Rivaldo Marshall among winners at junior college meet
RIVALDO Marshall was among individual winners at last weekend’s National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) Ouutdoor National Championships at Gowans Stadium, Hutchinson Community College in Kansas.
Marshall, of Indian Hills Community College, claimed the men’s 800m title while Calisha Taylor of New Mexico Junior College won the women’s 400m hurdles in an upset. Odayne Harris of Highland College won the men’s javelin throw while Alliyah McNeil, formerly of St Elizabeth Technical High School, ended her junior college career with a personal best 1.82m to win the women’s high jump on Friday’s second day of the three-day championships.
It was a disappointing end to the junior college career of three athletes who had excelled over the last two years — jumpers Shakwon Coke and Nia Robinson, both of Barton County College, and 200m/400m runner Nickesha Pryce of Iowa Western College.
All three athletes had amassed a number of titles and Robinson, the former Rusea’s High standout, had won the treble at the Regional Championships two weeks earlier.
Marshall, the former Calabar High and national junior representative, won the 800m in 1:50.82 minutes. His former high school teammate Kimar Farquharson was fifth in 1:52.65 while Dwght Mason of South Plains was seventh in 1:56.96.
The top four finishers in the women’s 400m hurdles were all Jamaicans as Taylor, formerly of Holmwood Technical, ran 59.11 seconds. She beat defending champion Lashana Graham of Barton County who ran 1:00.13. Shenell Tucker of South Plains was third in 1:00.18.
Jody Ann Dixon of Hind Community College was fourth in 1:01.37.
Harris, formerly of Calabar, threw 59.58m to win his event, just below his NJCAA leading 62.36m set earlier in the season.
McNeil was winning her first NJCAA national high jump title and surpassed her previous best of 1.80m. She improved on her second-place finish last year.
Robinson, who tied McNeil for second last year, was second with 1.77m while Dayjahney Hibbert of Highland Junior College was fourth with 1.67m.
Kimeone McLeod was second in the 100m hurdles with a wind-aided 13.49 seconds (4.4m/). Danae Nembhard of Barton was third with 13.58 seconds while Dyandra Grey of Iowa Western, who led the preliminaries, was disqualified.
Jeremy Bembridge of South Plains College was second in the men’s 400m in 47.51 seconds. Tahj Hamm of Iowa Western was fourth with 48.60 seconds, while DeAndre Anderson of Iowa Western was fifth with 48.95 seconds and Shevioe Reid of South Plains was eighth.
Former St Elizabeth Technical runner Shadae Findlay of Western Texas College was second in the women’s 800m in 2:14.84 minutes, just ahead of third-place Cemor Donald of South Plains (2:15.22), while Kayan Green of Barton was seventh in 2:18.71.
Pryce of Iowa Western was third in the women’s 400m, which she won last year and also at the Indoor Nationals in March as well as during the Regionals two weeks before, running 55.42. Graham of Barton County was seventh with 57.83.
Former Petersfield High thrower Jazmyn James of Highland was second in the women’s shot put with 14.65m. Her teammates Santornya Rolliford (13.99m) and Shakera Williams (13.60m) were third and fourth, respectively.
Former Clarendon College thrower Kimola Hines, now at South Plains College, was second in the women’ discus throw with 47.90m. Cheyanne Fearon of Iowa Western was fourth with 45.89m and Rolliford eighth with 43.43m.
On Thursday’s first day, defending champion Coke of Barton County College was beaten into second place in the men’s long jump.
Coke, the former Kingston College athlete who had previously won the NJCAA indoor title, had a best mark of 7.55m (-0.4m/s) but lost to teammate Anthony Woods, who had a wind-aided 7.64m (3.3m/s).
Former St Elizabeth Technical jumper Michael Buchanan was third with a wind-aided 7.49m (3.2m/).
Aaliyah Lindsay, the former Alpha Academy jumper now at New Mexico Junior College, was third in the women’s triple jump with a wind-aided 12.25m (5.5m/s). She was followed by Faithlyn Irvin of Cloud County, who jumped 12.16m (4.4m/s), and Brittania Ingram of Barton County, who had a best of 11.93m (4.6ms).
Robinson, the NJCAA leader, had one legal jump and finished 13th overall.
Iowa Western’s Nemoy Cockett, formerly of Kingston College, was second in the men’s hammer throw with 56.08m, while Alliyah McNeil of Iowa Western was second in the women’s long jump with 6.45m. Barton County’s Nia Robinson was third with 6.38m (1.9m/s).
Andrew Betton of Cloud County finished second in the men’s decathlon with 6724 points after he led the first day with 3711 points.
His Cloud County teammate Deandre Elliot finished 14th with 4858 points, the same position he was in after the first day with 3109 points.