HBCU athletes are making headlines on the 2025 NCAA Outside Observe & Area Championships in Eugene, Oregon, with standout performances from each males’s and ladies’s groups on the nationwide stage.
Jordan Pierre and Jarrett Gentles Advance to NCAA Finals
Jordan Pierre, a sophomore from the College of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, delivered a career-best time of 45.44 seconds within the 400 meters to advance to the NCAA Finals. His efficiency was a private milestone and secured his spot within the Friday night time last. Earlier this season, Pierre completed second within the 400-meter last on the SWAC Outside Championship, behind Alcorn State’s Trellas Forrest.
Jarrett Gentles, a senior from Coppin State College, additionally certified for the finals within the 400-meter hurdles with a time of fifty.18 seconds. Gentles, who completed third on the MEAC Outside Championship, now finds himself competing for a nationwide title.
Each finals will happen on Friday throughout the 6:00 PM PST window, as a part of the distinguished meet held in Eugene, Oregon, broadly referred to as TrackTown USA.
Howard College Girls Lead HBCUs in NCAA Qualifiers
The Howard College girls’s observe & subject workforce has emerged as a pacesetter amongst HBCUs, qualifying for extra occasions on the NCAA Championships than another HBCU girls’s program.
Within the 4×100-meter relay, the workforce of Kailei Collins, Marcia Sey, Tiffani-Rae Pittman, and Aiyana Grey-Williams clocked a season-best 43.86 seconds to routinely qualify for the finals.
Marcia Sey superior individually within the 100-meter hurdles with a powerful 12.99-second end, whereas Kailei Collins earned a non-automatic qualifier within the 100-meter sprint with a time of 11.21 seconds. She additionally competed within the 200 meters however didn’t advance.
Third-year standout Aniya Woodruff ran a personal-best 56.12 seconds within the 400-meter hurdles, including to Howard’s spectacular listing of qualifiers.
Though Ariana Smith and Cenaiya Billups didn’t advance, the workforce’s depth and expertise underscore the rising power of HBCU girls’s observe applications.
HBCUs on the Rise in Collegiate Observe & Area
From sprints to hurdles, HBCU athletes should not solely qualifying—they’re contending. Their presence on the NCAA Championships highlights the increasing impression and visibility of Traditionally Black Faculties and Universities in elite collegiate observe and subject competitors.
With a number of athletes set to compete in Friday’s finals, the 2025 championships are shaping as much as be a landmark second for HBCU sports activities.