Marvin Jones: Jones, a former track & field star at Cedar Ridge, recorded his career personal best in the high jump during his final meet with North Carolina Central University. It happened in the NCAA East Regionals at Indiana University. Along the way, he narrowly missed becoming the first North Carolina Central Eagle to qualify for the Division I National Track & Field Championships (Central transitioned to Division I in 2011). Jones finished 13th with a jump of 2.15 meters, or 7.05 feet, tying him with six other competitors. He missed qualifying for the national championships due to a tie breaking procedure as he cleared the height on his third attempt as opposed to his first or second. Jones finished the season with seven top-five finishes. He won the gold medal at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships on May 25, after capturing the championship of the MEAC Indoor Championships in February. Jones is the first North Carolina Central Eagle to earn three gold medals since Central went to Division I. He also won the 2021 MEAC Outdoor Championship. This season, Jones also finished first at the Penn Relays and at the Aggie Classic at North Carolina A&T State University.
Jamar Davis: Davis, a former Orange High star in three sports, finished his outdoor track & field season with N.C. State at the East Regionals in Bloomington, IN last week. Davis finished 30th in the long jump at 7.23 (23′ 8.75″) meters. On May 12, Davis finished 7th at the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship at Duke University in Durham. Davis’ best leap was 7.63 meters.
Joey Berini: The East Carolina baseball team won the American Athletic Conference Tournament at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Florida. The Pirates finished undefeated over four games. ECU defeated Houston 6-1 in the AAC Championship game on Sunday. Berini entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the sixth hitter and drew a walk. In the semifinals on Saturday, the Pirates defeated Tulane 8-5. Berini had an RBI single in the fourth inning, driving in Josh Moylan. In the second round, East Carolina rolled past Cincinnati 15-5 in seven innings. Berini entered the game in the fifth inning and played shortstop for the final two-plus frames. He went 0-for-1 at the plate. East Carolina will enter the NCAA Tournament having won 16 games in a row. On Monday, the Pirates received a #8 national seed. They will host the Greenville Regional at Clark-LeClair Stadium starting on Friday. East Carolina will open against Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion Coppin State on Friday afternoon at 1 PM. Also in ECU’s region is #2 seed Virginia, who will face Coastal Carolina on Friday night. In addition, Berini is on the roster of the Holly Springs Salamanders of the Coastal Plain League, a wooden-bat summer league. Last season, Berini played for the Asheboro Copperheads of the CPL.
Kate Burgess: The University of North Carolina women’s rowing team ended its season at the ACC Championships in Clemson, SC on Saturday. Burgess was on the Second Four team that finished second racing against Boston College. They finished with a time of 7:56.848. Burgess raced with Lara King, Sarah Redden, Hanna Davis and Julia Louw.
Jaden Hurdle: After finishing her sophomore season at Patrick & Henry Community College, Hurdle was named to the National Junior College Athletic Association East Region first-team. Hurdle, a first baseman, hit .376 over 43 games. She led the Patriots with ten home runs. She was second on the team with 37 RBIs. Hurdle also led the team with 37 runs and four triples. Hurdle graduated from Patrick & Henry in May and will play with Catawba College in Salisbury starting next season.