The Florida A&M women’s track and field program is a champion.
Again.
The Rattlers won the two-day Southwestern Athletic Conference Outdoor Championship event on Tuesday, May 12, at Southern University’s Roscoe Moore Track in Baton Rouge.
FAMU scored 145.5 points to outlast Alabama State (132) and Southern (95.5). The Rattlers won five individual championships and two relays, along with many personal bests. Additionally, Garfield Ellenwood II was named SWAC Coach of the Year.
Tuesday’s finish added to FAMU women’s track’s trophy case this season. It also won the SWAC indoor title in February.
Senior sprinter Diandrenique Gaines starred for the Rattlers by sweeping the 100 and 200-meter dashes.
🏆 SWAC CHAMPIONS. AGAIN.
The Florida A&M Rattlers Women’s Outdoor Track & Field team brought the title home.
Hard work. Fast feet. Rattler Pride. 🐍🧡💚#FangsUppic.twitter.com/AdoGhq0zdq
— Florida A&M Athletics (@FAMUAthletics) May 13, 2026
She clocked 11.15 seconds in the 100 meters, a new SWAC Championship meet record that ranks No. 1 among all Historically Black College and Universities runners and No. 20 in NCAA Division I this season.
Gaines followed that with a 22.72-second effort in the 200 meters, another HBCU-best mark that ranks No. 15 in the nation.
Gaines also led the FAMU’s 4×400-meter relay team alongside Kirah Copeland, Katelynn Smith, and Kiersten Clark. They won in 3:36.72, a season-best time ranking No. 1 among Black Colleges and No. 53 in Division I.
Katelynn Smith added to the haul with a victory in the 400-meter hurdles, finishing in 57.95 seconds — the top mark among HBCU athletes and No. 46 in Division I this season. She was also fourth in the 100-meter hurdles (13.42).
Ty’yanah Adams was a runner-up finish in the 100-meter hurdles in a personal-best 13.07 seconds. It’s second in HBCUs and No. 22 nationally.
Janaree Kinchen, a freshman, took the podium, placing third in the 100 meters (11.38) and second in the 200 meters (23.51). Kiersten Clark added second-place points in the 100 meters (11.37, a personal best) and was a key relay contributor.
Kirah Copeland earned a third-place finish in the 400 meters with a personal-best 53.60, while senior Tara Bert scored in multiple events with third-place finishes in both the 800 meters (2:14.09) and 1,500 meters (4:52.97).
The 4×100-meter relay team of Kinchen, Gaines, Clark, and Arayana Ladson ran 43.97 seconds to take gold.
Ladson scored in three individual events, Kiyah Boyd, who placed fourth in the 400-meter hurdles (59.45, a personal best ranking No. 9 among HBCUs), Leandra Ferrell scored in both the 800 (2:21.61) and 1,500 meters (4:55.72), and Niya Coleman, who picked up points in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (12:01.74).
FAMU men’s track finished fourth in the SWAC outdoor meet, amassing 86 points. Jackson State won on the men’s side.
Gerald Thomas, III, is a multi-time national award-winning reporter 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 GDThomas@Tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida A&M women’s track wins second straight SWAC Outdoor title