Held up in the air by teammates, Bison sprinter Abraham Evans hoisted the trophy for the inaugural HBCU National Championship track and field competition, celebrating the team’s first national title in 40 years.
After losing their fourth consecutive Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) championship to Norfolk State University just over a week prior, the Bison seized their opportunity for redemption.
They dominated the competition at the championship meet in Louisville, Kentucky last Saturday, securing a commanding 126-point victory over second-place University of Maryland Eastern Shore in front of Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.
Anchored by Noah Langford, who earned podium finishes in the 60-meter hurdles, 400-meter dash and mile relay, the Bison secured their first championship title since 1985 when they won the indoor MEAC title, according to Howard Athletics.
In the final indoor meet of the season for Howard, the Bison racked up 10 first-place finishes, as well as setting several personal records.
Gold medals came in doubles for senior Goba Dan-Princewill, who won the 60-meter dash and the 200-meter dash with times of 6.81 and 21.27, respectively.
Dan-Princewill left the meet happy with the team victory, but still longed for the elusive MEAC team title.
“It’s cool to win this in the inaugural year, because it means we’ll always have that part of history,” Dan-Princewill said. “At the end of the day though, it’s always been (MEAC) championship or bust, so I won’t really celebrate until we win that outdoors.”
The conclusion of the national meet marked the first time under Director of Track and Field David Oliver that the men’s and women’s teams celebrated championship wins simultaneously. While this was the women’s fourth consecutive indoor conference championship, the men’s team had finished as the runner-up three times in a row.
Senior long jumper Sean Wray, who earned a bronze medal in the men’s long jump, was excited to celebrate a win as a team after overcoming years of adversity.
“Being here for four years now, it was honestly a ton of fun to bring back that first place trophy for once,” Wray said. “Obviously we want more, but it was cool to see our team get rewarded for the work we’ve put in for a long time now.”
On their road to victory, the Bison peaked during the men’s 400-meter dash, where all three runners dipped under the 48-second mark. They swept the podium, led by sophomore Emerson McKindra who set a personal-best and became the third-fastest in school history at 47.36 seconds. McKindra was joined by freshman Elijah Grant and Langford.
The championship meet was hosted by Kentucky State University, a public HBCU in Frankfort, Kentucky.
KSU Associate Athletic Director Jackie Gordon Duvall spoke about the special environment the event provided in an interview with WLKY regarding it as an opportunity for HBCUs to come together.
“[I’m] just proud of being HBCUs, proud of having indoor track and field as one of the sports that we all sponsor and hopefully compete at a high level,” Duvall said.
Beyond fierce competition, the meet provided the Bison an opportunity to compete against smaller-division HBCUs that they wouldn’t normally face within their schedule.
With a win now under their belt, the Bison will have a two-week layoff before traveling to the University of South Florida for their outdoor season opener on May 21.
Copy edited by Aniyah Genama
