March 31, 2003
RALEIGH, NC ... The George Mason University men's and women's track & field teams competed at the Raleigh Relays on Friday and Saturday, with athletes qualifying for the NCAA East Regional Championships in seven events.
The women's team had athletes qualify in four events for the first-ever NCAA East Regional Championships that will be held at George Mason University from Friday, May 30, through Saturday, May 31, while the men's team posted qualifiers in three events.
Senior sprinter Serge Bengono (Yaounde, Cameroon/Younde) led the men's team with a season-best and NCAA qualifying time of 10.42 seconds in the preliminary round of the 100 meters to finish first. He placed fourth in the finals in 10.60 seconds. Bengono won the 200 meters in a season-best 21.38 seconds.
Sophomore Richard Phillips (St. Catherine, Jamaica/Ardenne/Abilene Christian) also qualified for the NCAA Regionals with a third-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles in a season-best 52.13 seconds.
The men's 4x400-meter relay of Phillips, senior Henry Harris (Cleveland Heights, OH/Essex CC), junior Ricardo Cunningham (Clarendon, Jamaica/SW Christian CC) and senior Kevin Nishiyama (Warrington, PA/Central Bucks East) placed third in a season-best 3:09.74 to qualify for the NCAA Regionals.
Other successful performances came from Cunningham finishing third in the 800 meters in 1:51.97 and Nishiyama placing seventh in the 400 meters in 48.39 seconds.
The women's sprint relays dominated, winning the 4x100-meter relay, 4x200-meter relay and 4x400-meter relay competitions. The 4x1 of junior Kim Morgan (Houston, TX/Alief Hastings), freshman Alycia Williams (Palm Coast, FL/Flagler Palm Coast), senior NamTasha Joyner (Richmond, VA/John F. Kennedy) and freshman Alyce Williams (Palm Coast, FL/Flagler Palm Coast) won in a season-best and NCAA qualifying time of 45.67 seconds, while the 4x2 of Morgan, Alyce Williams, Joyner and sophomore Sheena Davidson (Rochester, NY/Edison Tech) was victorious in 1:36.58.
The women's 4x4 of Joyner, Alycia Williams, junior Sheena Goss (Elk Grove, CA/Laguna Creek) and Davidson also qualified for the NCAA Regionals with a winning time of 3:42.51.
Alyce Williams posted another Regional Championships qualifying mark in the triple jump, placing third with a 41-foot, 3-inch performance. Twin sister, Alycia, was the team's top performer in the individual sprints, placing third in the 400 meters in a season-best and NCAA qualifying 54.54 seconds and then finishing fourth in the 200 meters in 24.52 seconds.
The George Mason women's track & field team returns to action this weekend at the Duke Invitational in Durham, NC, from Friday, April 4, through Saturday, April 5, while the men's team will be idle this weekend.
