Greensboro's African American Community Newspaper since 1967
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. The Fayetteville State University women and the Claflin University men were once again crowned champions at the 2025 CIAA Indoor Track & Field Championships at the JDL Fast Track held Sunday to Monday, Feb. 16 -17. This was Fayetteville State’s fifth consecutive Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championship. The Broncos secured a total of 150 points while runner-up Winston-Salem State finished with 135 points and Claflin finished third with 90 points.
Fayetteville’s Janya Moore earned the Women’s Track and Field Athlete of the Year and won the women’s 200m with a time of 24.87 as well as placing second in the 400m 56.63. The sophomore pre-nursing major from Reidsville, N.C. had remarkable performances such as a 7.91-second finish in the 60 meters, a 24.98-second finish in the 200 meters (1st place at the JDL Early Bird Invitational), a 57.73-second finish in the 400 meters, and a 1:44.87 finish in the 600 meters. Notable achievements include a 2nd place finish in the 400 meters at the Camel City Sprints, a 1st place finish in the 200 meters at the Mondo College Invitational, and multiple top finishes in the 4x400 meter relays.
Domanique Knowles of Fayetteville State was named the Field Events Most Valuable Player at the CIAA Championship.
Knowles delivered an outstanding performance across multiple events, securing top positions and showcasing her versatility and athleticism. She claimed first place in the high jump with a leap of 1.58 meters (5' 2.25"). In the triple jump, she earned second place with a distance of 11.78 meters (38' 7.75").
In the pentathlon, Knowles accumulated 2,748 points to finish third. She competed in the 60-meter hurdles, finishing eighth with a time of 9.72 seconds, and placed fourth in the long jump with a distance of 5.09 meters (16' 8.5"). Additionally, she participated in the shot put, where she threw 7.21 meters (23'8") to finish tenth, and the 800 meters, clocking in at 3:06.83 for an eleventh-place finish. She finished in the high jump with a mark of 1.61 meters (5'3.25").
“Domanique’s dedication and hard work have truly paid off,” said Head Coach Inez Turner. “She consistently pushes herself to new heights and sets a great example for her teammates. We are incredibly proud of her achievements and look forward to seeing her continue to excel.”
Elicia Bryant was named the CIAA Track Athlete after finishing with 22 individual points. Numerous Rams saw the podium during the two-day event. Brianna Benloss placed third in 60m finals with a time of 7.70. Charnessa Reid finished first in the 60m hurdles (8.47), Layla Simpson won the pentathlon with a total of 3143 points and the 4x400 team (Daijion Lee, Asheika Smith, Simone Kelly, Olivia Cosby) came in first with a time of 3:50.37.
On the men’s side, Claflin University repeated as track and field champions with 138.5 points. Virginia Union University finished in second place with 114 points and Virginia State University captured third with 98 points.
Claflin won multiple events to claim the conference crown. The Panthers’ Jonathan Flemister was named Track Athlete of the Year and won the 60-meter dash (6.84 seconds) as well as placing second in the 200m. Jaevon Riley claimed 10 points for the Panthers in the men’s 400m with a time of 48.70.
Inez Turner of Fayetteville State was chosen as the CIAA Women’s Coach of the Year and Melvin Watts of Claflin was named CIAA Men’s Coach of the Year.
