DURHAM, N.C. – North Carolina Central University junior Ariana Harrell has been named the NCCU Student-Athlete of the Month for February 2022 in recognition of her outstanding accomplishments as a distance runner and in the classroom.
 
Harrell earned All-MEAC honors by running to a top-15 place finish at the 2021 MEAC Cross Country Championships hosted by NCCU at the WakeMed Soccer Park in October before posting 10 top-5 finishes in the 2021-22 indoor and outdoor track seasons.
 
In the conference championship, Harrell ran a 5k personal record time of 20:13 to finish 12th overall and earn All-MEAC distinction. The cross country captain also had a top-10 finishes at the UNCW Beach Bash and Cedric Walker HBCU Challenge in the fall.
 
Harrell primarily concentrated on the 800-meter and the 4x400m relay during the indoor and outdoor track season, consistently posting top-5 results throughout the winter and spring. She achieved a career-best time of 2:12.41 in the 800m preliminaries at the MEAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, advancing to the finals where she placed fourth.
 
Harrell, who hails from Browns Mills, New Jersey, is both a MEAC All-Academic performer for cross country and track and field, as well as a Commissioner's All-Academic Team honoree. She has also earned the Debra Saunders-White Leadership Award and Eagle Excellence Academic Award for women's cross country in 2021-22.
 
As a psychology major at NCCU, Harrell maintains over a 3.0 cumulate grade point average (GPA) heading into her senior year in 2022-23. Harrell has aided in a donation project for a local church in Durham, she has visited Durham elementary schools to work with the children, and is currently looking to help coach her high school track and field program. She is a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. and is the vice president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
 
After she graduates, Harrell plans to pursue a master's degree in clinical psychology with career aspirations to work as a counselor in a juvenile facility to help funnel youth out of the justice system.
 
For a complete list of award winners, visit NCCUEaglePride.com.