JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The North Carolina Central University men's and women's track and field teams had five qualifiers compete at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships East First Round on May 28-31 at Hodges Stadium.
Division I student-athletes from all over the East region battled for a spot in the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon. Only the top 12 qualifiers from each event could punch their ticket to Hayward Field, meeting up with the same number of qualifiers from the West region first round at Texas A&M.
Melanne Sutton opened for NCCU on May 29 in the women's 100m first round. Sutton finished 37th in the preliminary round in 11.47 seconds out of 48 sprinters. The top three from each heat, along with the six fastest times advanced to the next round. Sutton finished seventh in her heat.
The next day, Malcolm Forbes competed in the men's triple jump. The junior leaped 14.49m in his first round, but closed out the third round with a mark of 14.57m, placing 41st in the event.
Jonathan Raijon-Koger was two spots outside of the top 12 in the men's high jump, hanging tough in the event. Raijon-Koger cleared 2.10m, tying for 14th overall. Fellow Eagle Theodore Skinner didn't record a height in the event.
Tia Lucas was also in striking distance in the women's high jump on the final day. Lucas tied for 17th after clearing 1.74m in her second jump. She attempted the 1.79m mark but couldn't successfully clear it, which would have topped her personal record of 1.77m.
With the conclusion of the postseason for NC Central, the Maroon & Gray will turn its attention to reaching new heights next season.
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