Florida A&M’s women’s track and field team is returning to Tallahassee with some hardware.
On Tuesday, May 13, the Rattlers won the Southwestern Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships with 127.5 points to edge out second place Alabama State’s 124.5 at A.W. Mumford Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
After day two of the three-day event, the Rattlers had to mount a comeback to win the SWAC’s outdoor competitions, as they were out of the top five of the 12 participating teams.
However, top finishes helped FAMU get over the hump to claim the SWAC title.
Arayana Ladson starred for the Rattlers by getting first place in the 100-meter hurdles and long jump. The freshman was named the SWAC’s Most Outstanding Track Performer.
FAMU track and field and cross country director Garfield Ellenwood II earned SWAC Coach of the Year honors.
The Rattlers’ 2025 SWAC Outdoor title is the women’s competitive running program’s third championship in the league, joining the 2023 cross country and 2024 outdoor trophies.
Next on FAMU women’s track and field schedules is the NCAA East Regionals from Wednesday, May 28, until Saturday, May 31, in Jacksonville.
Point contributors for FAMU women’s track and field SWAC Outdoor Championship
100-Meter Dash
- Nya Blocker, 11.24 (first place)
- Arayana Ladson, 11.51 (second place)
- Oarabile Tshosa, 11.64 (fourth place)
100-Meter Hurdles
- Arayana Ladson, 13.47 (first place)
200-Meter Dash
- Nya Blocker, 23.07 (first place)
- Arayana Ladson, 23.65 (second place)
- Oarabile Tshosa, 24.06 (fifth place)
- Tatianna Martinez, 24.23 (seventh place)
400-Meter Dash
- Tatianna Martinez, 53.42 (third place)
- Kirah Copeland, 54.17 (fifth place)
400-Meter Hurdles
- Katelynn Smith, 58.95 (first place)
800-Meter Run
- Alesia Douglas, 2:10.11 (fourth place)
- Tara Bert, 2:11.19 (sixth place)
- Lacie Deboskie, 2:14.03 (seventh place)
- Chereice Cope, 2:16.64 (eighth place)
5000-Meter Run
- Tara Bert, 19.04.33 (fourth place)
Long Jump
- Arayana Ladson, 5.85 meters (first place)
- Jade-Ann Smith, 5.75 metes (fifth place)
4×100-Meter Relay
- Oarabile Tshosa, Nya Blocker, Tatianna Martinez, Arayana Ladson (first place)
Gerald Thomas, III is a multi-time award-winning journalist for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat.
Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at [email protected] or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
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