Surprise Babalola, freshman, earns national runner-up in men's 60 meter dash

Gainesville, Fla. — The Dillard University men's track & field team turned in several strong performances at the NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships, highlighted by a runner-up finish in the men's 60 meters by freshman Surprise Babalola.

Babalola delivered one of the top performances of the meet for the Bleu Devils. The freshman sprinter advanced through the 60-meter preliminaries with a time of 6.71s, securing a spot in the championship final. In the finals, Babalola improved his mark to 6.67s, finishing second overall and earning eight team points for Dillard.

Also competing in the 60-meter prelims was fellow freshman Denim Charles, who recorded a 6.86s in his heat while gaining valuable national championship experience.

In the 200 meters, Jamaal Morris Jr. represented Dillard in the preliminaries, posting a time of 21.63s in a competitive heat. Teammate Lance Williams was entered in the event but did not start.

The 400 meters saw Mark Emilien compete for the Bleu Devils, finishing with a time of 49.47s in the preliminary round.

In the 600 meters, Markel Myles clocked 1:21.89, continuing a strong indoor campaign while representing Dillard on the national stage.

Dillard concluded competition in the men's 4x400-meter relay preliminaries, where the quartet of Jamaal Morris Jr., Mark Emilien, Lance Williams, and Markel Myles recorded a time of 3:15.66.

The performances capped a solid showing for the Bleu Devils at the national championship meet, highlighted by Babalola's podium finish and multiple athletes gaining experience competing among the NAIA's top programs.

Dillard will now turn its attention to the upcoming outdoor season as the program looks to build on the momentum from the indoor campaign. Their first meet for the outdoor season will be at the Sean Brady Opener hosted by Southeastern University in Hammond, LA on March 14.

-Bleu Devils-