Hayles Qualifies for 400-Meter Final on Opening Day of 2023 NCAA Championships
Hunter Peters
RESULTS
AUSTIN, Texas (June 7, 2023) – North Carolina A&T sprinter
Reheem Hayles advanced to the finals of the 400m to highlight the opening day of the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships from Mike A. Meyers Stadium in Austin, Texas.
In addition, Monmouth sophomore Evan Niedrowski and Hampton sophomore Dugion Blackman finished their seasons with Second Team All-America honors, along with the North Carolina A&T 4x400m relay team, which ran the fastest time in CAA history. Ethan Exilhomme of Northeastern, UNCW’s Josh Parks and A&T’s Shemar Chambers also concluded the year by earning All-America honorable mention recognition.
Hayles was shot out of a canon in the last heat of the 400m, showing grit and determination down the home stretch to qualify for the finals on time. The sophomore sprinter recorded a lifetime best mark of 44.81, finishing third in his heat but posting the fifth-fastest time in the semifinal round. The race was his first individual event at the National Championships, although he earned First Team All-America honors in the 4x400m relay in 2022.
Hayles is the sixth student-athlete in conference history to advance to the finals of the 400m. David Verburg of George Mason was the last to do so in 2013, while George Mason’s Greg Haughton had the best finish in league history, winning the National title in 1995. Hayles will compete for the NCAA crown on Friday at 10:02 p.m. (EST).
Blackman recorded an 11th-place finish in the 800m during his National Championship debut to claim All-America accolades for the first time. The CAA Champion put himself in contention to qualify for the finals, finishing fourth in his heat, but missed the cut by six-tenths of a second. His time of 1:48.65 marks his second-best this season, and the finish is the best by a CAA 800m runner at the NCAA Championships since 1997.
Niedrowski claimed Second Team All-America honors in the javelin for the second straight season with a 12th-place finish at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships. The sophomore launched his second attempt 71.85m (235-08.00) for his best throw of the day. The CAA Champion was the fourth athlete in conference history to compete in the javelin at the NCAA Championships. His finish in the event is the best since 2012 and the second-best ever by a CAA thrower.
In the final event of the night, North Carolina A&T broke the conference record in the 4x400m relay, running a season-best time of 3:02.62. Caleb Jackson and Ryan Saint-Germain joined Hayles and Chambers as the Aggies took fifth in their heat and placed 13th overall. A&T was the first relay team from the CAA to make Nationals since 2013, and the Second Team All-America honors mark the best finish for a conference relay team since 2012.
Two student-athletes concluded their respective seasons in the 110m hurdles as Exilhomme placed 17th and Parks finished 21st. Exilhomme, the CAA Champion, took sixth in the second heat with a time of 13.66, and Parks was seventh in the first heat, running 13.99. Both hurdlers made their NCAA Championship debut as Parks was the first UNCW competitor at Nationals since 1997, while Exilhomme was the third Husky to advance in the past three seasons. The duo was the third and fourth student-athletes in league history to compete in the 110m hurdles at Nationals and the first since 2006.
Chambers also competed in the 400m, placing 18th overall with a time of 45.94. The junior, who earned First Team All-America accolades on the North Carolina A&T 4x4 last season, completed his first individual event at the National Championships. The mark was the fourth sub-46 time for Chambers this year, including a personal-best 45.73.
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