J’can Lloyd posts discus record at NJCAA championships
BRANDON Lloyd’s monster discus throw record 65.32m highlighted the performances of a number of Jamaicans at the National Junior College Athletics Association’s (NJCAA) national championships at New Mexico Junior College, which ended on Saturday.
Lloyd, in his final year at Barton County College, smashed the 28-yearold record 64.22m set in 1995 by Andy Kokhanovskiy of Blinn Junior College.
The 7’ 1” former Clarendon College thrower, who will attend Arizona State University, also moved up to sixth of all time on the Jamaican performance list, breaking his own previous personal best 58.61m set in 2022, and was the NJCAA 10th best then.
Former Edwin Allen thrower Christopher Young, who was third in the discus, won the shot put and javelin throw events. Jamaicans swept the men’s 800m medals while the top five places in the women’s 400m hurdles were also occupied by Jamaicans.
In the men’s discus that was held on Friday there were six Jamaicans in the top eight, with Trevor Gunzell of Coffeyville finishing second with a new best of 61.23m, fifth all times on the NJCAA list, while Young of Barton County was third with a new lifetime best 59.68m
Three throwers from Iowa Western made up the other three — Shakiel Dacres was fifth with a personal best 58.47m, Brandon Gayle was seventh with 51.53m, and Denzs Simmonds was eighth with 48.71m.
Young threw 18.63m to win the shot put, followed by his former high school teammate Gunzell (17.68m). Simmonds was fourth with 17.49m, followed by Gayle (17.37m), Donroy Brown of South Plains (17.29m), Lloyd (16.99m), and Dacres (15.98m).
Young added the men’s javelin with a mark of 63.96m, with Odyane Harris of Iowa Western third with 61.69m.
Young was also third in the men’s hammer throw with 55.88m and Lloyd was seventh with 50.40m.
Jazmyn James of Iowa Western won the women’s discus throw with 48.56m while Kimola Hines of South Plains was fourth with 45.91m.
Former Enid Bennett High and Vere Technical runner Tyrice Taylor of Indian Hills ran a big personal best 1:46.94 seconds to win the men’s 800m, finishing ahead of Kimar Farquharson of South Plains in 1:47.25 seconds and Rivaldo Marshall of Indian Hills who was third with 1:48.10 seconds.
Rushana Dwyer of South Plains won the women’s 800m in 2:10.63 seconds.
Calisha Taylor of New Mexico Junior College won the women’s 400m hurdles with 57.47 seconds, Jodyann Dixon of Hinds was second with 57.57 seconds, and Shenell Tucker of South Plains was third in 58.76 seconds.
Safhia Hinds of South Plains placed fourth with 1:00.30 seconds and Michaliliah Vassell of New Mexico was fifth with 1:00.91 seconds.
Iowa Western’s Jayden Brown was the runner-up in the men’s 400m hurdles in 51.13 seconds.
Former Holmwood Technical High’s Tahj Hamm of Iowa Western lowered his lifetime best to 45.42 seconds to take second in the men’s 400m, as Gregory Prince of South Plains was sixth in 45.85 seconds and his teammate Jeremy Bembridge was seventh in 45.95 seconds.
Danae Nembhard of Barton County was third in the 100m hurdles in 13.51 (-0.7m/s) seconds while her teammate Kay-lagay Clarke was sixth in 13.97 seconds.
Former Excelsior High athlete Sharvis Simmonds of Central Arizona won the 100m hurdles with a lifetime best 13.62 seconds (-0.9m/s), former Clarendon College athlete Rahyme Christian of Iowa Western was third in 14.09 seconds (-0.9m/s), while Dishaun Lamb of South Plains was fifth in 14.16 seconds.
James of Iowa Western was also second in the women’s shot put with 15.15m while her teammate Shakera Williams was third with 14.56m.
Aaliyah Lindsay of New Mexico was second in the women’s triple jump with 12.47m (0.1m/s) while Clarke of Barton was seventh with a wind-aided 12.24m (2.3m/s); Waukeem Walters of Iowa Central was fourth in the men’s long jump with 7.77m (-01m/s) while Highland College’s Dayjahney Hibbert was third in the women’s high jump with 1.73m.