Nickaoli Williams win Big12 long jump as Pinnock takes second in SEC
KINGSTON, Jamaica- Jamaican Nickaoli Williams of Oklahoma University won the men’s long jump at the Big12 indoor championships being staged at Texas Tech while Wayne Pinnock and Nia Robinson both finished second in their respective conference long jump finals on Friday as a number of NCAA Conference indoor championships are being contested this weekend.
Williams, formerly of Calabar High, won his first Power Five title after
transferring from Northwestern State, had fouled his first two attempts before jumping 7.73m on this third attempt which turned out to be the winning mark.
Pinnock, of the University of Arkansas and a finalist at last year’s World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, set big personal best 8.31m, second best ever by a Jamaican man but was overtaken late by Mississippi State’s Cameron Crump who won the event at the South-Eastern Conference (SEC) with a personal best 8.39m, the college lead and meet record.
Other Jamaicans who also attend Arkansas, Carey McLeod was third
with a season best of 8.19m and Ryan Brown was eighth with 7.75m.
Robinson of the University of South Florida, jumped 6.28m, better than
the previous American Athletics Conference meeting record 6.19m set in 2014 by Asha Ruth of Rutgers University as Funminiyi Olajide of Southern Methodist University won with 6.38m.
Meanwhile at the SEC Championships, Akera Nugent of Arkansas ran a personal best 7.22 seconds to qualify for the women’s 60m; Nugent is also into the 60m hurdles final after running 7.91 seconds and will be joined by Rosealee Cooper of Mississippi State.
Nickisha Pryce and Joanne Reid also qualified for the women’s 400m
final; Wayne Lawrence of the University of Kentucky advanced in the men’s 400m; Tyreese Reid of Mississippi State advanced to the men’s 800m final, making up for his 20 th place last year.
At the Big12 Championships, Demisha Roswell of Texas Tech qualified for the 60m and 60m hurdles finals; Kevona Davis of the University of Texas advanced in both the 60m and 200m; Demar Francis of Baylor advanced in the men’s 200m;
-Paul A Reid