PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – One was not enough as junior
Brandon McLaren (Clifton, Hanover, Jamaica) delivered a second individual title and made program history as Alabama A&M track & field closed out the 2022 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Championships on Saturday, May 7.
In a late update to the results after Day 2 press time, McLaren added to his and the Bulldogs' accomplishments as he won the long jump ahead of 23 other competitors. He would hit a distance of 7.45-meters to earn his second championship of the weekend, the first coming in the javelin on the opening day.
Since 2008, he becomes
just the second individual in program history to deliver a pair of titles in the same meet, joining Akeem Samuels in 2018, and is the highest finisher in the long jump, surpassing De'Andre Baker, also in 2018. Samuels won the discus and hammer and Baker was second in the long jump. The latter is the only other individual to earn All-SWAC honors in that event.
It would not be his only success over the final two days either, finishing 3-of-22 in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.34 and tied for 14-of-21 in the discus (38.95m). He would also bring home more points for the Bulldogs as part of the 4x400 relay of freshman
Tyler Pitts, junior
Kyle Graham (Mobile, Ala.) and senior
Keyshawn Johnson. That group would place 7-of-9 with a time of 3:21.43.
As a team, A&M would record 28 points to tie for 9-of-12 with McLaren accounting for 26.5 of those across four events on the weekend. The women would notch 11 points and finish 11-of-12.
The women would be led on the final day by the Jamaican tandem of senior
Shanique Masters (St. Catherine, Jamaica) and junior
Aneisha Ingram (Frankfield, Jamaica). Masters would finish 5-of-20 in the 800-meters with a time of 2:15.48 and Ingram would be right behind in sixth at 2:18.18. The latter would also place 5-of-13 in the 1,500-meters.
"With an extremely young squad, our student-athletes competed well over the three days of competition," said head coach
Andrew Murphy. "This was the first championship appearance for the men's program since 2018 and they've set the foundation for a solid future."
The Bulldogs have wrapped up the 2021-22 season as currently scheduled but could potentially add additional last chance meets in the coming weeks in an effort to secure NCAA Division I provisional qualifications. Stay tuned to
www.AAMUSports.com, the official online home of Alabama A&M Athletics, for any further updates.
ALABAMA A&M MEN'S COMPETITORS – FRIDAY, MAY 6 (1)
Brandon McLaren – Long Jump (1-of-24, 7.45m)%&
%SWAC Champion
&All-SWAC First-Team
ALABAMA A&M MEN'S COMPETITORS – SATURDAY, MAY 7 (5)
Kyle Graham – 4x400-meters (7-of-9, 3:21.43)
Keyshawn Johnson – 4x400-meters (7-of-9, 3:21.43)
Isaiah McCaulley – Discus (16-of-21, 38.36m)
Brandon McLaren – 110-meter Hurdles (3-of-22, 14.34), Discus (T14-of-21, 38.95m), 4x400-meters (7-of-9, 3:21.43)
Tyler Pitts – 400-meter Hurdles (10-of-22, 56.50), 4x400-meters (7-of-9, 3:21.43)
ALABAMA A&M WOMEN'S COMPETITORS – SATURDAY, MAY 7 (3)
Aneisha Ingram – 800-meters (6-of-20, 2:18.18), 1,500-meters (5-of-13, 4:54.40)
Shanique Masters – 800-meters (5-of-20, 2:15.48)
Taylor Wingo – 1,500-meters (11-of-13, 5:26.20)
