The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Devynne Charlton posted a Purdue University and national record in finishing as runner-up ahead of fellow Bahamian Pedrya Seymour from the University of Illinois in the women’s 60-meter hurdles final on Saturday at the NCAA Championships.

The two led a field of five Bahamians competing in the two-day meet at the Gilliam Indoor Stadium in College Station, Texas. The others were Danielle Gibson at Penn State in the women’s triple jump, Kaiwan Culmer for the University of Nebraska in the men’s triple jump and Auburn’s Teray Smith in the men’s 200m.

While Charlton completed her senior year for the Boilermakers by clocking 9.93 seconds to break the two records by 0.04 seconds, Seymour turned in a personal best of 9.97 for third in the race.

It was won by Sasha Wallace of Oregon in 7.90, just 0.03 seconds ahead of Charlton, who led through the first four hurdles. After clipping it, Wallace was able to surge ahead for the close victory.

Charlton, 21, admitted that the clip cost her big time.

“I think I had a pretty good race technically,” said Charlton, who earned her first team All-America honours, her second in the event after finishing third last year. “It all came down to that fourth hurdle. I think without that it would have been a near perfect race.”

Back at full strength after going down with a back injury last year at the completion of indoors, she said she knew it was her last chance to do something big in a Purdue uniform indoors so she tried to make it her best race ever.

“I was disappointed to finish second. I saw the time and thought about all that it stood for,” said Charlton, the St Augustine’s College graduate whose parents Laura and David Charlton were in the stands. “I have mixed emotions at this point, but I’m still content with what I did.

“I am happy with the team because our goal was to be top 15 and we met that goal. I think for us to be that good indoors is big because we’re a much better outdoor team. I think outdoors we’ll only get better.”

Purdue, coached by Bahamians Lonnie Greene (head) and Norbert Elliot (assistant) saw their women finish with 12 points and tied for 14th in the country, the most points at the national meet in school history and the second highest finish.

“I thought we competed well,” Greene said. “Savannah (Carson) yesterday in the long jump and Devynne today helped us have a good indoor campaign. Two more points would have gotten us 10th, but I’m pleased with our performance.”

Seymour’s third place finish was the third All-American honours of her career and the best by an Illini since 2003. Her performance helped Illini to place 36th overall in the 60-team field.

“Making it to nationals indoor is huge because indoor is really competitive and to place third is special,” said Seymour, who is coming off her breakout year as a novice in the high honours in 2016 competing at the IAAF World Indoors and after a spill in the NCAA Outdoor Nationals, went on to finish fourth in the 100m hurdles final at the Olympic Games.

“I’m grateful that I was able to line up with great hurdlers who are ranked nationally and internationally. I was really pleased with my start because that’s usually my weakest part of the race. It was a great run; and I’m exceptionally proud of the work Coach Gillon and I have put in to make this happen.”

Seymour lauded

Randy Gillon, the Associate head coach at Illinois, said Seymour did a very good job.

“In her run yesterday, there was a little bit of nerves that had to be worked out,” he said. “We had a good conversation after the semifinal race to set her up for today; and she did a great job coming back. I’m really proud of the way she carried herself. It’s the sign of champion that she was able to gather herself and come back to place third.”

The third-place finish is the best by an Illini since Stephanie Richartz took third in the pole vault in 2015, and the best in the 60m hurdles since Illini event record-holder Perdita Felicien placed third in the 2003 final.

The All-America finish is the third of 21-year-old Seymour’s career after the redshirt junior earned All-America honors in both the 60m hurdles and 100m hurdles last season.

Illinois’ head coach Ron Garner joined in singing the praises of Seymour.

“It’s fantastic for the program,” he said. “She’s been an ambassador for Illinois for the past year. After her success last year, to come back and have the indoor season she’s had is an incredible accomplishment.”

Seymour, a graduate of St Anne’s High School, is the daughter of Pedro and Cecily Seymour.

Gibson eighth place

Dannielle Gibson, in her final NCAA Indoor Championships, finished with an All-American honors with a leap of 43’-5” (13.23m) to become just the third Penn State women to earn All-American honors in the triple jump.

“It was a great atmosphere to be amongst such high caliber athletes,” Gibson said. “My performance was not what I wanted because I’m capable of so much more. However, I was grateful for the opportunity to compete and perform at this level.”

Gibson, who turns 21 on April 5, said she definitely took a lot from the experience in terms of her mental and physical awareness of her jumps and it’s made her hungrier to compete outdoors.

The St Augustine’s College graduate is the daughter of Dwight and Tami Gibson.

Culmer sixth place

Kaiwan Culmer, a junior at the University of Nebraska, got sixth in the men’s triple jump, posting a best mark of 52-4 1/2 (15.96m) on his final attempt to clinch first-team All-America honors.

He is the first Nebraska men’s triple jumper to achieve indoor first-team All-America honors since Daniel Roper in 2005. His three team points put the Husker men in a tie for 49th to finish the meet.

It was Culmer’s first NCAA Indoor Championships appearance after finishing eighth at the outdoor championships last year to earn his first All-America accolade. This season, Culmer won the triple jump competition in two of the four regular-season meets he competed in.

He cleared at least 50 feet at every meet and his personal best of 52-8 3/4 (16.07m) ranks seventh in school history. Culmer finished fourth at this year’s conference championship after winning the indoor title in 2016.

The 20-year-old Culmer is the son of Kirkland and Eleanor Culmer. He’s following in the footsteps of his big sister, Kenya Culmer, who completed her sting at Southern Illinois in the women’s high jump in 2013.

Smith missed the final

Grand Bahamian Teray Smith, coming of his Olympic Games’ debut last year, finished 13th overall after he was fourth in his heat of the men’s 200m in 20.93.

The 22-year-old senior, the only other Bahamian to compete in the meet, ended up earning his first indoor All-American, a second team honor.

Smith, who made it to the Olympics last year, is the son of Terria Grant.