“We just did not perform well as a team. We did well in some areas, but I felt we left
too many points on the track to win in our highly-competitive conference,” said Head Coach Darlene Moore.
Already carrying the 2015-2016 MEAC Cross Country title, the
Lady Rattlers are performing well going into this year’s MEAC Indoor Track and
Field Championship Feb. 11-13, in Landover, MD.
Moore’s goal is to fine tune the team to win the title that has eluded
the Lady Rattlers since she took the helm.
With a balanced team of runners and field event athletes,
the Lady Rattlers are poised to make a run at the MEAC Indoor Championship,
currently holding 30 positions in the conference’s Top 10 slots over the roster
of events.
Leading the way are FAMU’s distance runners, who have
dominated the conference for the past four years. Cynthia Chelelgo and Effiey Kosgei led the
Rattlers to their fourth straight cross country championship. They are the only members of all four
championship teams. Judith Kibii, Nicole
Kvitkauskas, Caroline Kiplagat, Fridah Limo, Destiny Johnson, April Polite and
Quandra Shanks round out the pack of distance runners who look to propel the Lady
Rattlers during their quest for a triple crown this year.
Quantifying their dominance, FAMU holds the top seven
positions, excluding the No.3 spot, in the women’s indoor 5,000m run. Chelelgo paces the field with a leading time
of 17:34.46, which is a FAMU record.
Kibii, currently sits in second position with a time of 18:11.91 in the
5,000m. They both broke the school’s
record for the 3,000m in Birmingham at the UAB Vulcan Invite. Chelelgo took the top spot in the conference
with a time of 10:07.40, while Kibii finished a hair behind her at 10:07.50,
for second place. Kibii also is second
in the mile run, posting a FAMU best 5:02.42.
Another addition to the FAMU squad is a solid team of
throwers. Banisha Johnson holds the top
spot in the weight throw with a toss of 52:3.75’. She is backed by Andrea Aaron (51.9’) and
Alexandria Marshall-Paul (51:8.5’) , who hold the No.2 and No.3 positions.
Pole vaulter Cheyenne brooks currently ranks second in the
MEAC, with a clearance of 9’10”, which
she managed at the Clemson Orange & Purple Invite. Jumpers Ashley Ivey, Brianna Watts and Ashley
Giacomucci currently hold three of the top seven spots in the triple jump.
Hurdles Ivey and Shalynn Cyprien look to score points for
FAMU in the 60m hurdles. Ivey currently
holds the No.4 position at 8.77, while Cyprien sits at No.8 in 8.86.
There is no doubt that the championship will be a
battle. The MEAC Indoor Track and Field
Championship will be hosted at the Prince George County Sports Complex, which
sits in the shadow of Fedex Field, the home of the Washington Redskins. With the effects of the season’s first snow
storm subsiding, the Lady Rattlers hope to bring some “heat” to the DMV.