LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The second day of the 2024 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships delivered standout performances from two Jamaican competitors, who claimed gold medals while hitting new career milestones on the track and field circuit. Florida State University’s Despiro Wray emerged as the surprise star of the men’s shot put competition, unleashing a personal-best throw of 18.63 meters to secure the top spot on the podium. This mark not only shaved 38 centimeters off Wray’s previous personal best set this past March but also ranks as the sixth-best shot put performance in Florida State University’s (FSU) athletics history. Wray’s win marks the first ACC men’s shot put title for FSU since 2018, with his Jamaican compatriot and teammate Shamar Reid also notching a strong fifth-place finish with a throw of 18.12 meters.
In the men’s high jump, another Jamaican athlete Brandon Pottinger followed up Wray’s win with another ACC title, matching his own career-best clearance of 2.15 meters to claim gold. The performance marked a major improvement for Pottinger, who took home second place at the ACC Indoor Championships earlier this year.
Other Jamaican competitors turned in impressive results across the ACC championship bracket. Clemson University’s Shantae Foreman landed a wind-assisted leap of 6.59 meters (with a tailwind of 2.1 meters per second) to take second place in the women’s long jump, while teammate Kimeka Smith hit a new personal best of 16.91 meters in the women’s shot put to claim fourth place. Smith’s throw broke her previous career best of 16.54 meters and elevated her to the second spot on Clemson’s all-time women’s shot put performance rankings.
The wave of strong Jamaican performances extended to other major collegiate conference championships unfolding across the United States on the same day. At the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Outdoor Championships hosted by Auburn University in Alabama, Louisiana State University’s Jordan Turner jumped 7.91 meters (with a 0.4 meters per second wind) to take second place in the men’s long jump, while the University of Texas’ Shaiquan Dunn finished eighth in the men’s shot put with an 18.34-meter throw.
Over at the American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships hosted by the University of North Texas, University of Memphis athlete Jazmyn James delivered a personal best throw of 16.54 meters to claim the women’s shot put conference title. East Carolina University’s Shakiel Dacres also notched a new career best of 17.34 meters to finish fourth in the men’s shot put, while North Texas’ own Fabrienne Foster placed eighth in the women’s hammer throw with a 54.81-meter effort. At the Big East Conference Championships hosted by the University of Connecticut, St. John’s University’s Juliet Smith claimed third place in the women’s shot put with a 13.56-meter throw.