BY PAUL A REID

Observer West writer

reidp@jamaicaobserver.com

Three former Western Champs winners are on their way to their first NCAA Division One outdoors track and field national championships after qualifying at last weekend’s regionals that were held at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida, and Texas A&M University (TAMU) in College Station, Texas.

Kemba Nelson, of the University of Oregon, and Lamara Distin, of TAMU, competed at the West Regional, while Owayne Owens of the University of Virginia participated at the East Regional.

The top 12 in each individual event and relay qualified for the national championships that will be held at the newly refurbished Hayward Field at the University of Oregon, June 9-12.

Nelson, the former Mt Alvernia High student, qualified in two events — the women’s 100m and the 4x100m relays. Distin, who started at Rusea’s High, qualified in the women’s high jump, while Owens the former Cornwall College athlete, qualified in the men’s triple jump.

Nelson, who won the NCAA indoors 60m title in March and was the runner-up in the Pac-12 championships 100m, had an outstanding weekend as she ran a new personal best 10.98 seconds (0.1m/s) in the second round on Saturday to place second overall.

In the previous round she ran a wind-aided 10.91 seconds (2.1m/s) and is the fourth best Jamaican female in that event so far this year, as well as the fourth best ever at the University of Oregon.

Nelson ran the second leg on the 4x100m relay team that ran 42.94 seconds, second best at the regionals, and through to the nationals.

Distin was tied for first in the high jump with a clearance of 1.82m and had a clean series, passing on the starting height of 1.67m before clearing the next three heights on her first attempt.

Her efforts in the high jump appeared to have had an effect as she could only manage 12.07m in the triple jump, finishing well outside of the top 12.

Owens, who was coming off winning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) men’s triple jump two weeks before, had a nervous moment as he had only jumped 15.87m in the second round before he produced a wind-aided 16.03m (2.3m/s) jump in the third and final round to secure his eighth-place finish.