FORMER national junior repesentatives in the triple jump, Rhianna Phipps of Kansas State University and Owayne Owens of the University of Virginia recorded contrasting wins at US college indoor meets yesterday.

Phipps, the former Hydel High student, broke the Texas Tech Shootout meet record with a big, new personal best 13.52m, 41 centimetres better than her previous best, while Owens, formerly of Cornwall College, took only three jumps to be the top college student in his event at the Tiger Paw Invitaional at Clemson University, with a best mark of 16.04m.

Phipps, who was a medallist in the event at the Pan American Under-20 in 2019, jumped eight places up the NCAA women’s triple jump ranking to be tied for fifth, breaking the 13.41m mark set in 2019 by fellow Jamaican and Kansas State Wild Cat Shardia Lawrence.

She came into the meet with a personal best 13.11m set a week ago.

Owens, who said he battled sore hamstrings, decided not to push himeslf too hard, with the ACC Conference championships to come in two weeks’ time.

His mark of 16.04m was good enough, however while any of his three jumps would have won, with University of Miami’s Justin Forde taking second with 15.59m as Alphonso Jordan, jumping unattached, had a best mark of 16.54m.

Former Calabar High thrower Kyle Mitchell won the men’s shot put at the Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational at Liberty University with a mark of 17.98m while on Friday evening, former national junior 100m record holder Kiara Grant of Norfolk State won the women’s 60m at the Kenneth Giles Norfolk State Invitational in Virginia Beach in 7.25 seconds.

Matthew Brown and Terol Wilson of the University of Nebraska and Janielle Josephs of the University of Minnesota all took runners-up spots at the two-day Hawkeye Big 10 Invite in Iowa.

Brown clocked 6.78 seconds in the men’s 60m final after qualifying with 6.89 seconds in the prelims; Josephs ran 24.26 seconds for the women’s 200m, while Wilson had a personal best 15.56m in the triple jump yesterday after he placed seventh in the long jump on Friday with 7.03m.

Devia Brown of Minnesota was third in the shot put with 15.57m while Abigail was fourth in the 400m in a personal best 54.79 seconds.

At the Tyson Invitational at the University of Arkansas, Lamara Distin of Texas A&M tied for third in the women’s high jump with a personal best of 1.82m.

Xavier Nairne of the University of Oregon ran a new lifetime best 21.14 seconds in the men’s 200m while Arkansas’ Phillip Lemonious won his section in 21.51 seconds.

Kevona Davis was eighth in the women’s 200m in 23.47 seconds, former St Catherine High runner Julien Alfred of St Lucia ran 23.53 seconds, while Stacey Ann Wiliams ran a personal best 23.66 seconds, all three from the University of Texas.

Hurdler Trishauna Hemmings of Clemson ran her first indoor 200m and was third in 23.28 seconds as the University of Kentucky’s Abby Steiner broke the facility record with 22.52 seconds to take over the NCAA lead.

At Texas Tech, Baylor’s Kavia Francis ran a personal best 54.97 seconds for second in the 400m, moving up to number seven in the Big12 Conference rankings.

— Paul Reid