KINGSTON, Jamaica — Former ISSA Champs gold medallists Alliyah Foster of the University of Texas and Cedricka Williams of Barton County College, made impressive starts to their college outdoor career after good wins in their respective events this past weekend.

Foster won the women’s long jump at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays with a massive but wind-aided 6.75m (4.7m/s) on Friday, while Williams broke the Barton County College women’s discus throw record at the ESU Relays in North Carolina on Thursday.

Foster, who won the Class 1 long jump title while at Mt Alvernia High in 2023 and who was a finalist at the NCAA Division 1 Indoor National Championships in early March, dominated her first college outdoor competition and looks set to challenge the Jamaican U-20 long jump record 6.58m set by Chanice Porter in 2012.

She also had a 6.61m (3.2m/s) jump as former Excelsior High and St Jago jumper Shantae Foreman of Clemson finished 14th with a best of 5.72m (3.2m/s).

At the ESU Relays in Kansas, Williams, who set the national Under 20 girls discus throw record 57.84m while winning the Class 1 gold medal at the 2023 ISSA Champs, threw 55.39m to win the event and break the Barton County women’s discus throw record.

Williams, who also threw 55.03m, broke the record 53.15m set in 2019 by fellow Jamaican Marie Forbes, now at Clemson University. Corey Ottey of Cloud County was second in the men’s high jump with 2.04m.

Johnelle Johnson of Morgan State University won the women’s hammer throw with 51.49m at the Towson Spring Invitational in Maryland.

-Paul A Reid