Saint Augustine’s University moved up to fifth in the latest NCAA Division II men’s indoor track and field rankings released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The Lady Falcons are 16th in the women’s rankings, which were announced Feb. 7.
The Falcons moved from 17th to fifth this week thanks to a strong performance in the Camel City Invitational in Winston-Salem, N.C. over the weekend. Shaquille Dill (So./Pembroke, Bermuda) and Jumonne Exeter (Jr./St. Vincent) captured victories in the 800-meter dash and the triple jump, respectively, as the Falcons earned six top ten finishes at the meet. The Falcons are ranked in the top five for the first time since the preseason poll.
Dill and Exeter are among four Falcons and one relay team ranked in the top 10 of their respective men’s events. Dill is second in the nation in the 800 with a converted time of 1:49.71 and Exeter is fourth in the triple jump. Immanuel Hutchinson (Sr./San Jacinto, CA), who finished second to Dill in a photo finish, ranks third in the 800 with a converted time of 1:49.74 and Khari Herbert, Jr. (Sr./Coral Springs, FL) ranks ninth in the 400-meter dash. The foursome of Shawn Rowe (Sr./West Palm Beach, FL), Dill, Hutchinson and Herbert is ranked first in the 4×400-meter relay for the third consecutive week.
On the women’s side, Shakinah Brooks (Sr./Raleigh, NC) and Ornella Livingston (Sr./St. Ann, Jamaica) remained in the top 10 after season-best showings in the Camel City Invitational. Brooks ranks fourth in the long jump after winning the event with a leap of 19-8. Livingston ranks third in the 60-meter dash after posting a time of 7.51. The 4×400-meter relay squad of Iris Robinson (Jr./Birmingham, AL), Marissa Gale (Jr./Trinidad & Tobago), Tia-Adana Belle (Sr./St. George, Barbados) and Livingston stayed at fifth for the third straight week.
The next meet for the Falcons and Lady Falcons is the CIAA Championships which will be held Sunday, Feb. 12 and Monday, Feb. 13 at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex in Lynchburg, Va. The Falcons have won the last 19 men’s titles and the Lady Falcons have captured 16 of the last 20 women’s crowns.
