NORFOLK, VA – South Carolina State picked up two more gold medals Tuesday and made some strides after Day Two of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) 2024 Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Norfolk State's Dick Price Stadium. Both teams are fifth in the team standings.

The SC State men added 24 points on the day for a total of 34, while the women amassed an additional 17 points in Tuesday's competition and have a total of 27.

Norfolk State and Howard are 1-2 in both the men and women's competition. The host Spartans have 66 points to 60 for the Howard men, while the Norfolk women lead Howard 81-72.

The Bulldogs' Dexter Ratliff added his second gold medal in two days with a first-place, record-setting performance in the hammer, while Kenton George won the Decathlon, with each adding 10 points for Coach Donald Cooper's squad.

Ratliff set one of four MEAC records and also established a personal record and school mark in the hammer competition. The Beaufort senior Dexter broke a five-year-old record on his last attempt, reaching a distance of 55.21m which was 0.91m farther than the previous record set by N.C. A&T's Derrick Wheeler in 2019. He also eclipsed the school record of 54.34m which he set earlier in the season. George compiled 6403 points in the Decathlon, a personal record and the second-best showing in the event all-time at SC State.

The SC State women were paced by jumper Cameran Gist, who set a personal record in the long jump with a leap of 6.15m (20-2 ft.), tying Norfolk State's Nyla Ward for first place and adding eight points for her team. Ward was awarded the first-place 10 points based on a better second jump.

The SC State women also amassed nine points in the Heptathlon on a third-place finish by Jourdon Cooper (4148 pts.), and a seventh and eighth-place showing, respectively, by Sydney Cooper (3451 pts.) and Jianna Hibbler (3237 pts.)
Everything did not go well for SC State on Tuesday, however, Cooper praised the efforts of his squads and was especially pleased with the performances of Ratliff, George and Gist.

"We had a few mishaps but I'm so proud of Gist, who has really made strides the last two weeks, starting with her performance at North Florida," said Cooper. "And, I cannot say enough about George and Dexter (Ratliff). They both came into the Championship in first place and were spectacular in holding off the competition. We have a chance to add to our point total on Saturday with the number of people we will have in the finals."

The Lady Bulldog also qualified four more competitors for Saturday's finals, while the men sent another three competitors to the finals.

SC State women who earned a trip to the finals were Angelica Frederick and TyQwasia Williams in the 400 meters, and Debrielle Williams and Makylah in the 800 meters. Additional men earning spots in Saturday's final included Jonathan Williams Jr. and Jameli Thomas in the 110 meter hurdles, and Jovan Brooks in the 400 meters.