KINGSTON, Jamaica — Sixty-five Jamaican athletes will be competing in individual events at the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Regionals set to start on Wednesday and will run through to Saturday with athletes seeking places at the Division 1 Championships set to be held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon from June 10-13.

Forty-one Jamaicans are down to compete in the east regionals to be held at the University of Kentucky track and field complex in Lexington and 24 more at the west at the University of Arkansas’s McDonnell Field.

The top 48 athletes in the individual events and 24 relay teams from either region, will compete for the right to compete at the national championships.

The athletes in track events from 100m to 1500m will compete over two rounds to get to the 12 from each section that will qualify, while the field events and relay teams will have one round of competition each.

The Heptathlon and Decathlon do not have regional preliminary rounds. The top 24 combined event athletes in the nation advance straight to the final.

Gabrielle Mathews of the University of Florida has qualified for both the women’s 100m and 20m at the east regionals and will be joined by Shenese Walker of Florida State in the 100m.

World leader in the women’s 400m, Dejanae Oakley of the University of Georgia and her teammate Shaquena Foote are the top two ranked in the quarter-mile where they will be joined by Rushana Dwyer of Northwestern State and Shanque Williams of Clemson. Kishay Rowe of West Virginia qualified in the women’s 800m, while five Jamaicans will line up in the 100m hurdles- Salieci Myles of LSU, Danae Nembhard of Auburn, the pair of Oneka Wilson and Briana Campbell of Clemson and Gizel Clayton of Memphis.

Annishka McDonald of West Virginia, Daneille Noble of Clemson and Malaika Cunningham of Villanova qualified in the high jump while Shantae Foreman of Clemson led the triple jump qualifying and will also take part in the long jump.

The Johnson twins of Purdue are also taking part, Britannie in the shot put along with Jazmyn James of the University of Memphis.

James also qualified in the Discus throw, along with Cedricka Williams of Tennessee, Britannia and Britannie, Kimola Hines of the University of Louisiana and Rochele Solmon of Hampton.

Mark Daley of Louisiana is the only Jamaican in the men’s 200m while Jasauna Dennis of the University of South Carolina, competes in the 400m and J’Voughnn Blake of Dartmouth in the 800m.

Dishaun Lamb of Northwestern State will contest the 110m hurdles while Javel Fullerton of Southern Missouri, Daniel Wright of the University of Florida and Devontie Archer of South Florida will line up the 400m hurdles.

In the jumps, Brandon Pottinger of Clemson will contest the high jump and Jordan Turner of LSU is in the long jump.

Seven Jamaican men, the largest group in any one event, will take part in the Discus throw where Shamar Reid of FSU, Trevor Gunzel of Alabama and Yekini Bowen of Virginia Tech are the top three ranked athletes.

They will be joined by Chad Hendricks of LSU, Christopher Young of Alabama, Shakiel Dacres of East Carolina and Delano Lawrence of Hampton.

Young also qualified in the shot put along with Despiro Wray of FSU and Josh-Ty Brown of SE Louisiana.

In the West Regional, Abigail Wolfe and Carleta Bernard of the University of Texas qualified for the women’s 100m while Shadae Findley of the University of Texas-San Antonio is in the 400m and

Toni-Ann Forbes of Texas Tech will contest the 100m hurdles. Machaeda Linton of Texas A&M University (TAMU) has qualified in both the long and triple jumps; she will be joined by Richelle Stanley of the University of Kansas in the long jump and Rhianna Phipps of Nebraska and Aaliyah Lindsay of Kansas State.

Abigail Martin of TAMU and Roxene Simpson of the University of Las Vegas will line up in the women’s discus throw.

Shamar Uter of Texas Tech qualified in the men’s 200m and Kimar Farquharson of TAMU is the only Jamaican in the men’s 400m while the Arkansas pair of Rivaldo Marshall, the SEC Indoor champion and Tyrice Taylor will be in the 800m.

Demario Prince of Baylor University, Jerome Campbell of Arkansas and Daniel Beckford for Northern Colorado have qualified for the 110m hurdles.

The Kansas State pair of Apalos Edwards and Jhavor Bennett are down for the men’s triple jump while Shaiquan Dunn of Texas is in both the shot put and discus throw events.

Kobe Lawrence of the University of Oregon is also in the shot put while defending national champion Ralford Mullings of the University of Oklahoma, Racquil Broderick of USC and Ricardo Hayles of Kansas State are in the discus throw.

—      Paul A Reid