By: FVSU Office of Sports Information
Of the over 50 teams that competed in this year's National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II Track & Field Championship, the fifth place finish by Lady Wildcats of Fort Valley State University (FVSU) is indisputable proof that the FVSU Track & Field Program is among the most competitive in the nation. Couple the strong team finish with FVSU's Antoinette Oglesby winning her second consecutive national title in the triple jump (read related article at www.fvsusports.com ) and the point is further reinforced.
The Lady Wildcats finished with a team total of 29 points and trailed only Abilene Christian (38pts), Grand Valley State (47pts), Lincoln University (Mo) (73pts), and national champion Angelo State (87pts) in the final tally. With no representation in the field events at the national championship, the fifth place finish by the Lady Wildcats is even more impressive.
In addition to the point totals coming from Oglesby's triple jump championship, the early FVSU tally was also bolstered by Kiana Key's sixth place finish in that same event and by Oglesby's fourth place finish in the long jump.
The speedy freshman Portia Wilson also made multiple contributions to the FVSU team point total. Her most significant came in the women's 100 meter dash. She finished fourth in the nation in the event with a time of 11.87.
Wilson aided the FVSU point tally through her role as a member of the 4x100 meter relay and the 4x400 meter relay teams. In the 4x100, she joined Tiffany Moore, Shankevia Burke and her sister Raven as the Lady Wildcats logged a time of 45.66 to finish sixth.
As a member of the 4x400 team, Wilson, Moore, Wilson, and LaTonya Payne combined their sprinting efforts to finish sixth in the nation. They completed the relay in 3:43.87.
Also of note during the NCAA Championship, FVSU junior Nakela Jackson finished 15th in the women's 100 meter hurdles with a time of 14.35.
Meanwhile, although the finish by the FVSU Men's Track & Field Team was not as lofty, the national championship stage provided a bright spotlight for the men's 4x100 meter relay team and 100 meter sprinter Keon Montgomery. Finishing 23rd overall with 11 team points, the FVSU men's national championship performance was highlighted by the second place finish of the 4x100 meter relay team of John Brown, Roger Chaney, Aaron Allen, and Keon Montgomery. As the second fastest team in the nation (NCAA Division II), the foursome logged a time of 40.26.
Montgomery also elevated the status of the FVSU men's program through his performance in the 100 meter dash. Finishing second in his preliminary heat, Montgomery took that momentum into the final round and finished as the sixth fastest in the nation (NCAA Division II) in the 100 meters dash with a time of 10.66.
-Wildcats Athletics-
