BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ^__ The Tuskegee track and field teams continued their indoor season with a strong showing at the South Alabama Indoor Invitational, held on Sunday at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
 
Building upon their performances from the KMS Invitational earlier in the season, the Golden Tigers demonstrated significant progress across various events, highlighted by personal bests and competitive finishes.
 
In the men's 60-meter dash, freshman LaQuenton Underwood delivered a notable performance, clocking a time of 7.07 seconds in the preliminaries, securing 17th place among a competitive field. This marks an improvement from his previous outing and positions him as a sprinter to watch in upcoming meets.
 
In the 200-meter event, freshman Justice Northern finished 22nd with a time of 22.56, followed by sophomore Shawn Jarrett II in 24th at 22.81. Meanwhile, the 400-meter event saw freshman Jamarqus Jones finish 19th with a time of 50.95 seconds, showcasing his consistency in the quarter-mile distance. Jarrett II also competed in the 400 meters, recording a time of 51.64 seconds to place 25th, indicating depth in the team's sprinting cohort.
 
In middle-distance events, freshman Jayden Davidson represented Tuskegee in the 800 meters, finishing 23rd with a time of 2:03.13. Davidson also competed in the mile run, placing 23rd with a time of 4:43.25, slightly behind sophomore Dennis Kibet at 21st with a time of 4:42.36.
 
Fellow sophomore Edgar Kosgei participated in the 3000-meter run, completing the race in 10:06.50 to secure 21st place, while Kibet landed at 25th at 10:08.33. His performance reflects steady progress in long-distance events.
 
In the men's 4x400 meter relay, the team of Northern, Jones, Jarrett II, and Jackson Murry delivered a strong performance, finishing sixth with a time of 3:25.01.

In field events, freshman Ethan Zagore Jr. achieved a mark of 6.62 meters in the long jump, followed by junior Christian Sanders at 22nd with a distance of 5.97 meters. Freshman Michael Oloye competed in the men's triple jump, recording a distance of 12.83 meters, indicating promise in the event.
 
In the men's shot put, veterans Skyler Carrillo (10.22m) and Drake Hudson (9.94m) placed 21st and 22nd respectively, followed by sophomore Deinkepribo Harry (9.22m) at 23rd. In the weight throw, Carrillo recorded a mark of 12.56 meters, while Hudson recorded a mark of 9.80 meters.

Senior sprinter Anitria Sangster led the women's team with a commendable performance in the 60-meter and 400-meter dash events, finishing 14th in the 60-meter preliminaries with a time of 7.84 and 7th overall in the 400 with a time of 57.85. Her efforts earned valuable points for the team and highlighted her as a key contributor this season.
 
In the 60-meter dash, freshman Asia Nettles clocked a time of 8.46 seconds in the preliminaries, placing 32nd.
 
The 800-meter run featured junior Akierah Walker, who finished 17th with a time of 2:26.86, and junior Anaya Martin, who placed 19th, clocking in at 2:28.01. Both athletes displayed promise in middle-distance events, contributing to the team's overall performance.
 
In the mile run, Walker returned to finish 18th with a time of 5:51.42, while freshman Genesis Harrell placed 22nd and Jurni Janac finished 24th, completing the race in 5:59.00 and 6:05.78, respectively.
 
Three Golden Tigers competed in the 60-meter hurdle event, led by junior An'Janae Latchinson, who finished seventh with a time of 8.81.
 
The women's 4x400 meter relay team, comprising of Sangster,  Latchinson, Walker, and Amira Broussard, completed the race with a time of 4:01.62, finishing seventh, followed by the group of Janac, Jahkaya McBurney, De'Shell Carr, and Nettles who finished at 4:19.27.
 
Carr and Broussard also participated in the jump events, with Carr finishing 16th in the high jump (1.44m) and 17th in the long jump (5.04m). Broussard achieved a mark of 5.07 meters, finishing 16th in the long jump.
 
In the shot put, Danielle Wilson recorded a throw of 10.71 meters, followed by a mark of 12.67 meters in the weight throw, reflecting her developing skills in this discipline. Meanwhile, Aliyah Purnell finished 13th in the shot put with a distance o 10.20 meters, followed by a 21st place finish in the weight throw at 10.91 meters.

The Golden Tigers' participation in the South Alabama Indoor Invitational provided valuable experience and highlighted areas of strength and opportunities for improvement. As the season advances, the program will focus on building upon these performances, aiming to achieve personal bests and competitive results in future meets.

Up Next
The Golden Tigers will return to Birmingham this weekend to participate in the Vulcan Invite (Feb. 7) and Green & Gold Invite (Feb. 8), both hosted by UAB.
 
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