Feb. 5, 2007

Final Stats

NEW YORK, NY - The final day of competition from the New Balance Armory Collegiate Invitational proved to be a successful one for the Rams of Winston-Salem State University as the men's 4x200 meter relay team captured second place in an event featuring many of the nation's top collegiate track and field programs as head coach Halcyon Blake's team continues to impress on a national stage.

Though the weather outside ushered in bitterly cold temperatures, the action on the track heated up as the Rams and Lady Rams continued to prove that they belonged amongst the nation's premier indoor track and field programs. 

Sandy Harrison and Javonna Brown recorded strong performances in the women's 200 meters as each runner continued to improve on the banked indoor surface en route to recording quality finishes.

WSSU's most impressive performance of the day came in WSSU's strongest event as the 4x200 meter relay team of Richard Marcellus, Gerrod Sidbury, Jordan Holley, and freshman anchor Brandon Howe sprinted their way to a second-place finish as the Rams ran past many of the nation's premier track and field programs, defeating the likes of established programs such as BYU, Duke, Morgan State, and Delaware State as WSSU turned in a time of 1:29.37.

The race started with Richard Marcellus' blazing first leg of 21.73 seconds, despite the fact that the Rams have yet to begin speed training in preparation for the upcoming outdoor track season. 

Gerrod Sidbury followed up the Marcellus' leg with a 22.33 second leg of his own despite having to recover from a near fall induced by a hit from an unidentified competitor in the event's second turn.

Jordan Holley's time of 22.47 and Brandon Howe's 22.43 second anchor leg helped the Rams to distance themselves from the field as they closed in on first-place City College of New York. 

CCNY narrowly edged the Rams as Winston-Salem State University earned a second-place finish with their 1:29.37.

WSSU head coach Halcyon Blake could hardly contain her excitement following the event as she told media members:

"The four by two (4x200 meter), what a performance.  Richard Marcellus ran an unbelievable 21.73 in the first 200 meter leg to lead us off, and even with Gerrod being pushed and almost falling, he still ran a 22.33.  With Jordan running 22.43 and Brandon running a 22.35, that gave us a boost, and we narrowly missed a first-place finish.  The hardest part for the team was the banked track, and not having experience running on it, and as we have two tall runners in Jordan and Gerrod that makes it difficult on a banked surface.  Considering they haven't done speed work, I am very impressed with their performance, especially against such stiff competition.  This was a learning experience for the team, one that they will never forget, and I believe that it has opened everyone's eyes that we can compete against the top schools in the nation.  The future is a bright one for the WSSU tack and field teams."

The WSSU track and field teams return to action on February 9, 2007 as they travel to Chapel Hill, NC to compete in the Carolina Classic hosted by the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

"We begin speed work on Monday as we finish the indoor season at UNC on the 9^th of February and as we look forward to the outdoor season kicking off at Florida A&M on March 7.  The pieces are in place for us to have a great outdoor season" coach Blake said in closing comments following the event.

For additional information on WSSU track and field, contact the WSSU Office of Sports Information at (336) 750-2143 or log on to the Official Website of WSSU Athletics at www.WSSURAMS.com.

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