Knights Return: SUNO Track & Field Makes Historic Comeback at 2026 Strawberry Relays

HAMMOND, La. — After more than five years away from competition, the Southern University at New Orleans Track and Field program made its long-awaited return to the track Saturday, as the Knights competed in the 2026 Strawberry Relays hosted by Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana.

The meet, which featured men's and women's athletes from programs across the NCAA and NAIA landscape, served as the first competition for a SUNO program that was suspended following the 2020 outdoor season. The relaunch has been spearheaded by Director of Athletics James A. Matthews, III, who made it a priority to breathe new life into the Knights' track and field tradition — and did so by bringing home one of SUNO's own.

Matthews hired Safia Jenkins to lead the program as head coach. A former SUNO student-athlete herself, Jenkins is a conference champion and NAIA All-American who knows firsthand what it means to wear the green and gold on the track. On Saturday, she brought nine Knights to Hammond for what she called a milestone moment for the program — and for the university.

"I'm so proud of each and every one of them," Jenkins said of her athletes, noting that most of them had never competed at the collegiate level before stepping to the line in Hammond.

Men's Competition

On the men's side, senior Christopher Butler provided the Knights' strongest individual showing in the 200 meters, crossing the line in 23.95 seconds in Section 5 of the event to place sixth in his heat against a field that included unattached runners and competitors from several competing programs. Sophomore Erroll Smith (25.84) and freshman Joshua Barnes (26.35) also competed in the section, giving SUNO three representatives in the event.

The men's 4x100 relay squad — composed of Barnes, Butler, Smith, and Derrick Henderson — ran together as a unit for the first time, finishing fifth in the event with a time of 47.374 seconds. The relay, won by Southern University-Baton Rouge in a time of 40.93, featured stiff competition from Xavier-Louisiana, USSU, and Mississippi Valley State, but the Knights' squad gained valuable experience running as a cohesive group for the first time.

In the field events, freshmen Michael Ralph and Henderson competed in the shot put. Ralph recorded a throw of 9.08 meters (29' 9.5") and Henderson put up a mark of 6.79 meters (22' 3.5") as both athletes worked to establish early-season benchmarks in the event.