Jamaicans continue winning form on US collegiate circuit
Jamaicans Demar Francis of South Dakota in the Summit League and Kevin Nedrick of Liberty University in the Atlantic Sun Conference were double winners at last weekend’s track and field outdoor championships across the USA.
Six Jamaicans registered wins in conferences outside of the Power Five, including Romaine Beckford and Anna Ashley, both of the University of South Florida winning their high jump competitions at the American Athletic Conference (AAC); Ackeen Colley of Western Illinois retained his Summit League 800m title and Kobe-Jordan Rhooms of Morgan State retain his triple jump at the MEAC championship.
Nedrick, who had won the men’s discus and was third in the javelin, won the men’s shot put with a personal best 18.36m and led three other Jamaicans in the first four places.
His Liberty University teammate Warren Barrett was second with 18.10m, Atlantic Sun leader Courtney Lawrence of Kennesaw State was third with 18.03m and Kyle Mitchell of Liberty was fourth with 17.77m.
Former Excelsior High runner Demar Francis of South Dakota ran personal bests to win the men’s 200m and 400m at the Summit League Championships.
He clocked 20.65 seconds (0.8m/s) for the 200m and lowered his own conference record in the 400m when he ran 45.79 seconds, under the 46.45 seconds he ran last year.
Ackeen Colley of Western Illinois retained his 800m title with 1:49.19 minutes as Daniel Clarke of South Dakota State was third in the men’s 100m in 10.73 seconds (-1.8m/s).
Kobe-Jordan Rhooms of Morgan State retain his triple jump at the MEAC championship with 15.31m (0.0m/s) as his teammate Omari McKenzie was fourth with 14.61m (0.0m/s).
Brenton Shippy of South Carolina State took third in both 100m and 200m with times of 10.40 seconds (0.3m/s) and 21.03 seconds (1.1m/s) respectively.
Beckford, who recently set a personal best 2.23m to win at the Penn Relays, added the AAC outdoors title to the indoors after he won with 2.18m on Sunday.
Ashley won the women’s high jump with 1.74m while Tannekee Strachan of Temple University was third in the triple jump with 13.09m (2.9m/s).
Shot put champion Gabrielle Bailey of Kent State was second in the women’s discus throw at the Mid-American Conference with 52.36m, her teammate Alecia Shaw was fourth with 48.34m and Kedian Clarke of Eastern Michigan finished 15th with 40.35m.
Freshman Tarique George of the University of Wyoming was third in the men’s discus throw at the Mountain West Conference with a personal best 54.73m.