On the second day of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Regional Championships, a cohort of Jamaican collegiate competitors turned in standout performances to lock in their spots at the national finals, or advance to subsequent qualifying rounds, capping off a day of impressive personal and competitive milestones.
At the West Regional tournament hosted by the University of Arkansas, Kansas State long jumper Aaliyah Lindsay delivered the performance of her collegiate career to punch her first-ever ticket to the National Outdoor Championships, set to kick off in June at the University of Oregon. Entering her third and final attempt of the competition sitting outside the qualifying cutline, Lindsay unleashed a 6.55m leap with a 1.1m/s tailwind — a massive 13-centimeter improvement on her previous personal best, set when she took second place at the Big 12 Championships. The result landed her fourth place overall at the regional event, and lifted her into a tie for the second-best long jump mark in Kansas State program history.
Over at the University of Kentucky, host of the East Regional, Clemson long jumper Shantae Foreman needed just one valid attempt to secure her placement at the national finals. Her 6.47m jump, recorded into a -0.5m/s headwind, earned her second place overall in the event, enough to guarantee her spot in Oregon.
Also competing at the East Regional, Purdue shot putter Britannie Johnson joined Foreman in qualifying for her first ever national championships, thanks to a new personal best throw. Johnson launched the shot 16.91m, beating her previous top mark of 16.62m to claim ninth place and the final qualifying spot. Fellow Jamaican competitor Kimeka Smith of Clemson narrowly missed out on the national cutline, finishing 13th overall with a 16.74m throw.
Beyond the athletes who locked in national championship spots, a handful of other Jamaican sprinters and hurdlers advanced to the East Regional’s second qualifying rounds scheduled for Saturday. University of Florida standout Gabrielle Matthews turned heads with a dual qualification, booking her spot in the second round of both the women’s 100m and 200m. She clocked 11.08 seconds in the 100m (with a 0.3m/s wind reading), while Florida State’s Shenese Walker also advanced with a time of 11.15 seconds into a -0.3m/s headwind. Matthews followed that performance with a 22.68-second run in the 200m (0.9m/s wind) to lock in her second spot in the next round.
Five Jamaican 100m hurdlers also advanced out of the first round at the East Regional, led by Clemson’s Oneka Wilson who posted the fastest qualifying time of 12.79 seconds with a 3.0m/s tailwind. She was followed by Ohio State’s Janela Spencer (12.83 seconds, 0.2m/s), Louisiana State’s Salieci Myles (13.04 seconds, 0.3m/s), Clemson’s Briana Campbell, who ran a new personal best of 13.10 seconds with a 1.0m/s wind, and Auburn’s Danae Nembhard (13.23 seconds, 0.0m/s).
In the women’s 400m at the East Regional, the University of Georgia’s Dejanea Oakley secured her spot in the next round with a 50.60-second run, while Northwestern State’s Rushana Dwyer hit a new personal best of 51.03 seconds to qualify. Georgia’s Shaquena Foote failed to advance, managing only a 52.29-second run.
At the West Regional, Texas sprinter Carleta Bernard, who missed the entire SEC Championships earlier this season, made a successful return to competition by clocking 11.23 seconds (0.0m/s) to advance in the 100m, joined by Longhorns teammate Abigail Wolfe who ran 11.33 seconds (0.3m/s) to qualify. Texas Tech’s Tonie Ann Forbes also advanced to the 100m hurdles second round with a 13.23-second run (1.2m/s), while the University of Texas-San Antonio’s Shadae Findley qualified for the 400m second round with a 52.55-second finish.
Reporting by Paul A Reid, from Kingston, Jamaica.