After winning SWAC titles in women’s cross-country and indoor track and field, Florida A&M is still chasing milestones. Five Rattlers are in Lexington, Kentucky, for the NCAA Preliminaries.
By Gerald Thomas III
(Source Tallahassee Democrat):
Florida A&M’s track and field program wants national recognition.
Starting on Wednesday, the Rattlers can make a run at making that wish a reality.
After having five athletes rank in the top 48 in region in their events, FAMU is sending the quintet to compete in the NCAA East Preliminaries at the University of Kentucky in Lexington ― Joseph DeRosier (110-meter hurdles), Nya Blocker (100 and 200-meter race), Breanna Brown-Marshall (high jump), Rori Lowe (100-meter race), and Katelynn Smith (400-meter hurdles).
Placing in the prelims’ top 12 will land the Rattlers a spot in June’s NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Rachel Robertson was the last Rattler to reach the national track meet in 2022.
“It’s a big accomplishment to present FAMU on the big stage for the program to get the recognition it should,” said Brown-Marshall, the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s indoor and outdoor high jump champion. “It’s a good feeling to go to regionals and put on for FAMU.”
FAMU reaching the NCAA Preliminaries is the latest chapter of the school’s competitive running program.
The Rattlers won their first SWAC title in women’s cross country and women’s track and field this athletic season under the leadership of second-year head coach Garfield Ellenwood.
Furthermore, Ellenwood believes that five is the most athletes FAMU has sent to the NCAA Preliminaries for individual events.
He hopes it can be a building block for FAMU track for years to come.
“It shows we’re on an upward trend, the hard work, dedication, and direction of the program,” said Ellenwood, hired by FAMU in January 2023. “Hopefully, next year, we can double or triple this group that’s going.”
FAMU track and field’s freshman class has made an immediate impact
This FAMU track team includes Ellenwood’s first recruiting class.
And he’s fielded some runners who have impacted the program immediately. DeRosier, Blocker, and Smith reached the NCAA prelims in their first year of college.
DeRosier, the lone FAMU men’s track performer who qualified for Lexington, medaled in every 110-meter hurdle final during his freshman season.
“It’s pretty cool that I made it,” DeRosier said. “My goals are to advance and try to win. I know that PRs will come as I’m trying to win.”
Blocker will compete in two events for the Rattlers: 100 and 200-meter races. She earned a silver medal in the SWAC’s outdoor 100-meter race.
“I just want to run to the best of my ability,” Blocker said of the NCAA Preliminaries. “I can’t let the pressure get to me. Overall, I will do well and execute as I’ve done in practice.”
Smith earned a gold medal in the SWAC’s 400-meter hurdles. Smith also placed in the top three in every outdoor 400-meter hurdle race in her first college season.
“It’s a big accomplishment as a freshman,” she said. “I just want to go out there, have fun, and take the experience in for what it is.”
FAMU track hopes to keep the momentum going in NCAA East Preliminaries
Lowe was in the NCAA Preliminaries a year ago as a 4×100 participant at her former school, the University of Albany.
Now, using her final year of eligibility at an HBCU, the FAMU graduate student Lowe is excited to represent Black colleges in Lexington.
Lowe will compete as a 100-meter racer, the event she won a SWAC bronze medal in this season.
“Having the opportunity to represent FAMU on the national level is a big responsibility, but also an honor,” Lowe said. “It allows us to break any barriers or stereotypes put on us as HBCU athletes. It shows that we can do anything the non-HBCUs can do with the same mindset, strength, and diligence everyone else has.”
Leading FAMU track, Ellenwood looks forward to adding to a successful season by continuing to put the track and field scene on notice.
FAMU track has arrived with no plans of slowing down.
“We got to mentally and physically prepare, then put it all together,” Ellenwood said.
“We’re here. And we’re here to say.”
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