SUNO Track & Field Returns to Competition at 2026 Strawberry Relays

NEW ORLEANS — After a six-year hiatus, the Southern University at New Orleans Knights Track and Field program makes its long-awaited return to outdoor competition this weekend at the 2026 Strawberry Relays, hosted by Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, La. Tickets are $10 per person and available at the gate.

2026 SUNO Knights Outdoor Track & Field Team. Back row (l-r): Joshua Barnes, Derrick Henderson, Erroll Smith, Christopher Butler, Michael Ralph. Front row (l-r): Tanyhie Johnson, Jelena Tyus, Head Coach Safia Jenkins, Caleo Makaya, Janetter Moses.

Representing the Knights on the women's side will be Tanyhie Johnson and Janetter Moses, and Jelena Tyus.

The men's contingent will feature Joshua Barnes, Christopher Butler, Derrick Henderson, Michael Ralph, and Erroll Smith — a group that brings both track ambition and championship DNA to the starting line. Smith arrives fresh off a historic moment of his own, having been part of the SUNO men's basketball squad that claimed the 2026 Hope Credit Union HBCU Athletic Conference Basketball Championship earlier this spring.

That kind of championship culture — winning in one arena and carrying it into another — is exactly what Jenkins and Matthews are working to build across the entire SUNO Athletics Department.

The Knights will compete in the following events:
Michael Ralph, Derrick Henderson: Men's Shot Put

Joshua Barnes, Christopher Butler, Derrick Hendeson, Erroll Smith: Men's 4x100 relay

Jelena Tyus: Women's Triple Jump

Tanyhie Johnson, Janetter Moses: Women's 100m

Joshua Barnes, Christopher Butler, Erroll Smith: Men's 200m

The meet will run on a rolling schedule with field events beginning at 12 p.m. and running events at 12:15 p.m.

The program, which was suspended following the conclusion of the 2020 season, is back — and it is bringing championship pedigree with it.

Leading the charge is first-year Head Coach Safia Jenkins, herself a decorated SUNO alumna who captured the 400-meter title at the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (now HBCU Athletic Conference) Outdoor Track & Field Championship and was a two-time 4×400-meter relay champion during her time as a Knight. A multiple All-American at the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Jenkins doesn't just understand the standard — she helped set it.

"I am committed to developing champions in competition and in life," Jenkins said when she was hired. "As a former athlete here, I understand the pride, tradition, and standard of excellence that define this program."

Director of Athletics James A. Matthews III echoed that sentiment, expressing confidence that the program's return marks the beginning of something significant.

"Bringing track and field back to SUNO is about more than reinstating a program — it's about reclaiming our identity as a championship institution," Matthews said. "Coach Jenkins is the right person to lead this charge. She bled green and gold as an athlete, she has served this university with distinction as an administrator, and now she has the opportunity to pour all of that into the next generation of Knights. I couldn't be more excited about where this program is headed."

That standard is unmatched in the HBCU Athletic Conference. SUNO is the only program in the conference to win a national championship — and uniquely, the only program to claim national titles at both the NAIA and NCAA levels. That's the banner Jenkins and her student-athletes are stepping back onto the track to uphold.

The Strawberry Relays serve as the first chapter of what both the coaching staff and the University hope is a sustained return to national relevance. For Jenkins, competing in her first meet as head coach at the helm of a program she once starred in closes one circle and opens another.

"Coming back to lead this program means everything to me," said Jenkins. "I grew up here as an athlete, and now I get the chance to pour that back in — to build something new while honoring everything this place gave me. It's like the story isn't starting over, it's just turning the page."

For the Knights, the starting gun on Friday won't just signal the beginning of a race. It will signal the beginning of something much bigger – LEGACY.

The Knights are back.

For more information on SUNO Athletics, visit sunoathletics.com.

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About SUNO Athletics

The Southern University at New Orleans Knights Department of Athletics emphasizes competitive excellence, academic achievement and community engagement. For the full 2025–26 schedule, rosters, and ticket information, visit sunoathletics.com and follow @sunoathletics on social media.