Rivaldo Marshall retains national 800m indoor title
Former national junior representative Rivaldo Marshall retained his men’s 800m title as five Jamaicans were crowned national champions at last weekend’s National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championships at Washburn Indoor Athletic Facility in Topeka, Kansas.
Marshall, of Indian Hills Junior College, ran 1:50.56 minutes to retain his title, beating his former Calabar High training partner Kimar Farquharson, of South Plains, who clocked 1:50.98. Former Enid Bennett and Vere Technical High star Tyrice Taylor, also of Indian Hills, was third in 1:51.27 while former Edwin Allen runner Chevonne Hall of South Plains was ninth.
Jamaicans filled the first six places in the men’s shot put as Christopher Young turned the tables on his former Edwin Allen High teammate Trevor Gunzel who had won the conference title two weeks ago.
Young of Barton County College threw 17.95m to just finish ahead of Gunzel of Coffeyville who registered 17.93m. Brandon Lloyd of Barton retained his third place from last year with 17.39m.
South Plains’ Donroy Brown, formerly of Green Island High and Jamaica College, was fourth with a lifetime best 17.07m, the same mark that Brandon Gayle of Iowa Western threw for fifth. Denz Simmonds of Iowa Western was sixth with a personal best 16.70m.
Lloyd was also second in the men’s weight throw with 18.47m while former Petersfield High thrower Christopher Brown of Hutchinson Junior College was seventh with 16.30m.
Danae Nembhard of Barton, the Region VI champion, won the women’s 60m hurdles with a personal best 8.24 seconds, while New Mexico Junior College’s Calisha Taylor won the women’s 600m in 1:32.23 minutes.
Her teammate Michaliliah Vassell was fifth in 1:35.46 and Abigail Pinnock of Cowley College was eighth in 1:39.00.
Brittania Ingram of Barton, who was ninth last year and failed to make a legal mark at the Region VI Conference championships, set a personal best 12.50m to win the women’s triple jump.
Aaliyah Lindsay of New Mexico was second with 12.21m and Kay-Lagay Clarke of Barton came fourth in 12.12m, both personal bests.
Lindsay was second in the long jump with a personal best 6.12m, the same measurement achieved last year by former Barton County jumper Nia Robinson to win the title. Ingram was third with 5.76m, also her best ever, and Clarke was seventh with 5.68m.
Rushana Dwyer of South Plains placed second in the women’s 800m in 2:12.89 minutes while Tara Bert of Colby was fifth in 2:17.83. Waukeem Walters of Iowa Central picked up a pair of third places, jumping 15.10m in the men’s triple jump and 7.59m in the long jump, both personal bests marks.
Dejona Simpson of New Mexio took third in the womens’ 400m in 54.70 seconds and Safhia Hinds of South Plains was sixth in 55.36.
Kimola Hines of South Plains was third in the women’s weight throw with 16.13m.
Shakera Williams of Iowa Western was fourth in the women’s shot put with 14.17m and her teammate Jazmyn James was fifth with 13.73.
Fabian Campbell of Barton was fourth in the men’s 600m in 1:18.87 minutes and Tahj Hamm of Iowa Western took fourth in the men’s 200m in 21.04 seconds.
Breanna Clarke of South Plains was sixth in the women’s 60m dash with 7.58 seconds while Nembhard of Barton came eighth with 8.11; Jahvel Granville of New Mexico was seventh in the men’s 60m hurdles in 8.16.