Jamaicans shine at Junior College Champs

JAMAICAN athletes picked up six wins at the three-day National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) Track and Field Championships, which ended in Hobbs, New Mexico, at the weekend. There were three field event victories and three on the track.

The first Jamaican win came on Thursday’s opening day of competition when former Edwin Allen High School  athlete Ishna James, competing for Odessa College, produced a personal-best 6.32 metres to win the women’s long jump. James, who was on course for a top-three finish in the heptathlon after four events, had to withdraw from the 100m hurdles after picking up a hamstring injury following the long jump final.

Former Holmwood Technical jumper Celine Riddle, competing for Barton County College, finished second with 6.29m.

James’ former teammate at Edwin Allen, Deijanea Bruce, who also attends Odessa College, picked up a win in the triple jump. Aided by a positive wind of 2.8 metres per second (mps), she won the event with a distance of 13.13m. Riddle ended third with 12.92m, aided by a positive wind of 3.3mps.

Former Kingston College high jumper Aaron McKenzie picked up the third field event win at the meet by a Jamaican. Competing for New Mexico College, he  cleared a winning height of 2.12m in the high jump. Former Jamaica College jumper Chavez Penn, representing Barton County College, ended second with 2.07m.

All three wins on the track came in hurdles events. Former St Catherine High hurdlerAsharriaUlett, aided by a 6.8mps  wind and competing for Barton County College, captured the 100m hurdles in 12.89 seconds while former Green Island High athlete DayneaColstock of Hinds Community College was third in 13.10.

Former Calabar High  hurdlerShaquane Gordon, competing for Odessa College, raced to victory in the 10m hurdles in 13.04. He was  aided by a 4.1mps wind. Matthew Sullivan, Camperdown High past student now representing  Hinds Community College, finished third in 13.28.

Another former Calabar hurdler, Shadane Smith, also picked up a win. Competing for Hinds Community College, Smith stopped the clock at 50.19 to capture the 400m hurdles. Jamaican athletes completed a podium sweep in the event, with Richard Hall, formerly of Excelsior High, and competing for Central Arizona College, finishing second in 50.42, while third went to former St Elizabeth Technical High  athleteBarrain Smith of Odessa College in 51.23.

Cindy Rose and Terrica Clarke, two former Holmwood athletes,  finished second and third, respectively, in the women’s 800m. Rose, representing Indian Hills, was second in 2:13.93, while Clarke of Butler College finished third in 2:15.43.

Former Excelsior High sprinter Damor Miller, competing for Indian Hills, had a third-place finish in the  200m in 20.15. He was aided by a positive wind of 4.8mps.

Raheim Scott, the former Rusea’s High  quarter-miler, closed out another top-three finish for the Jamaicans. Competing for New Mexico College, he finished third in the men’s 400m in 46.47.