The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMIAN head coach Rolando ‘Lonnie’ Greene may have had some reservations about running his Bahamian freshman Devynne Charlton in the women’s 200 metres at the Alex Wilson Invitational in South Bend, Indiana, over the weekend.

After her performance, he’s not sure if he wants to second guess any decision he makes with the sprinter in the future.

Charlton, 18, didn’t disappoint Greene, who is assisted by another Bahamian coach, Norbert Elliott.

“It’s great to have a freshman running as well as Devynne did today,” said Greene. “I believe she can run faster and be in the 8.20s for the hurdles, which will set her up perfectly for outdoors. She also took the school record in the 200m. We didn’t plan on her running in it, but she told me she wanted to because she could break the school record, and she did.”

Competing in her specialty to open her spectacular performance, she ran the 60m hurdles preliminaries in a time of 8.45 seconds, which tied her personal best and was good for third and advanced her to the finals.

In the finals, the 2013 St Augustine’s College graduate ran the best race of her career, as she took second place with a time of 8.35 seconds. That time is the third fastest in Purdue history, and she is the first Boilermaker to break 8.40 seconds since Ranay Harvey ran 8.26 seconds in 2009.

Charlton, who was unavailable for comments, competed in the 200m dash following the hurdles and set the Purdue standard. She ran a second-place time of 24.45 seconds. It was just the second time in her career that she competed in the 200m dash, and she broke her PR by 0.60 of a second. Her time broke the school record by 0.05 of a second, which was held by Krissy Liphardt from 2001.

Charlton is one of just two Boilermakers to even crack the programme’s top five in the event since 2001, joining Elise Glass’ 2011 time of 24.83 seconds. Glass’ mark is now sixth.

Charlton’s hurdles time ranks fourth in the conference and 35th in the country. Her 200m time is 16th in the Big Ten.

Charlton and the Boilermakers are now preparing for the Big Ten Championships. The conference meet is scheduled for Friday and Saturday at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.

Carmiesha Cox, the 18-year-old 2013 graduate from Aquinas College, who is also in her freshman year, didn’t compete for the second consecutive meet as the sprinter is still nursing a slight hamstring injury.

NACAC CROSS

COUNTRY:

FERGUSON AND

HINSEY FINISH LAST

THE Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations sent a two-member team to the 2014 NACAC Cross Country Championships held at the Mount Irvine Bay Golf Course in Trinidad & Tobago on Saturday.

The duo of David Ferguson and Dericko Hinsey represented the Bahamas, but neither were able to turn in any performances of note in the event that was marred by the death of Jamaica’s Cavahan McKenzie.

Competing in the men’s 8-kilometre cross country race, Ferguson placed 25th out of a field of 26 competitors in 30 minutes and 24.76 seconds. The winning time was 24:13.86 by American Joseph Gary. Mexican Oscar Matco Ceron Santos got the silver in 24:25.31 and the bronze went to American Gregory Montgomery in 24:32.67. Ryan Cassidy of Canada didn’t finish.

And in the men’s 6k cross country race for juniors, Hinsey ran 26:32.98 to end up at the bottom of the 26-man field. The winning time was 18:11.30 by American Sean McGorty.

Canada’s Ben Flanagan got the silver in 18:25.10 and the bronze was won by American Sam Wharton in 18:29.96.

McKenzie, 18, collapsed while competing in a race at the championship. He was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.