Three J’cans retain US collegiate track and field titles
THREE Jamaicans retained their respective US College indoor track and field conference titles among the ‘Power Five’ championships that were held over the weekend as there were seven winners overall.
National indoor women’s 60m hurdles champion Ackera Nugent of Baylor University, Owayne Owens of the University of Virginia, and Carey Mcleod of the University of Tennessee all retained their titles.
In addition to Clemson University’s Daniel Cope who won the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) men’s weight throw on Friday, Vashaun Vascianna of Texas Tech, Tarees Rhoden of Clemson and Lamara Distin of Texas A&M University were all first-time winners.
The Power Five Conferences are the ACC, South-eastern Conference (SEC), Big 10, Big12 and Pac12 – possessing the most resources and influence.
Nugent, the former Excelsior athlete, set a Facility record at Texas Tech, running 7.91 seconds to retain the Big12 title as former Vere Technical hurdler Demisha Roswell of Texas Tech was third in 8.20 seconds.
After failing to make it past the first round of the long jump on Friday, Owens was not pushed as he jumped 16.55m to retain the ACC men’s triple jump title at the event held at Virginia Tech.
It was his third-straight ACC triple jump title after sweeping the indoors and outdoor event last season.
Mcleod, who qualified for both of the men’s horizontal jump at the Olympics last year, retained his men’s SEC long jump title with a season’s best equalling 8.07m at the championships held at the Texas A&m-gilliam Indoor Track Stadium.
Former Jamaica College athlete Apalos Edwards of Louisiana State was seventh with a personal best 7.52m, while former Calabar High jumper Luke Brown of the University of Kentucky was 12th with 7.37m.
Mcleod was also third in the triple jump with 16.33m, Brown was fourth with 16.19m, and Edwards was fifth with a personal best 16.12m.
Distin continued her brilliant season by winning the women’s high jump at the SEC championships, equalling her meet record 1.91m held by two other jumpers.
Vascianna, the World Under-20 110m hurdles silver medallist, won his first Big12 conference title, running 7.75 seconds to win the 60m hurdles event on his ‘home track’.
Rhoden, the former Kingston College team captain who has rewritten the Clemson University record books several times, won his first ACC title when he took home the men’s 800m in 1:48.62 seconds.
Kemba Nelson, the reigning NCAA champion in the women’s 60m, was beaten into second place by her University of Oregon teammate Jayden Mays at the PAC 12 Invitational, both being timed in 7.15 seconds.
Xavier Nairne, also of Oregon, was seventh in the men’s 60m in 6.87 seconds.
Former St Elizabeth Technical runner Stacey Ann Williams of the University of Texas ran an indoor personal best 51.60 seconds to place second in the women’s 400m at the Big12 championships, while Kavia Francis of Baylor was sixth in 53.71 seconds.
Kevona Davis, also of the University of Texas, placed third in the women’s 200m in 23.30 seconds and seventh in the 60m in 7.33 seconds.
Former Herbert Morrison and Excelsior High runner Antonio Hanson, of Kansas State, was third in the men’s 600 yards in 1:08.97 seconds while former St Jago athlete Kavian Kerr had two fourthplace finishes — a personal best 20.99 seconds in the 200m and 7.57m in the long jump.
Michaela Lewis, who transferred from Alabama State, was fifth in the women’s 800m for Texas Tech, running 2:06.62 seconds.
Trishauna Hemmings of Clemson was second in the women’s 60m hurdles in the ACC Championships, equalling her season’s best 8.17 seconds – the same time given to winner Erin Marsh of Duke University.
Roje Stona and Zico Campbell, both of Clemson, had personal best marks in the men’s shot put; Stona was second with 19.35m and Campbell threw 18.11m.
Clemson’s Dashinelle Dyer, formerly of St Elizabeth Technical, was fourth in the men’s 60m in 6.69 seconds and seventh in the 60m hurdles in 7.98 seconds; Kayla Bonnick of the University of Virginia was seventh in the women’s 60m in 7.46 seconds; and Shantae Foreman of Clemson was also seventh in the long jump with 6.07m.
At the SEC championships Cherokee Young of Texas A&M was fourth in the women’s 400m in 51.28 seconds and her teammate, former Edwin Allen runner Chevannie Hanson, was seventh in the men’s 400m in 46.13 seconds.
Leon Clarke of Mississippi State was fifth in the men’s 800m, running 1:49.17 seconds, while former Spot Valley High runner Tyrese Reid was part of the distance medley relay team that was eighth.
Daszay Freeman of the University of Arkansas was fifth in the women’s 60m hurdles with a personal best 8.02 seconds while former St Jago runner Rosealee Cooper of Mississippi States was seventh, also in a personal best 8.07 seconds.
Phillip Lemonious of Arkansas was seventh in the men’s 60m hurdles in 7.93 seconds while former St Jago runner Joanne Reid of Arkansas was eighth in the women’s 200m with 23.35 seconds.
At the Big 10 championships Abigail Schaaffe of the University of Minnesota was second in the women’s 600m in 1:27.19 seconds while Safin Wills, who transferred from Texas Tech to the University of Purdue, had two podium finishes.
The former Jamaica College athlete was second in the men’s triple jump with 15.75m while former Kingston College jumper Terol Wilson of the University of Nebraska was sixth with 15.45m.
Wills was also third in the long jump with 7.53m.
Wayne Lawrence of the University of Iowa was third in the men’s 400m in 46.09 seconds, and former St Elizabeth Technical hurdler Winsome Harris of the University of Nebraska was fifth in the women’s 60m hurdles with 8.38 seconds.