May 26, 2007 – CHARLOTTE, NC – Soaring ever higher and faster, the Flying Maroon Tigers dashed and leaped their way to a third-place finish at the NCAA Division II National Track and Field Championships.
The highest finish in Morehouse track and field history was powered by excellent coaching by head coach Willie Hill and his assistants and a total team effort by a dedicated group of student-athletes.
Morehouse improved from 10th place last year. The team’s score of 68 points was five points behind last year’s national champion, St. Augustine’s College, and 26 points ahead of fourth-place finisher Ashland University.
Long jumper Randall Flimmons, 400-meter hurdler Damian Prince and the 4x400-meter relay team of Curtis Dayson, Brandon Hartley, Marquis Horn and Prince – won national titles in their events.
Flimmons, a drama major from Columbus, MS soared 25’- 10 ¾” to claim his first national outdoor long jump title. His leap was nearly two feet farther than his nearest competitor. In March, Flimmons won the NCAA Division II national indoor long jump title.
Prince, who entered the tournament with the second fastest time in the nation for the 400-meter hurdles, performed even better than expected. The junior health and physical education major from Decatur, Ga. ran away from the competition in a time of 49.21.
As the top-seeded team entering the nationals, the 4x400-meter relay team performed as expected, winning the last event of the three-day championships. Dayson, Hartley, Horn and Prince sprinted to a 3:06.18, to nudge out Central Missouri, which finished second at 3:06.42.
Keith Moffatt, a senior from Newport News, Va., took second place in the high jump, with a leap of 7’-3.” Moffatt entered the meet as the defending champion, but finished behind Minnesota State-Mankota’s Jim Dilling who also edged out Moffatt at the indoor nationals, in March.
Sprinter Marquis Horn was a major contributor to the Morehouse cause. The junior speedster from Long Beach, Ca. took third-place in the 100-meter dash (10.45) and the 200-meter dash (20.80). He also ran in the 4x100-meter relay and 4x400-meter relay.
In the triple jump, Flimmons finished fifth – hopping, skipping and jumping his way to a total of 50’-2 ¾.”
Sophomore Evan Flax, a sophomore from Fontana, Ca., had outstanding performances in three jumping events. He finished fifth in the long jump, with a leap of 23’- ½;” he took fifth in the high jump, with a height of 7’ ½;” and he grabbed sixth in the triple jump, covering 50’- 2 ½.”
The Morehouse 4x100-meter relay team of – Brandon Hartley, Marquis Horn, Brandon Morgan and Damian Prince snagged fifth-place, in a time of 40.43.
All participants who finish in the top eight in their event are named to the All-America team.
For complete results of all events, visit www.trackshark.com for a link to the NCAA Division II Championships.
