It's worthy to talk in reverse about the second day of the Historic Black College Invitational which was held at the Wayne K. Curry Sports and Learning Complex in Prince George's County, Maryland. The Men's 4 x 400 Meter Relay had everyone in the Complex standing on their feet and screaming. There was a fierce three-way battle for the lead between Southern University, Lincoln University, and Morgan State. As soon as the gun fired, the sparks started to fly, the leaders were changing and every move was covered. All exchanges were executed with precision. Going into the anchor leg, Southern had a very narrow lead and you could barley see daylight between the three. There would only be one champion team that would be crowned for the inaugural running.

Southern wanted the win badly and coming out of the last turn the rockets kicked in down the final straight. Southern captured a narrow win in 3:18.45 followed by Lincoln University in 3:18.59 and Morgan was third in 3:19.21. Southern goes home with bragging rights.

They were not to be outdone; the Tigerbelles from Tennessee State closed the last event with a win in the Women's 4 x 400 Meter Relay. It's not only hard to be a Tigerbelle but it's hard to beat a Tigerbelle. Tennessee State took first place in 3:45.23. Delaware State was second in 3:48.86 and Hampton University was third in 3:50.54.

In the Triple Jump, Jeremy Pierre of Southern University set the meet record at 15.05 meters (49' 4.50"). Ronald Cook of Lincoln University placed second with 14.68 meters (48' 2.00").

"In the big meets I step up to the challenge and I do my best at each meet. When I come to a meet I have my mind focused on what I have to do. I do a lot of sprint work and technical work. The triple jump stresses the body more than other sports," said Pierre, a graduate student at Southern University majoring in public administration. "When I heard about the HBC Invitational I was enthusiastic that we black people can come together to do something positive. I felt good to be competitive and I felt a sense of pride," added Pierre.

In the Women's Triple Jump, Cynthia Nicholls of Hampton University set the mark at 11.62 meters (38'1.50"). Ashley Byrd of Tennessee State was second with 11.56 meters (37"11.25").

In the Men's 400 Meter Dash, it took Joshwyn Abrams of Delaware State 200 meters to get a handle on the lead position. Going on the back straight, Peppi Underwood of Southern University made a serious move for the lead. Out of the final turn, Abrams brought it in for a win with 49.24 and Underwood was second in 50.39.

"My strategy was to be the first back to the finish line (after 200 meters) and usually that person wins. I was concerned after we cut over. On the back I didn't hear him. It's easier to run from the front because you run your race. I never came through 200 meters in 22.6 on a flat track," said Abrams.

In the Women's 400 Meter Dash finals, Tiffany Barnes of Delaware State took the race out hard through the first 200 meters and held off Erica Day of Howard University. It was 55.71 to 57.22.

"I thought yesterday went well. I was impressed with the crowds and the enthusiasm of the athletes. The athletes from Southern University came over to me and said they will go home and tell their parents, that made my day," said Doc Burkes, Meet Director. In the Men's 5000 Meter Race, Ben Chesang of Bethune-Cookman led Matthew Gordinee of Delaware State and Brandon King of Hampton University through the first mile in 4:46. The two-mile time was 9:52. King and Gordinee exchanged places several times over the next mile. King made a decisive move with less than 400 meters to go and overtook Chesang and took first in 15:29.47 to 15:33.87. Gordinee was third in 15:44.98

"My coach told me that Chesang runs a pretty even pace. When I made my move I hoped that he would not stay with me. I thank Matthew for taking it out. It was kind of a mutual agreement as we exchanged the lead. I want to train hard and do well," said King, a freshman.

"I just broke the school record of 15:44. I knew that I had it in me and every dog has its day. I knew that Chesang was a good competitor and I wanted to show that I can hang with the big guys. It feels great to win and running track is about competition. I love to win," added King.

"I wanted my name in the record book. This meet was good since we don't get to run against other conferences. I thank my teammates for pushing me, they kept telling me not to hold back," stated King.

In the Men's Mile, Charles Moon of Southern University led Brandon King of Hampton University and LaShaun Smith of Delaware State through 800 meters in 2:09. At 1000 meters, Smith made a move to take the lead position and Moon and King exchanged places several times. Into the bell lap, Smith pressed the pace and took first in 4:21.34 and King held off Moon, 4:21.86 to 4:24.65.

In the Women's Mile, Tigerbelle Monique Demmons took the first 200 meters in 37 seconds. Into the second lap, Jade Fisher of Hampton pushed through 400 meters in 1:16 followed by teammate Eboni White. The 800 meter split was 2:36. Into the bell lap, White unleashed a kick to take the lead and the win with 5:13.43 and Fisher was second with 5:16.78.

In the Women's 3000 Meter Race, Iudira Garcia of Howard University outlasted Cetera Bunche of Hampton University 10:53.50 to 10:53.95. Denisha Husdon of Norfolk State was third in 10:57.20.

"It was fantastic for a kickoff meet of this magnitude, well officiated and well run. It was fantastic because of no protest. The people in the pits, the foot soldiers did a good job. I'm just excited; it's a blessing that the Lord has let me see this. This is a great educational event; one student from Southern said it was the first time she has seen snow. It's the exposure that we allow the black students to have and interact," said Coach Moultrie, a former U.S. Olympic sprint and relay coach.

The meet achieved one important objective, to showcase the talents of the Historic Black Colleges and Universities. Each champion was pushed to do his or her best and no event was given to an athlete; it was earned. The atmosphere was friendly and the competition was stiff.

The marks have been set for 2003 and next year we will have to wait to see how many of the marks will remain. The plans are underway, mark your calendars for February 7-8, 2004.

The Historic Black College Invitational is sponsored by the Potomac Valley Association. Thanks are extended to the numerous supporters, including American Track & Field magazine and Reebok.

Full meet results will be posted on the USATF site.