SportsWeek
Also Community, Religion and Classifieds April 9, 2015
wssu
sprinter and
coach earn
CIAA Honors
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
The Winston-Salem State Lady Rams
track & field team earned a pair of weekly
honors from the Central Intercollegiate
Athletic Association (CIAA), Wednesday,
April 1. Senior sprinter, Nya Michaux,
was named the CIAA Track Athlete of the
Week while head coach Inez Turner was
named the CIAA Women's Track & Field
Coach of the Week.
Michaux took
home the hdnor
after a great per
formance at the
Winthrop Adidas
Invitational. She
placed second in
the women's 100m
dash with an
11.79, an NCAA
Division II provi
sional qualifying
time. She qualified
for the event finals after winning the pre
liminaries with a 12.05. She was also sec
ond in the women's 200m dash with a
24.95.
Turner took f
home the honor I
after leading a g
great overall effort I
by the Lady Rams.
Under her guid
ance, the team
dominated , the
sprint events with
two of the top three
finishers in the
women's 100m
dash and the zlWm
dash. Under her guidance, freshman
Domtilla Kiplaget also placed third in the
women's 5,000m run and fifth in the
women's 1300m run.
The Lady Rams won't have long to
wait for their action when they head to
nearby High Point to take part in the
Vertklasse Meeting. For more information
on Lady Rams track & field, contact the
WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations
at 336-750-2143 or log on to
www.WSSURams.com.
Michaux
Turner
Lady Rams' Coach Hilliard-Gray:
'Record doesn't reflect talent level'
Photo by Craig T. Greenlee
WSSU's Chyna Riley has emerged as a valued contributor in her sophomore season.
BY CRAIG T. GREENLEE
FOR THE CHRONICLE
This softball season has been a
struggle for Winston-Salem State.
With less than a month remaining
before the CIAA championships, the
Lady Rams were 10-17 overall.
That's a different scenario from
recent history. WSSU has won three
of the last four conference crowns
and advanced to the NCAA Division
II Atlantic Regional Tournament
each time.
A look at the roster provides
some insight about the team's spo
radic play. Roughly 70 percent of the
roster is comprised of freshmen and
sophomores. As for upperclassmen,
the numbers are sparse (three seniors
and one junior).
"We've had our ups and downs
this season," said veteran WSSU/
coach LaTaya Hilliard-Gray. "Ouv
won-loss record doesn't reflect our
talent level. This group is still going
through a growing process and learn
ing how to come together as a team.
"Even though we've struggled,
I'm very satisfied that our players
continue to remain totally committed
to the program. The vision is for us to
grow stronger as the season progress
es. Coming down the stretch, we'll
have plenty of opportunities to see
how much we can grow."
In a double-header loss to
Anderson University (SC) on April 4,
the Lady Rams were never able to get
fully in sync against the Trojans,
ranked No. 21 in the national polls.
The first game ended in a 10-6
defeat. WSSU cranked out 11 hits,
but left eight runners stranded on
base. In an 8-2 setback in the second
game, the Lady Rams had nine hits,
but the three errors they committed
contributed to their downfall.
The season didn't get off to the
best of starts. The Lady Rams lost
their first seven games and it's only
been twice this season that they've
won back-to-back games.
Establishing continuity hasn't been
easy either. During the early part of
the season, inclement weather result
ed in 13 games being postponed or
See Lady Rams on B2
Tajanel McNeill:
WSSU Track Ail-American
BY CRAIG T. GREENLEE
FOR THE CHRONICLE
When Tajanel McNeill
arrived at Winston-Salem State
four years ago, she was unknown,
unheralded and had no grand
expectations for her future as a
college athlete. Those circum
stances never caused
McNeill to waver in her
desire to make the most
of an opportunity to earn
a roster spot on the
women's track and field
team.
. Since her freshman
year, McNeill has
matured and blossomed
as an all-purpose athlete.
Aside from competing in
all three of the horizontal
jumping events (long jump, nigh
jump, triple jump), she expanded
her horizons to include the 100
meter hurdles, javelin throw and
4x100 relay.
Over the past three years,
McNeill, a senior from Newark,
NJ., has owned the field events
in the CIAA. During that span,
she's the six-time Field pvents
MVP of the conference track and
field championships (indoor and
outdoor). At the national level,
she ranks among the elites.
McNeill is a three-time All
America, twice in the triple jump
and once as a member of the
Lady Rams 4x100 relay.
"Tajanel has become the ath
lete she is today because of her
discipline," said Coach Inez
Turner of Winston-Salem State.
"She made the choice to be the
best that she can be. Not only
does she do the necessary extra
work, but she has the mindset that
you need to compete and succeed
at a high level."
By the time her
college career
comes to a close,
McNeill, an
Exercise
Physiology major,
could end up being
the most decorated
women's track ath
lete at Winston
Salem State. For
now, though, she'll
concentrate on win
ning national titles
in the triple jump and 4x 100 relay
at the NCAA outdoor champi
onships in May. McNeill recent
ly took time out of her schedule
to discuss her college career with
Sports Week.
SW: You weren't heavily
recruited coming out of high
school, so you came to track try
outs as a walk-on and your career
has turned out extremely well.
Summarize your time at WSSU.
McNeill: My time as a walk
on was definitely motivating. It
helped to mold me into the ath
lete I am today. When I first came
out, I didn't know my place on
See McNeill on B2
McNeill
Wake's Caldwell sets sights
on setting school record
BY CRAIG T. GREENLEE I
PGR THE CHRONICLE I
Nyki Caldwell's pursuit of p
clearing 6-feet in the high i
jump is anything biit a pipe |
dream. At this juncture, she's
only lte inches shy of soaring I
to heights which have never .
been achieved in women's '
track and field at Wake Forest
University.
Caldwell, a senior who
majors in Health and Exercise
Science, closed out the winter
season in grand fashion. She j
jumped 5-feet-10 inches to
win her specialty at the
Atlantic Coast Conference
Indoor Track and Field
Championships in February.
As a sophomore two years
ago, she was the ACC indoor
runner-up. I
With that first-place finish,
Caldwell became the first
Wake Forest woman to win a
gold medal in a field event at
the conference indoor championships. While the
title-clinching jump wasn't her best ever (PR is 5
feet-lOVi inches), it brought Caldwell so much joy
and satisfaction to make All-Conference as an ACC
champion.
"I was very pleased with the outcome,"
Caldwell said. "Things turned out the way I hoped
they would. It would've been nice to PR. But this
was the ACC meet, so what counts more than any
thing else is that you win."
Caldwell makes it clear that her ultimate goal is
to set a new Wake Forest standard at 6-feet by the
time her college track career ends later this spring.
The current school record of 5-feet-ll 3/4 inches
wad sci vjy iiuia uiuucu 111 177u.
"Achieving 6-feet would secure my place in the
record books," said Caldwell, a four-time All-State
high jumper in high school (Dexter, Mich.). "I'll
focus a lot on my steps and technique. I'm looking
to win at the ACC outdoor meet and qualify for the
NCAA Regionals."
In the high jump, mastering technique is essen
tial. It's an event which demands precision, speed
and strength, much like the athletes who run hur
dles.
Jumpers typically take a pre-determined num
ber of strides that will put them at the right take-off
Sec Caldwell on B2
l
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PtyMo by Wake Forest University Athletics
Nyki Caldwell of Wake Forest is the ACC indoor champion in the
high jump.
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336-750-3220