Bahamian collegiate athletes wrapped up action on Saturday for their respective schools at the 2021 NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
Competing on Saturday were Doneisha Anderson, Megan Moss, Serena Brown and Charisma Taylor.
Anderson and Moss earned first team All-America honors in the 1600 meters (m) relay final. Anderson and the University of Florida Gators narrowly missed out on finishing third, crossing the finish line fourth overall with a season’s best 3:26.31. Moss and the University of Kentucky Wildcats also ran a season’s best, finishing eighth in 3:28.78.
Anderson ran the third leg, splitting 52.56 seconds. Her teammates were Taylor Manson, Sterling Lester and Talitha Diggs. Sophomore Anderson ran a well-paced leg but could not put her team up another position heading into the final exchange.
Moss ran the first leg in what was a quick relay race as all eight teams posted season’s best times. The sophomore’s teammates were Dajour Miles, Celera Barnes and Faith Ross. She did not get the best start to the race, running out of lane one, but managed to pick up the pace before handing the baton off to Miles.
Winning that race with a new collegiate record was the Texas A&M Aggies in 3:22.34.
Also receiving first team All-America honors was University of Houston Cougars senior Brianne Bethel in the 4x100m relay. She did not run in the final on Saturday, but she ran in the semifinals on Thursday and helped the team qualify for the final.
The Cougars relay team that ran in the final on Saturday included Camille Rutherford, Tristan Evelyn, Samiyah Samuels and Naomi Taylor. They finished seventh with a time of 44.29 seconds.
Brown’s 57.06m (187’ 2”) throw in the discus was enough to place her in the top 10 at 10th overall. The University of Iowa Hawkeyes junior recorded that throw on her second attempt to jump into the ninth position. She fouled on her final attempt and ended up 10th overall.
The overall winner in that event was Arizona State University’s Jorinde Van Kinken. She posted a personal best and meet record of 65.01m (213’ 3”).
Taylor managed to complete three good jumps in the triple jump event and finished 18th overall. The Washington State University (WSU) sophomore posted a leap of 13.14m (43’ 1-1/2”) on her third and final attempt to finish 18th. Texas Tech’s Ruth Usoro won with a leap of 14.19m (46’ 6-1/2”).
It was not a personal best or season’s best for both field athletes, but Brown and Taylor managed to finish in the top 10 and top 20, respectively, ending progressive seasons for them.
The final day for the men was on Friday. LaQuan Nairn, Tamar Greene and Terrence Jones were in action.
Jones was up first in the 4x100m, on the anchor leg, with his teammates Courtney Lindsey, Jacolby Shelton and Ashton O’Conner. Unfortunately, for the Texas Tech Red Raiders freshman who was waiting on the final leg, the baton never got to him. Shelton and O’Conner had a mix up with the exchange on the second and third legs, resulting in the baton being dropped. The Red Raiders did not finish the race.
Nairn and Greene were in action in the triple jump. Greene, who jumps for the Purdue University Boilermakers, posted a best jump of 15.85m (52’) to place 13th overall – a distance he posted on his second attempt. He fouled his other two attempts.
As for University of Arkansas Razorbacks senior Nairn, he fouled his first and third attempts. His second attempt was 15.72m (51’ 7”), good enough for 17th overall.
Rhema Otabor was the only female competing in a final on Thursday. The Florida International University (FIU) Panthers freshman was in action in the javelin throw. She finished 21st overall after throwing 49.60m (162’ 9”). Otabor had that throw on her final attempt after posting throws of 40.79m (133’ 10”) and 41.85m (137’ 3”) on her first two attempts.
Other Bahamians who participated in this meet were Samson Colebrooke (Boilermakers) and Adrian Curry (Ohio State University Buckeyes). Both failed to make the final in their respective 4x100m relays for their teams and Colebrooke was seventh in his heat of the men’s 200m in 21.01 seconds and failed to make the final.
Apart from Bahamian athletes, there were two Bahamian head coaches who made the trip to Eugene. They were the Wildcats’ Rolando “Lonnie” Greene and the Boilermakers’ Norbert Elliott.
Greene’s men’s team scored 17 points to finish 15th overall. On the women’s side, the Wildcats finished 21st overall with 13 points. Elliott’s teams were unable to register a point.
It has been a long season for these collegiate athletes and coaches beginning with indoor track and field, dating back to December for some. Some of these athletes, if not all, will be in action at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium at the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) National Championships, set for June 25-27.
The post Bahamians wrap up action at NCAA Championships appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.
source https://thenassauguardian.com/bahamians-wrap-up-action-at-ncaa-championships/
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