with a 1:04.83 and finished sixth in the event while freshman Melody Simpkins-McGee finished ninth at 1:06.55.
Lady Ram senior Wykeita Barnett recovered from an earlier injury to finish ninth in the women's 100m dash in 12.17. She was ahead of freshman sprinter Denesha Jiles who finished 14th in the event with a 12.39. Jiles returned for a 17th-place finish in the women's 200m dash (25.32). The duo found themselves competing against some top competition as Olympic Gold Medalist Chandra Sturrup competed in both sprint event.
The freshman duo if Crystal Webley and Ashley Lawson had some strong finishes in the women's 4oom dash. Webley finished 14th in 56.50 while Lawson was a close 15th at 57.00.
The Lady Rams 4x100m relay team had a solid performance as well with a third-place finish in 47.66. The Lady Rams 4x400m relay team also finished third with a 3:49.93.
|
|
 |
The Rams would not be outdone with some great performances. Senior sprinter Gerrod Sidbury set the stage for the Rams with a sixth-place finish in the men's 400m dash. He finished the event in 47.74. Fellow senior Nathan Summerville added another great effort, placing third in the men's high jump with a 1.95m (6-04.75) leap.
The Rams' 4x400m relay team also had a great day placing second in 3:12.79.
The Rams and Lady Rams will close out the 2009 season when they take part in the Tar Heel & Aggie Classic, a joint meet held between the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and North Carolina A&T. For more information on Rams and Lady Rams track & field, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2909 or log on to www.WSSURams.com.
