GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida A&M delivered a strong, all-around showing Saturday at the Jimmy Carnes Invitational, posting podium finishes, multiple top-five efforts and depth across the sprints, jumps and middle distances.

The Rattlers were especially impressive in the men's high jump, where Paul Rowden cleared 2.05 meters (6 feet, 8¾ inches) to finish second, matching the winning height and narrowly missing the top spot on attempts. Teammate Randell Pompey added a fifth-place finish at 2.00m (6-6¾), underscoring Florida A&M's strength in the vertical events.

Florida A&M continued to shine in the horizontal jumps. Josiah Gaynor placed second in the men's long jump with a mark of 7.37m (24-2¼), trailing only Florida's Luke Stradley in a competitive field that featured multiple Power Five programs. On the women's side, Jade-Ann Smith finished 17th in the long jump at 5.52m (18-1½), gaining valuable early-season experience against elite competition.

On the track, the Rattlers produced several standout performances in the sprints. Darien Lawrence captured the men's 60-meter dash title in 6.63 seconds, edging a strong field that included Florida State and Florida sprinters. Florida A&M also placed two athletes in the men's 300 meters, with Jayden Phillips (34.41) and Tyon Reed (35.33) both finishing inside the top 12.
In the women's hurdles, Ty'yanah Adams continued her consistent start to the indoor season, placing fourth in the 60 hurdles with a time of 8.41, while Janaree Kinchen (7.40) and Kiersten Clark (7.55) posted top-eight finishes in the women's 60 meters.

The Rattlers' middle-distance group also made its mark. Kirk Dawkins ran 1:53.01 to place second in the men's 800 meters, with teammates William Shelton (1:55.56) and Aydan Myers (1:55.81) also finishing in the top seven. On the women's side, Tara Bert placed third in the 800 meters at 2:12.47, while Leandra Ferrell and Laure Louis added solid performances in the event.

Additional highlights included Kirah Copeland finishing third in the women's 400 meters (55.51), Amani Kinon placing fifth (56.39), and Dawson Baker (49.25) and Justice Crawford (49.41) running back-to-back top-eight finishes in the men's 400 meters.

Florida A&M rounded out the meet with competitive efforts in the throws and distance events, including a fourth-place finish from Bryce Webb in the men's shot put (14.06m) and top-10 results in the women's mile from Tara Bert (4:56.23).