12 J'cans book tickets to NCAA Div One Champs
Published:Saturday | May 26, 2018 | 12:00 AMRaymond Graham
Twelve Jamaicans have booked their tickets to the NCAA Division One Track and Field Championships, with five doing so on yesterday's final day of competition at the East preliminary round in Tampa, Florida.
Jeanine Williams, Daeshon Gordon, Sabina Allen ,Tamara Moncrieffe, and Damion Thomas finished in the top 12 following quarter-final-round action. They joined seven other athletes who booked their places on Thursday and Friday.
Both Williams and Gordon clocked the identical time, 13.73 seconds, in the women's 100m metres hurdles. Competing for Northwestern State University, Gordon, who made a move from Louisiana State University (LSU), finished third in her heat and eighth overall. Williams, a former Immaculate High student who now attends Georgia Tech University, was second in her heat and ninth overall.
Following her failure to qualify in the long jump, Allen, a former Vere Technical and St Jago High jumper now attending Campbell University, ended fourth in the women's triple jump with 13.18m. University of Alabama's Moncrieffe, a former Holmwood Technical standout, was fifth overall with 13.11m.
Thomas, the lone male to advance yesterday, did so in the men's 110m hurdles. Competing for LSU, he ended third in his heat in 13.73 seconds to finish fourth overall.
On Friday, the leading Jamaican was former St Jago High 400m runner Nathon Allen, who continued his excellent form this season in the one-lap event after clocking 44.76 to win his heat. Also advancing was Akeem Bloomfield, his teammate at Auburn University. Bloomfield was second to Allen in 44.90. They advanced as the second- and third-fastest qualifiers. Dwight St Hillaire of Kentucky led the way with 44.55.
Also qualifying was Sharika Barnett of the University of Florida (51.46 in 400m); Natalliah Whyte (11.05) and Joniel Smith (11.17) in the 100m; Raheem Chambers (10.15) and Waseem Williams (10.17) in the men's 100m; Andrenette Knight (56.94) in the 400m hurdles; and Gleneive Grange (48.73m) in women's discus.