JAMAICANS played a part in a number of schools winning their Power Five indoor track and field conference titles over the past weekend, grabbing seven individual titles and being part of several relay teams across four championships.

The University of Minnesota won the women’s title in the Big 10 while Iowa won the men’s; the University of Texas swept the Big 12, while Arkansas did the same in the South-Eastern Conference (SEC), with Jamaicans playing a big part in the points accumulation.

Among the winners were Owayne Owens of Virginia who won the ACC men’s triple jump title with a new personal best; Fabian Hewitt and Trishauna Hemmings both of Clemson who won ACC titles; World Under-20 champion Damion Thomas of Louisiana State who won his first SEC Indoors 60m hurdles titles, while Abigail Schaaffe of the University of Minnesota won the Big 10 600m.

Owens rebounded from Friday’s disappointment, when he fouled out of the long jump in the ACC championships at Clemson, by winning his first indoor title with a personal best 16.48m.

The former Cornwall College athlete improved on his second place from last year and it was Virginia’s third-straight year winning the event after another Jamaican, Jordan Scott, won the previous two years.

Hewitt won the men’s 60m title at the ACC championships, running a personal best 6.65 seconds and was sixth in the 200m final in 21.33 seconds.

Former St Jago runner Kayla Bonnick of Virginia was sixth in the ACC women’s 60m in her second personal best of the weekend (7.47 seconds).

Hemmings won the ACC women’s 200m in her personal best 23.12 seconds and was third in the 60m hurdles in another lifetime-best 8.09 seconds.

Thomas improved to second in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rankings after he ran 7.60 seconds to win the 60m hurdles event, after three previous attempts, with Phillip Lemonious of Arkansas fourth with 7.71 seconds.

Stacy-Ann Williams of the University of Texas ran a superb indoors best and Big 12-leading 51.60 seconds, second best in the NCAA to win the 400m title.

Former Manchester High and Holmwood Technical runner Kavia Francis of Baylor placed fourth in 52.86 seconds, a new personal best.

Francis also ran the first leg for the Baylor team that won the women’s 4x400m relay in three minutes 31.90 seconds.

Schaaffe, a freshman who has impressed all season long, won the Big 10 600m in a new personal best 1:27.96 minutes, the fourth-best time ever for the Gophers.

The former St Mary High runner won a second gold as part of the 4x400m relay side which saw her teamed with Janniel Josephs, who was third in the individual 400m, same position as past year, running 53.96 seconds.

After a slow start to the season Kevona Davis, the former Edwin Allen star, ran 7.25 seconds in the 60m and 22.87 seconds in the 200m, losing both times to University of Texas teammate Kynnedy Flannel.

At the SEC meet, former St Catherine High runner Christopher Grant of Auburn was second in the men’s 60m, running a season’s best 6.71 seconds, while at the Big 10 Waseem Williams of Purdue was second in 6.66 seconds and Matthew Brown of Nebraska was seventh in 6.78 seconds.

Wayne Lawrence of Iowa was second in the 200m in 20.89 seconds and also the 400m in 45.40 seconds.

Daszay Freeman of Arkansas was a surprising second in the SEC women’s 60m hurdles, running a big, new personal best 8.07 seconds that puts her in the top 10 nationally and in line to qualify for the NCAA Nationals later this month.

At the ACC championships, Andrenette Knight of Virginia was fifth in the 400m in a season’s best 54.56 seconds, while LaFranz Campbell of Clemson was fourth in the men’s 60m hurdles in 7.85 seconds.

Roje Stona, also of Clemson, was fifth in the shot put with a personal best 18.21m, while at the Big 10 meet former Kingston College jumper Terol Wilson was fifth in the triple jump with 15.29m and fourth in the long jump with 6.75m.

Graduate student Devia Brown of Minnesota was sixth in the women’s shot put with 16.05m, Rhianna Phipps of Kansas State was sixth in the Big 12 triple jump with 13.33m, and Abigale Mullings of West Virginia University was ninth in the Big 12 high jump with 1.71m.