7 J'cans strike gold at NCAA DII Champs

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

JAMAICANS Kimour Bruce, Leford Green, Steve Banton, Judith Riley, Shermaine Williams, Yanique Haye, and Jillisa Grant crowned themselves champions at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships last weekend in Turlock, California.

A senior at Lincoln University in Missouri, Bruce posted a wind-aided 10.15 seconds (3.1 m/s) to clinch the 100m and anchored the Blue Tigers to victory in the 4x100m relay clocking 39.92 seconds.

Meanwhile Green, a senior at Johnson C Smith University and the Division II Atlantic Region Track Athlete of the Year, ran a season-best 45.74 seconds to claim the 400 metres ahead of Golden Bull teammate and countryman Akino Ming, 46.74 seconds. Another Jamaican, Lincoln's Dane Hyatt, was third in a time of 46.96 seconds.

Banton and Roxroy Cato, Jamaicans also competing for Lincoln, were one-two in the 400m hurdles with times of 51.96 and 52.10 seconds, respectively. Green, who has dominated this event, was sixth recording 53.29 seconds.

In the men's 4x400m relay, Ming, Winston Brown, Green and Jamille Callum took the title for Johnson C Smith with a 3:07.59 clocking.

The wind also affected the women's 100m (3.3m/s), which Lincoln's Riley won in a time of 11.42 seconds. Her compatriot Indira Spence of Adams State College was third with 11.58 seconds.

In the 200m, Spence clocked a personal best 23.47 seconds for second place, after American Shannon Gagne of the University of New Haven, who won in a personal best 23.43 seconds. Riley was fourth with 23.76 seconds.

Williams of Johnson C Smith took the 100m hurdles in a time of 12.95 seconds (3.2m/s), beating two other Jamaicans, Spence (13.05 seconds) of Adams State and Danielle Williams (13.13 seconds) of Johnson C Smith.

Lincoln's Haye captured the 400m hurdles clocking 59.16 seconds, while Grant of New Mexico Highlands University leapt a personal best 6.36 metres to nail the long jump.

It was a proud moment for New Mexico Highland as Grant, a Vere Technical past student, won the Cowgirls first ever national championship.

Lincoln's quartet of Latoya King, Nyoka Cole, Riley, and Latoya Campbell won the 4x100m relay posting 44,57 seconds.