‘Not a flash in the pan.’ Aggies’ success at the NCAAs surprised everyone — except them

While the North Carolina A&T Aggies impressed many people with their performance at the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Outdoor National Championships, there were no surprises within the program.

North Carolina A&T head coach Duane Ross has made his share of trips to the national championships in the past. He has coached talented, elite athletes — Chris Belcher, Kayla White and Desmond Lawrence come to mind — during his tenure at the school.

If anyone knows how good the program is — and has been — it’s Ross. And he’s quick to point out that the team’s success this season is not a one-time occurrence.

“It’s not a flash in the pan,” Ross said. “This is something that has been going on for the last, I don’t know how many years. We’ve just been steadily increasing, steadily getting better, and steadily climbing the podium.”

This time around, however, the Aggies made their mark on the competition in a powerful way. Both the men’s and women’s teams finished in the top four nationally, the only school this year to do so. The third-place finish from the men’s team is the highest for an historically Black college in NCAA history.

And for a team that team that has competed in previous national championships, Ross does not see North Carolina A&T as simply a great HBCU track program.

“We’ve always felt we were one of the best programs in the country, and what this does, it just kind of puts a stamp on that, somewhat,” Ross said. “Kind of just affirms and validates what we’ve been saying all along, that this is a program to be dealt with and to be respected and appreciated as one of the best.”

Standouts from this year’s meet included Randolph Ross and Cambrea Sturgis, who each won individual titles. Ross was victorious in the open 400 and the 4x400 relay, while Sturgis finished first in the 100 and 200.

Though HBCUs tend to be smaller compared to schools in other conferences, the Aggies do not back down from any challenges. They see themselves as on par with any team in the country, regardless of any perceived limitations.

“Even though we’re not a top power five school, we can still do it with less resources, less money,” Sturgis said. “We’re as talented as the rest of the teams are.”

“It just shows everybody that it doesn’t matter what you have,” Ross added, “it matters how much effort the athletes are willing to go and how far they’re willing to push themselves and compete in what they love.”

Sturgis participated in the national championships in 2019, finishing third in the finals for the 200 and 11th in the preliminaries for the 100. Sturgis said she felt better this season compared to two years ago, knowing her abilities and how she previously performed.

Upon finishing her first race, it did not fully settle in for Sturgis that she had become a national champion. After taking care of business in the 100, the goal was the same for the 200.

“After I won the 100, I was happy, but I knew I had another race to focus on and everything so I took it in, but I had to refocus for that 200,” Sturgis said.

Randolph Ross, head coach Duane Ross’ son, expressed a similar determination during the meet. After completing the 400, he said he had an hour in between to gear up for the 4x400 relay. Having won the event for the indoor championship back in March, Ross and the rest of the team became victorious once again.

At that moment, it became real.

“Once we sat down it was like, ‘Wow, we really went out here and won, again,’” Randolph Ross said. “It was just unbelievable to go out here and compete with the best of the best.”

Coach Ross commended all of his athletes beyond their talent, which he says they are blessed with. His praise of the star athletes went beyond their natural abilities.

“They work hard, they don’t complain. They lift each other up, even when they’re down,” Duane Ross said. “That is the mark of a good leader. They can come in having a bad day but they’re still going to uplift their teammates. So this right here is well-deserved. They’ve earned it.”

The Aggies entered the season with a renewed focus after experiencing a shortened season in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Though many programs experienced this setback, Sturgis understood the situation and prepared accordingly.

“It was a real focus because I knew that there were a lot of athletes that were coming in hot and wanting to be the best. And they wanted to prove to everybody that they were still the fastest,” Sturgis said. “So I just had to stay focused and disciplined and focus on what I had to focus on coming into nationals.”

Randolph Ross had never participated in the outdoor championships before due to the coronavirus outbreak, so this opportunity, he said, was “unlike any other.”

Coach Ross said that the team exuded “class and practice” in its approach to the CDC guidelines amid the pandemic. He said the team had the discipline to maintain the proper social distance and wear their masks.

“It was impressive to see how much they wanted this season to pop off,” Ross said.

As notoriety for the school increases, Duane Ross hopes that the landscape of college track changes over time, too. For him, it is important for all schools and athletes to be appreciated beyond resources and names, but for the caliber of the program.

“I pray that it leads to bigger and better things for not just HBCUs but for all institutions,” Ross said. “Not just resource wise, but just open their minds to what college athletics is and what it signifies. And how coaching is coaching. There’s good coaches everywhere. Open your eyes and pay attention to that. It’s not always about the logo, it’s not always about the dollar amount, it’s not always about the glimmer and the glam.”