Jamaica’s former junior representatives Shenese Walker of Florida State University and Shantae Foreman of Clemson University produced NCAA leading performances in the women’s 60m and triple jump, respectively, at the Clemson Invitational indoor meet in South Carolina on Saturday.

Walker opened her season in the 60m, winning with 7.20 seconds, just off her personal best 7.19. Her time on Saturday is the best in the NCAA so far this season and second in the world behind Luxembourg’s Petrizia Van Der Weken (7.19) who set her mark a week ago.

Foreman set a personal best for the indoor triple jump when she won the event with 13.84m. It bettered her previous best of 13.68m set last season. Her mark is the best in the NCAA this season, second best in the world, and second best ever for Clemson University, only behind Patricia Mamoma’s 13.85m set in 2010.

At the meet in South Carolina there were wins for Clemson University’s Oneka Wilson, Shanque Williams, and Jessica McLean.

Wilson won the women’s 60m hurdles in 8.21 seconds after running a season’s best 8.13 in the preliminaries, the third-best time in the NCAA this season.

Williams won the women’s 300m — her first at the NCAA level — when she ran 38.16, while McLean won the 600m in 1:33.72, with Jody Ann Dixon second in 1:34.01.

Tahj Hamm, also of Clemson, was fifth in the men’s 600m in 1:19.95.

Shakiel Dacres of East Carolina University won the men’s shot put with 16.72m, beating teammate Brandon Gayle who threw 15.71m.

At the Nevada Silver and Blue Invitational held in Reno, Shaquena Foote of San Diego State had a good opening weekend with two personal best performances in the 60m and 200m events.

On Saturday, Foote lowered her 200m time to 23.22 seconds, beating her previous best of 23.44 set last year. She remains in third place on the San Diego State all-time best charts. Her time is tied for fourth best in the NCAA and leads the Mountain West Conference.

On Friday’s first day she was third in the 60m with another personal best (7.35), lowering her previous best of 7.43 to enter San Diego State’s top 10 list at number six.

Shemar Palmer of Division 2 Fresno Pacific was second in the men 200m in 21.09, second best in Division rankings so far.

At the Rod McCravy Invitational in the University of Kentucky, former Camperdown High thrower Britannia Johnson, who attends Purdue University, had personal best performances in the women’s shot put and weight throw. Her twin sister Britannie, also representing Purdue, had a lifetime best mark in the shot put.

On Saturday, Britannie was fifth in the shot put with 14.44m and Britannia was sixth with 14.31m. On Friday Britannia threw a personal best 18.11m to place sixth in the women’s weight throw, while Britannie finished 10th with a mark of 17.09m. Britannia’s effort beat her previous best of 17.73m set in December at the Blue Demon Holiday Invite.

— Paul A Reid

Shenese Walker (Photos: Paul Reid)