Jamaica and St Lucia sweep top US college track awards

Jaydon Hibbert and St Lucian Julien Alfred swept the top prizes at Thursday night’s Bowerman Awards in the United States. Hibbert, an 18-year-old triple jumper from Kingston and the University of Arkansas, was named the most outstanding male track and field athlete of 2023 and Alfred, a super sprinter for the University of Texas, took the women’s award.

The presentation was staged by the USA Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association in Colorado.

Hibbert went to Arkansas from Kingston College as the 2022 World Under-20 champion but nothing prepared him for a 2023 campaign that saw him win NCAA titles indoors with a world under-20 record of 17.54 metres and outdoors, while along the way bouncing to the best jump in the world – 17.87m.

“This moment is truly a dream come true and I could say that it definitely made up for what happened in Budapest,” Hibbert said with reference to injury troubles he endured at the World Championships in the Hungarian capital.

He then recognised the presence and contribution of his long-time supporter Ricky Martin.

Alfred won the 100m at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games while attending St Catherine High School before going to Texas. This year, she anchored the Longhorns to the NCAA team title with a super sprint double. Her 2023 portfolio includes eight legal sub-11 times for the 100m, headed by a personal best 10.83 seconds, and a benchmark best of 21.91 seconds for the 200. Like Hibbert, she was also successful at the NCAA Indoors where she won both the 60m dash and the 200m.

In her acceptance speech, Alfred hailed Texas head coach Edrick Floreal.

GRATEFUL

“Through it all, you were there. You’ve been a dad, a mentor, a friend, a coach and I’ll always be grateful for you,” she said while fighting back tears.

Speaking at the PA Benjamin Wesley Powell Excelsior Track Meet on December 9, St Catherine High School coach Marlon James praised his former charge. He reckons she is on the cusp of challenging the great female sprinters at next year’s Olympics.

“She’s right there, from that 11.5 at St Catherine right down there with the big ladies,” he said, “so it’s excellent and I’m just wishing her all the best for the upcoming Olympic season. I mean, that’s the ultimate, and I believe she will be fit and ready to take on the challenges of those senior athletes.”

Both Bowerman winners competed at the 19th World Athletics Championships in Budapest with Hibbert leading all qualifiers with the longest jump in the meet at 17.70m before injury stopped him in the first round of the final and with Alfred reaching both sprint finals.

Alfred has completed her collegiate eligibility. However, she continues to train in Texas under Floreal’s guidance. Hibbert has just begun his second year at Arkansas with Travis Geopfert directing his workouts.