BOSTON, USA ­— Jamaicans Wayne Pinnock of the University of Arkansas, who will seek a second title, and Ackelia Smith of the University of Texas, who is hoping to win her
first, will line up in the men’s and women’s long jump at the NCAA Division 1 Championships at the TRACK at New Balance in Boston, USA, today.

Twenty-seven Jamaicans will represent their respective universities in individual events on the second day of the three-day championships after the finals of the men’s and women’s weight throw.

Another 12 Jamaicans, including NCAA number one-ranked high jumpers Lamara Distin of Texas A&M University and Romaine Beckford of the University of Arkansas will compete on tomorrow’s final day.

Pinnock, who won the Indoor title in 2022 when he attended the University of Tennessee, is the world leader, with an indoor personal best 8.34m and will hope to improve on his fourth-place finish last year.

Nikaoli Williams of the University of Oklahoma, who snatched the final spot in the 16-man field, returns to the NCAA Indoors after placing 11th last year.

Smith will be one of three Jamaicans in the women’s long jump final, along with teammate Aaliyah Foster and Nia Robinson of the University of Arkansas.

Smith, who has represented Jamaica at the last two World Championships, is the NCAA leader, with an indoor best 6.85m, a scant one centimetre off the Olympic qualifying mark.

Smith was second last year and is expected to get serious competition from Florida’s Claire Bryant, the second-ranked athlete going into the championships and who she edged on countback after both had jumped 6.88m, and Stanford’s Alyssa Jones, who was fourth last year.

Robinson will hope to make up for a miserable 2023 indoor championships in which she failed to get past the first round, while Foster, a freshman who had won the ISSA girls Class One title last year, will hope to get into the final.

Brianna Lyston of Louisiana State is the NCAA leader but is in her first NCAA championships and faces a tough field that includes Jadyn Mays of the University of Oregon, who is chasing a third straight place in the final after placing third in 2022 and fifth last year, and Tennessee’s Jacious Sers, who has a lifetime best 7.04 seconds and was third last year.

Lyston ran 7.07 seconds at the Razorback Invitational in late January and won the South-Eastern Conference (SEC) Championships, beating Sears.

Shenese Walker of Florida State University will be hoping to be the second Jamaican in the final on Saturday.

Travis Williams of the University of Southern California will be the only Jamaican in the men’s 60m event for which he is ranked fourth, with a season and personal best 6.52 seconds.

There will be three Jamaicans in both men’s and women’s 400m, and fast-rising star Nickisha Pryce, the second-fastest Jamaican woman ever indoors, with a best of 50.83 seconds, just off Stephenie Ann McPherson’s national record 50.79 seconds, is expected to continue her upwards trajectory.

She was second to teammate Amber Anning at the SEC Indoors and could also see competition from Big12 champion Dejanea Oakley of Texas and another Jamaican teammate Joanne Reid.

JeVaughn Powell of the University of Florida and D’Andre Anderson of Clemson, teammates on the Jamaican 4x400m relay team at the World Championships last year, will be joined by Shaemar Uter of Texas Tech University as the Jamaicans in the men’s 400m.

Rivaldo Marshall of the University of Iowa will meet former Jamaica College runner Handal Roban of St Vincent, who competes for Penn State in one of the men’s 800m preliminary heat, while Tarees Rhoden of Clemson, who was third last year, will seek to get back to the final.

Kelly-Ann Beckford of the University of Houston is ranked number three in the women’s 800m after winning the Big12 title with a big personal best 2:00.99 seconds and will seek to became the third Jamaican woman under the 2:00.00-minute mark.

Jaheem Hayles of Syracuse, Demario Prince of Baylor University, and Brithon Senior of the University of Nebraska will line up in the men’s 60m hurdles, while Rosealee Cooper of Mississippi State, Oneka Wilson of Clemson, and Marissa Simpson of the University of Texas-El Paso (UTEP) will seek honours in the women’s race.

Kevona Davis of Texas, who missed the Big 12 championships will join Pryce of Arkansas and Niesha Burgher of UTEP in the preliminaries of the women’s 200m, while national indoor record holder Demar Francis and Shevioe Reid of the University of South Florida will run in the men’s 200m.

Jamaica, with 41 athletes, has the second highest representation at the championship with the US leading the way with 262 athletes.