Wiley's Garrett, Stillman's Johnson claim Week 1 HBCUAC Men's Track and Field Weekly Awards
NEW ORLEANS - March 10, 2025 - Wiley University men's track and field athlete Ronald Garrett wins Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) Men's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week. Stillman College's Christopher Johnson wins Field Athlete of the Week. The athletes were recognized for their performances between March 3-9, the conference announced on Tuesday.
Garrett nearly posted NAIA National Championship qualifying times in the 110-meter hurdles and the 200-meter dash. He was the top college athlete in the 110-meter hurdles, his time was 0.14 seconds from the 'B' qualifying standard and leads the NAIA. He had another podium finish in the 200-meter dash and was within a second of the national qualifying standard. Garrett also ran on the 4 x 100-meter and 4 x 400-meter relay teams.
Johnson, who was selected as the Preseason HBCUAC Field Athlete of the Year, won the discus at the University of West Alabama Invitational with a distance of 47.66 meters, less than two meters shy of the 'B' national championship qualifying standard. He won the event by more than seven meters - competing against athletes from NCAA Division II institutions.
Additional men's track and field weekly nominees: Kenneth Beck Jr. (Stillman), Xavier Hutchinson (Wiley), Christian Louis (Talladega)
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About HBCU Athletic Conference
The HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) is the only HBCU conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The HBCUAC membership includes Dillard University (LA), Fisk University (TN), Oakwood University (AL), Philander Smith University (AR), Rust College (MS), Southern University at New Orleans (LA), Stillman College (AL), Talladega College (AL), Tougaloo College (MS), University of the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas), Voorhees University (SC), Wilberforce University (OH), and Wiley University (TX). HBCUAC sponsors championships in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's track and field, women's volleyball, softball, and baseball. In 2022, the HBCUAC secured the largest media rights deal in conference and NAIA history, signing a multimillion-dollar deal with Urban Edge Network. On July 1, 2024, the conference rebranded from the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) to the HBCU Athletic Conference, marking a new era for the conference that embodies the makeup of its membership. For more information, visit hbcuac.org.