Livingstone Sends Eight to the NCAA Track & Field Nationals

May 21, 2002

Salisbury N.C. - Eight Livingstone College student athletes will represent the college and community in San Angelo, Texas at the NCAA Division II National Track and Field Championship May 22.

Before the track and field season, success seemed to avoid the college’s athletic program throughout the year. Two out of 10 programs - women’s bowling and cross-country - ranked fourth in the conference while the other eight had unmentionable records and conference rankings. Recently, success has made its way back to the college for the men’s track and field program. Jordan Vaden, a 2000 outdoor track and field All-American and a 2001 indoor track and field All-American; Gerald Gayle, a 2000 indoor track and field All-American; Michael Posey, a 2000 outdoor track and field All-American; Fabian Clark; Tramond Cobb; Ralph Miller; Shantico Waiters; and Damion Montgomery were among the 620 student-athletes in the United States who qualified automatically and provisionally for the highest level of collegiate track and field competition: the NCAA Division II National Track and Field Championship.

Vaden will return to national level competition for the third time to compete in four events. He will compete in the 100-meter and 200-meter dash. He will also run the last leg of the 4x100 meter relay, which includes Gayle, Posey, and Clark, with Montgomery as an alternate, and the 4x400 meter relay, which consists of Miller, Montgomery and Waiters. Waiters will also compete in the 110-meter high hurdles and Cobb will compete in the high jump.

Currently on the NCAA Division II National Performance list, Vaden is tied for seventh ranking in the 100-meter dash, with a time of 10.41 seconds and is ranked fifth in the 200-meter dash, with a time of 21.02 seconds. Waiters is tied for eleventh ranking in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.38 seconds. Cobb is in a three-way tie for a twelfth ranking in the high jump with a jump of 6 feet, 10 ½ inches. The 4x100 meter relay team is ranked twelfth with a time of 40.71 seconds and the 4 x 400 meter relay team is ranked ninth with a time of 3 minutes, 12.54 seconds.

The men’s track and field program placed fourth at the CIAA Indoor Championship, only one point from third place, and attained third place at the CIAA Outdoor Championship.

Vaden also participated in the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Nationals were he gained All-American recognition with his sixth place finish in the 55-meter dash.