Bears Place 3rd At MEAC Championships; Stewart, Dascent Capture Gold

MEAC Championship Results

BALTIMORE, Md. (May 9, 2011)-The Morgan State men's track and field team competed over the weekend at the 2011 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Outdoor Track & Field championships at Irwin Belk Track on the campus of North Carolina A&T. The Bears would make one of the program's greatest turn-around, finishing in third-place with 72 points.

Norfolk State captured the title with 162 points, followed by second-place Maryland Eastern Shore, who scored 137 points. Hampton (66 points) placed fourth and South Carolina State rounded out the top five with 65 points.

Just a year ago the Bears finished in last place (11th) at the MEAC championship, scoring six points. This year Morgan State had eight top-five finishes and captured gold in three events. The Bears also concluded the meet with three All-MEAC honors, three second-team honors and one third-team honorees.

Emmanuel Stewart captured two of Morgan State's first-place finishes taking gold in the discus throw (165-08) and the javelin with a throw of 175-02. Stewart also placed ninth in the shot put with a distance of 44-08.25.

Jefferson Butler also had a productive championship, placing second in the javelin with a throw of 172-06 and placing third in the shot put with a toss of 51-08.25. Butler concluded with a 10-place finish in the discus with a distance of 123-04.

Morgan's third gold medal of the meet was claimed by Calvin Dascent, who won the 200 meter dash in a time of 20.66, which is the seventh fastest time on the East Coast, is tied for the 11th fastest time in the country, as well as a US Virgin Island record. Dascent then placed second in the 400 meter dash, crossing the line in a time of 46.38, which ranks 16th on the East Coast. Trey Charles also came in second, finishing with a time of 50.77 in the 400 meter hurdles.

The Bears' two relay teams also placed in the top six. The 4X400 team of Charles, Jordan Higgs, Dascent and Carbinere Whyte just missed on earning all-conference third-team honors, as they came in fourth with a time of 3:11.64. The 4X100 relay team comprised of Charles, Dascent, Ryan Currie and Whyte placed sixth in a time of 41.40.

All-MEAC First Team Honors: Calvin Dascent (200m dash), Emmanuel Stewart (discus and javelin)

All-MEAC Second Team Honors: Calvin Dascent (400m dash), Trey Charles (400m hurdles), Jefferson Butler (javelin)

All-MEAC Third Team Honors: Jefferson Butler (shot put)

Saturday, May 7, 2011

MEAC Outdoor Championship

Irwin Belk Track (Greensboro, N.C.)

Hosted by North Carolina A&T

Winner: Norfolk State, 162 points

Morgan State Place: 3rd, 72 points

1 Norfolk State, 162 points

2. Maryland Eastern Shore, 137 points

3. Morgan State, 72 points