PHILADELPHIA, United States — Three Jamaican college student athletes were winners of their respective individual events on Saturday’s final day of the 126th staging of the Penn Relays Carnival at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.

While the Jamaican high school relay teams got most of the attention, the large Caribbean crowds which attended the event — resuming after a two-year COVID-19-induced break — cheered as Owayne Owens of the University of Virginia and Romaine Beckford of the University of South Florida achieved lifetime bests in the college men’s triple and high jump championships, respectively.

Phillip Lemonious of the University of Arkansas won the men’s 110m hurdles event, while Roje Stona of Clemson University achieved two lifetime bests in the men’s discus and shot put.

GC Foster College men’s relays teams were outstanding, placing fourth in the College Men’s 4x100m Championships, running 39.91 seconds as the University of Houston won with 39.45 seconds with Auburn and Arkansas taking second and third.

The 4x200m team fared better as they were second in 1:23.03 minutes behind a Clemson team that included former Calabar High runner Fabian Hewitt who won with 1:22.91. Mico University were ninth.

Beckford, formerly of Buff Bay High, cleared a personal best 2.23m to win the high jump, to beat Ohio State’s Shaun Miller on count back, beating the 2.21m he had set earlier in the season.

Owens, the former Cornwall College athlete, achieved a ‘double’ at the Penn Relays, after winning in high school in 2018. He had to produce his best ever 16.61m (0.6m/s) in the final round to avoid being upset by former Jamaica College jumper Malik Cunningham of Villanova, who also had a life time best 16.10m (1.1m/s), to take the lead in the fifth round.

Owens led with 16.09m (0.9m/s) before Cunningham produced his best in the second to last round, a big improvement over his previous best of 15.66m set earlier this year.

The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) indoor and outdoor champion then dug deep and came up with his second jump of at least 16.60m which he got indoor earlier this year.

Lemonious, who has been consistent since last year, ran 13.48 seconds (1.5m/s) to win the high hurdles with Odario Phillips of UWI-Mona placing eighth with 14.13 seconds.

Stona improved his Clemson record in the discus throw as he was second with 65.11m, beating the 64.98m he had set three weeks ago. Stona was beaten by Claudio Romero of the University of Virginia (67.02m).

Former World Under-20 gold medallist Kai Chang of UWI Mona was fourth with 58.55m. Former Petersfield High thrower Daniel Cope threw 54.01m for ninth place.

Roja placed fourth in the shot put with his best ever 18.44m, third best all time at Clemson.

Marie Forbes of Clemson placed seventh in the college women discus throw championship with 47.95m, while Shamella Donaldson of UWI Mona was eighth with 47.86m.

Sanique Walker of the University of South Florida was fourth in the 400m hurdles in a college best 58.24 seconds, while Omari McKenzie of Morgan State University placed fifth in the college men’s triple jump with a wind-aided 14.59m (2.5m/s), his college best.

The former Cornwall College jumper achieved 14.59m twice, both wind-aided.