KINGSTON, Jamaica — A cohort of 65 talented Jamaican track and field student-athletes is gearing up to compete across individual and relay events at the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Regional Championships, kicking off Wednesday and wrapping up this Saturday. The meet serves as the critical qualifying round for the national championships, scheduled to take place June 10 through 13 at Eugene, Oregon’s iconic Hayward Field.
The Jamaican contingent has been split between the two regional host sites: 41 athletes will compete at the East Regional, hosted at the University of Kentucky’s state-of-the-art track and field complex in Lexington, while the remaining 24 will travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to compete at the University of Arkansas’ McDonnell Park for the West Regional.
To advance to the national finals in Oregon, athletes must hit strict qualifying benchmarks out of their respective regionals. For individual events, the top 48 finishers across each region earn a spot at the national championships, while the top 24 relay teams from each regional also punch their tickets. The competition structure varies by discipline: runners competing in events from 100 meters through 1500 meters will navigate two qualifying rounds to earn one of 12 spots per heat in the final round of regional competition, while field events and relay contests only require one round of competition to determine qualifiers. Unlike other disciplines, multi-event competitions the heptathlon and decathlon skip the regional preliminary round entirely, with the top 24 ranked combined-event athletes across the country advancing directly to the national finals.
In the East Regional, Jamaican athletes are set to compete across a wide range of women’s events. Gabrielle Mathews of the University of Florida qualified for two events: the women’s 100m and 200m, and she will be joined in the 100m by Florida State University’s Shenese Walker. University of Georgia’s Dejanae Oakley, currently the world’s top-ranked athlete in the women’s 400m, leads the event’s qualifying rankings alongside her Bulldogs teammate Shaquena Foote; they will be joined at the regional by Northwestern State’s Rushana Dwyer and Clemson University’s Shanque Williams. West Virginia University’s Kishay Rowe earned a spot in the women’s 800m, while five Jamaican hurdlers will line up for the 100m hurdles: LSU’s Salieci Myles, Auburn University’s Danae Nembhard, Clemson’s pairing of Oneka Wilson and Briana Campbell, and the University of Memphis’ Gizel Clayton.
In women’s field events at the East Regional, West Virginia’s Annishka McDonald, Clemson’s Daneille Noble and Villanova University’s Malaika Cunningham all qualified for the high jump. Clemson’s Shantae Foreman earned the top qualifying spot in the triple jump and will also compete in the long jump. Purdue University’s Johnson twins – Britannie Johnson – will compete in the shot put alongside Memphis’ Jazmyn James. James also qualified for the discus throw, where she will join the University of Tennessee’s Cedricka Williams, Britannie Johnson, the University of Louisiana’s Kimola Hines and Hampton University’s Rochele Solmon.
On the men’s side of the East Regional, Louisiana’s Mark Daley is the lone Jamaican competitor in the 200m. The University of South Carolina’s Jasauna Dennis will compete in the 400m, while Dartmouth College’s J’Voughnn Blake earned a spot in the 800m. Northwestern State’s Dishaun Lamb will contest the 110m hurdles, while the 400m hurdles will feature three Jamaican athletes: Southern Missouri’s Javel Fullerton, Florida’s Daniel Wright and the University of South Florida’s Devontie Archer. In men’s jumps, Clemson’s Brandon Pottinger will compete in the high jump, and LSU’s Jordan Turner qualified for the long jump. The men’s discus throw boasts the largest Jamaican contingent at the East Regional, with seven athletes competing: Florida State’s Shamar Reid, the University of Alabama’s Trevor Gunzel and Virginia Tech’s Yekini Bowen enter the competition as the top three ranked athletes. They will be joined by LSU’s Chad Hendricks, Alabama’s Christopher Young, East Carolina’s Shakiel Dacres and Hampton’s Delano Lawrence. Young also qualified for the shot put, alongside Florida State’s Despiro Wray and Southeastern Louisiana’s Josh-Ty Brown.
Over at the West Regional in Arkansas, a smaller group of Jamaican athletes is also chasing national championship spots. In women’s events, the University of Texas’ pairing of Abigail Wolfe and Carleta Bernard qualified for the 100m, while the University of Texas at San Antonio’s Shadae Findley will compete in the 400m. Texas Tech University’s Toni-Ann Forbes will contest the 100m hurdles. Texas A&M’s Machaeda Linton qualified for both the long jump and triple jump; she will be joined in the long jump by the University of Kansas’ Richelle Stanley, while Nebraska’s Rhianna Phipps and Kansas State’s Aaliyah Lindsay will also compete in the triple jump. Texas A&M’s Abigail Martin and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ Roxene Simpson will line up for the women’s discus throw.
In men’s events at the West Regional, Texas Tech’s Shamar Uter qualified for the 200m, while Texas A&M’s Kimar Farquharson is the sole Jamaican competitor in the 400m. Host university Arkansas will have two Jamaican runners in the 800m: Rivaldo Marshall, the reigning SEC Indoor champion, and Tyrice Taylor. Baylor University’s Demario Prince, Arkansas’ Jerome Campbell and Northern Colorado’s Daniel Beckford all earned spots in the 110m hurdles. Kansas State’s pairing of Apalos Edwards and Jhavor Bennett will compete in the triple jump, while the University of Texas’ Shaiquan Dunn qualified for both the shot put and discus throw. The University of Oregon’s Kobe Lawrence will also compete in the shot put, while defending national champion Ralford Mullings of the University of Oklahoma, USC’s Racquil Broderick and Kansas State’s Ricardo Hayles will line up for the discus throw.