The University of Houston Cougars redshirt senior Brianne Bethel turned in two masterful individual personal bests, including attaining an Olympic qualifying time to highlight a busy weekend for Bahamian collegiate athletes as they wrapped up their respective National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) conference championships.
Bethel broke her own meet record and qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games, now scheduled for this summer, when she clocked a blistering personal best of 22.54 seconds in the 200 meters (m) at the American Athletic Conference (AAC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the University of South Florida Track and Field Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on Sunday. She went under the 22.80 seconds Olympic qualifying mark to become the eighth Bahamian to qualify for the Olympic Games. After the race, the senior looked back at the clock and was happy with her time as she broke her own 2018 meet record of 22.74 seconds. The new record was the third-fastest time in Cougars history in that event.
The Grand Bahamian moves up to a tie for number four in the NCAA Division I rankings in that event this season.
Bethel ran a well-executed race from start to finish. She went into the final with the fastest qualifying time of 23.11 seconds and ran out of lane five in the final. Bethel got out of the blocks quickly and kept close with her opponents before using the final 100 meters to pull away.
The University of Cincinnati Bearcats’ Caisja Chandler finished with the silver medal after clocking 22.85 seconds. Bethel’s teammate Cecilia Tamayo-Garza ran 23.02 seconds to win the bronze medal.
The Grand Bahamian was also dominant in the 400m final as she clocked a personal best of 51.77 seconds to secure the gold medal. Her previous personal best coming into this meet was 52.87 seconds. She lowered that time in the preliminaries by running 52.76 seconds – the fastest in the preliminaries.
Bethel ran out of lane five in the final. She made her move at the 200 meter mark before coming around the final curve by herself, going after the meet record of 51.38 seconds. The senior was the only competitor to go under 52 seconds.
Southern Methodist University Mustangs’ Chika Iwuamadi crossed the finish line over a second slower than Bethel. She clocked 52.96 seconds. Finishing third was the Bearcats’ Tiona Lattimore who clocked 53.68 seconds.
At the Conference USA (C-USA) Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Shakeem Smith ran away with the gold medal and C-USA Championships record in the 400m hurdles. The University of Texas El Paso (UTEP) Miners senior ran a personal best time of 49.82 seconds. It was the first time he ran under 50 seconds in that event. He broke a 21-year championship record of 50.05 seconds set by Greg Christie. Smith went into the final with a qualifying time of 51.83 seconds.
Finishing second was the University of Texas-San Antonio (UTSA) Roadrunners’ Andrew Pirog who clocked 51.08 seconds. Finishing third was the University of North Carolina at Charlotte 49ers’ Aveon Reid who posted 51.31 seconds.
Smith won his second individual gold medal at the meet when he posted the winning time of 13.73 seconds in the 110m hurdles. It was a personal best for him again as he lowered his previous personal best of 13.91 seconds that he set last month.
Reid finished with the silver medal in this race when he clocked 13.87 seconds. His teammate, Micah Hairston, ran away with the bronze medal after he recorded a time of 13.89 seconds.
This meet also saw Rhema Otabor in action in her first conference championship. The Florida International University (FIU) Panthers freshman did not have her best performance but her mark of 51.37m (168’ 6”) in the javelin event was enough to secure the gold medal. She made the winning throw on her third attempt.
The Miners’ Roosa Yloenen was second with a throw of 49.38m (162’). Winning the bronze medal was the Roadrunners’ Marilis Remmel with a throw of 46.56m (152’ 9”).
LaQuan Nairn left his final Southeastern Conference (SEC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships with two bronze medals in the long and triple jumps events. The University of Arkansas Razorbacks senior leapt a wind-aided 16.40m (53’ 9-3/4”) in the triple jump. The event was won by the University of Tennessee Volunteers’ Jah-Nhai Perinchief with a jump of 16.89m (55’ 5”). Winning the silver medal was the University of Alabama Crimson Tide’s Christian Edwards who posted a jump of 16.51m (54’ 2”).
In the long jump, Nairn used his first jump as his winning jump when he posted a personal best leap of 8.04m (26’ 4-1/2”) to come away with the bronze medal. He now becomes just the seventh Bahamian to ever jump over eight meters (26’ 3”) in the men’s long jump. The gold medal was won by the Volunteers’ Carey McLeod who saved his best jump for last, leaping 8.34m (27’ 4-1/2”). He passed both Nairn and Louisiana State University (LSU) Tigers’ JuVaughn Harrison, the silver medalist, on his final jump. Harrison recorded a jump of 8.24m (27’ 0-1/2”) for the silver.
Also in action in Bryan-College Station, Texas, at the championships, was the University of Florida Gators’ Doneisha Anderson. She, along with Taylor Manson, Sterling Lester and Talitha Diggs gave the Gators their final medal of the meet – a silver. They clocked 3:28.33 in the women’s 4x400m. The Texas A&M Aggies finished comfortably ahead of them to win the gold in 3:26.17. The University of South Carolina Gamecocks finished third after posting a time of 3:28.73.
Anderson was in action in the 400m along with the University of Kentucky Wildcats’ Megan Moss. Both did not qualify for the final as Moss finished 10th overall with a time of 52.60 seconds and Anderson clocked 53.54 seconds to finish 16th overall.
At the Big Ten Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships, it was Purdue University Boilermakers’ Samson Colebrooke who ran away with a silver medal in the 100m. The senior clocked 10.30 seconds. The University of Minnesota Gophers Kion Benjamin won that event after he posted a time of 10.26 seconds. Rounding out the top three positions in that event was the Ohio State University (OSU) Buckeyes’ Eric Harrison when he clocked 10.33 seconds. Also in this final was Bahamian Adrian Curry, a sophomore for the Buckeyes, who clocked a personal best of 10.37 seconds to finish sixth.
Colebrooke, along with teammates Malcolm Dotson, Justin Becker and Marcellus Moore, left Demirjian Park in Champaign, Illinois, with the gold medal in the 4x100m. They ran a blistering 39.30 seconds. Winning the silver medal was the University of Iowa Hawkeyes who clocked 39.67 seconds. The bronze medal was secured by the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers who also went sub-40 seconds with a time of 39.79 seconds.
Bahamian and Hawkeyes junior Serena Brown launched the discus 56.62m (185’ 9”) on her third throw to come away with the silver medal. Her teammate Laulauga Tausaga won the gold medal with a throw of 62.09m (203’ 8”) on her first throw. Finishing third was the Buckeyes’ Divine Oladipo who posted a throw of 54.80m (179’ 9”).
Sasha Wells was brilliant in her final Summit League Conference Track and Field Championships. The Oral Roberts University (ORU) Golden Eagles senior wrapped up the meet with two individual gold medals, one individual bronze medal and a relay gold medal.
Running at the Lillibridge Track Complex at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, South Dakota, Wells put on a show in the 100 meters (m) hurdles final. The senior was able to cross the finish line first after clocking 13.30 seconds. She powered through and ran a personal best time of 13.29 seconds in the preliminaries.
Running away with the silver medal with a personal best time of 13.45 seconds was her teammate and fellow Bahamian Gabrielle Gibson. Rounding out the top medal positions was South Dakota State University Jackrabbits’ Jaymie O’Connor who posted a time of 13.62 seconds.
The Golden Eagles had three of the fastest qualifying times in this event with Wells, Gibson and fellow Bahamian Indea Cartwright. Cartwright got fourth in the final when she ran 13.70 seconds.
Wells and Gibson were able to finish on the podium together again in the 100m but this time it was Wells with the gold and Gibson with the bronze medal. Wells was no match in this event as she ran 11.68 seconds to win the race. Like she did in the 100m hurdles, Wells clocked a personal best in the 100m dash during the preliminaries when she recorded a time of 11.66 seconds. She held off the Jackrabbits’ Richa-Ann Archer who finished second in 11.73 seconds. Gibson ran a personal best time of 11.83 seconds for third.
Gibson and Wells teamed up with Judith Bediako and Victoria Neville in the 4x100m relay. The quartet won that race with a time of 45.62 seconds. Wells ran the anchor leg and Gibson ran the second leg.
The Jackrabbits won the silver medal with a time of 45.89 seconds while South Dakota won the bronze medal, finishing the race in 46.04 seconds.
Wells’ bronze came in the 200m when she ran 24.23 seconds. The host school’s Sara Reifenrath won that race when she clocked 23.39 seconds. North Dakota State University Bison’s Kendra Kelley was second with a time of 23.95 seconds.
Cartwright was a silver medalist in the 400m hurdles when she clocked 1:01.36. South Dakota’s Holly Gerberding won that race after she ran 1:00.37. The bronze medal was won by the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks’ Elaina Swartz who ran 1:01.71.
Bahamian Daejha Moss was in action at this meet for the Bison. She came away with the silver medal in the high jump when she was able to clear 1.75m (5’ 8-3/4”). Winning that event was South Dakota’s Carly Haring after she cleared 1.78m (5’ 10”). Finishing third was the University of Nebraska Omaha Mavericks’ Bailey Cowling who cleared 1.70m (5’ 7”).
Amelia Peterson was the silver medalist in the triple jump event with a leap of 12.38m (40’ 7-1/2”) for her team, the University of Western Illinois Leathernecks. Moss finished fourth in this event when she posted a jump of 12.13m (39’ 9-3/4”). Wining the event was the Bison’s Jodi Lipp with a leap of 12.74m (41’ 9-3/4”). The Golden Eagles’ Shalom Olotu won the bronze medal after posting a leap of 12.22m (40’ 1-1/4”).
Denisha Cartwright also ran away with a conference title when she won the 100m hurdles with a provisional NCAA Division II qualifying time of 13.71 seconds. She was in action at the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the Malosky Stadium in Duluth, Minnesota.
The Minnesota State University Mankato Mavericks athlete cruised in the preliminaries after clocking the fastest time of 14.09 seconds.
Cartwright went into the 200m finals with the fastest preliminary time of 24.18 seconds. She placed second in the final behind teammate Ja’Cey Simmons. Both had identical wind-aided times of 23.98 seconds. Simmons ran 23.976 seconds while the Bahamian ran 23.977 seconds as the two secured the top two positions for the Mavericks. They walked away tied with the NSIC record in that event.
Finishing third was the Winona State University Warriors Michaela Pryor who ran a time of 24.04 seconds. All three runners ran NCAA Division II provisional times.
It took a personal best from Cartwright to come away with the silver medal in the 100m dash. She posted a time of 11.63 seconds. Cartwright was a part of the Mavericks sweep on the medal podium in that event. Simmons picked up her second gold medal of the championships. Remarkably, they both had identical times again. Down to the thousandths of a second, Simmons prevailed in 11.625 compared to 11.629 for the Bahamian.
Capturing the bronze medal was Makayla Jackson with a time of 11.78 seconds.
To end the meet, the trio teamed up with Grace Hartman to clock a new NSIC record of 45.24 seconds in the 4x100m relay. That time gave them an NCAA Division II automatic qualifying standard. They finished just under a second faster than the Warriors team who clocked an NCAA Division II provisional time of 46.21 seconds. Finishing third was the Northern State University team who ran 47.25 seconds.
The NCAA Division I East preliminary round is set for May 26-29 at Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, and the NCAA Division I West preliminary round is set for May 26-29 at E.B. Cushing Stadium in College Station, Texas.
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