Coming off a SWAC Indoor Track and Field Championship the Lady Hornets looked to repeat that feat during the outdoor season. That challenge began with the Southern Mississippi Invitational.
Latrice Lee won the 200 meter dash while
Tanisha Boulware won the high jump and the pole vault. The women's 4x100 meter relay team also brought home the championship.
The next meet for ASU was the Texas Southern Relays. The Lady Hornets showed their strength in the 800 meter run with
Lutrisha Altidor,
Breana Kelly and Desia Derilus went 1-2-3 in the event. The women's 4x200 meter relay won that event, while also winning the 4x800 meter relay. For the second straight week Boulware was able to win the high jump.
The Lady Hornets then faced some of their toughest competition in the War Eagle Invitational. There were several solid performances from ASU competitors led by Derilus' ninth-place finish in the 1500 meter run and her ninth-place finish in the 5000 meter run.
The 4x100 meter team finished third and
Raheema Hodges finishes sixth in the 3000 meter steeplechase.
The women had one more tune up meet leading up to the SWAC championship and that was at the Coach “O” Invitational hosted by Troy University.
Several ASU competitors were winners in the invite as
Breana Kelly won the 800 meter run and Derilus continued her strong outdoor season with a win in the 3000 meter steeplechase.
Shanice Mells won the shot put and the 4x100 meter relay team finished second.
With the Lady Hornets entering the SWAC Outdoor Championship on such a roll, it was going to be hard to stop them and hard it was.
The final tally saw the Lady Hornets match their indoor championship with the outdoor championship as well. ASU's final tally of 223 points easily outdistanced second-place Grambling who finished with 106 points.
Derilus received the Most Outstanding Track Performer Award while winning the 5000 meter run and the 3000 meter steeplechase. She was the runner up in the 1500 meter run. Teammate
Shanice Mells earned the Most Outstanding Field Performer Award with a title in the shot put and a third place finish in the hammer and javelin throw. Head coach
Ritchie Beene was named the women's Coach of the Year.
At the Texas Southern Relays
Charles Flewellen and Duncan finished 2-3 in the 800 meter run. Duncan then turned around and finished seventh in the 1500 meter run and he also competed in the 3000 meter run where he finished ninth.
The 4x200 meter relay team finished second and the 1600 sprint medley team finished third.
At the War Eagle Invite, Peek continued to run well with a third-place finish in the 800 meter run.
Jeffery Adams finished eighth in the 110 meter hurdles and
Ronald Jordan had a ninth-place finish in the 400 meter hurdles.
The men's final warm up for the conference championship was at Troy University's Coach “O” Invitational. DeLorean Peek once again won the 800 meter run while
Vincent Butler had a third-place finish in the 400 meter dash
Jepthah Kenei had a strong meet with a seventh-place finish in the 1500 meter run and a fifth-place finish in the 3000 meter run.
While the men's team headed into the conference championship short on competitors, they were not short on competing as the surprising Hornets finished third in the championship picking up 94 points, only seven points away from second-place Texas Southern.
Kenei and Jordan were the iron men for the Hornets as Kenei finished 14th in the 1500 meter run. He then finished sixth in the 5000 meter run and had a second-place finish in the 10000 meter run.
Jordan finished second in the 110 meter hurdles and also third in the 400 meter hurdles.
