The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

STRONG woman Serena Brown, triple jumpers Charisma Taylor, Tamar Greene and Laquan Nairn, sprinters Samson Colebrooke, Terrance Jones, Brianne Bethel and Camille Rutherford and quarter-miler Megan Moss all booked their tickets to the 2021 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Outdoor Championships.

The nine athletes’ performances came over the weekend as they now head to Eugene, Oregon, June 9-12, to bring the curtain down on the division one college track and field championships.

Two other athletes, quarter-miler Donesha Anderson and sprinter Adrian Curry also advanced as members of their respective women's 4 x 400m and men's 4 x 100m relay teams.

Brown, Taylor, Nairn, Jones, Bethel and Rutherford advance

At the NCAA West Preliminaries at the Bryan-College Station in Texas, Iowa’s junior Serena Brown and Washington State’s sophomore Charisma Taylor shared the two best performances by the Bahamian contingent.

Brown produced a third place finish in the women’s discus with a season’s best of 196-2 (59.81m) to qualify for the NCAA Championships.

It was listed as her personal best, but it was shy of her Bahamian national record of 60.39m that she posted at the Texas Relay in 2018.

Equally of note was Taylor, who popped a lifetime best of 44.8 3/4 (13.63m) for third in her flight of the women’s triple jump for a third place finish with her NCAA Championship berth.

Deborah Acquah, a junior at Texas A&M, had the best jump of 45.1/2 (13.72m).

Laquan Nairn, in his senior year at Arkansas, soared a lifetime best of 52-8 (16.05m) for ninth place in the men’s triple jump to clinch his berth in the NCAA Championships.

The top performance came from Emmanuel Ihemeje, a freshman at Oregon, who posted a personal best and facility record of 55-8 1/2 (16.98m).

In his bid for a double dose of competition at the championships, Nairn missed out on his attempt at the men’s long jump where he could only muster a best of 24-3 1/2 (7.40m) for 27th place.

Grand Bahamian Terrance Jones, a freshman at Texas Tech, was a ray of hope for the male sprinting core as he ran a personal best of 20.36 for third in his heat and fifth overall in the men’s 200m to also advance to the NCAA Championships.

The top qualifier was Shaun Maswanganyi, a freshman at the University of Houston, in a personal best time of 20.19.

University of Houston’s junior Brianne Bethel clocked 11.27 for third in her heat and fourth overall to move onto the NCAA Championships, along with freshman Camille Rutherford, who was fourth in her heat for 7th overall in 11.37. The top qualifier was Twanisha Taylor, a senior at the University of South Carolina (USC) in a personal best, college leading mark and new facility record in 10.89. Bethel, a Grand Bahamian native, came back in the women’s 200m and earned her second spot in the NCAA Championships with her second place in her heat in 22.78 for third overall.

Rutherford was sixth in her heat in 23.58 for 20th overall, but she didn’t move on.

Terry got her second top qualifier with another personal best and facility record of 22.54.

Wells, Gibson, Alcine and Smith fell short

In other events on the women’s side, Oral Roberts’ duo Sasha Wells and Gabrielle Gibson both came in sixth in their respective heats in the women’s 100m hurdles for 18th and 19th respectively.

Neither, however, ran fast enough to move on to Oregon as Wells, in her senior year, closed out her collegiate career with a time of 13.45, while Gibson, a junior, did 13.56.

Other men’s events saw Kyle Alcine, a junior at Kansas State, clear just 6-11 (2.11m) for a tied 11th place with Mason Buckmaster, a senior at Texas Christian University.

Justice Summerset, a senior at Arizona State, won with 7-2 1/4 (2.19m).

Shakeem Smith, a senior at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) got eliminated with a false start in the men’s 110m hurdles.

Moss, Greene and Samson qualify

At the NCAA East Preliminary at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida, University of Kentucky’s sophomore Megan Moss continue to turn the burners on, lowering her lifetime best for the second time in the meet by running 52.13 for third in her heat of the women’s 400m and 12th overall to advance to the NCAA Championships.

Natassha McDonald had the fastest qualifying time of 51.03 for a new facility record.

Moss and the University of Kentucky finished third in their heat of the women’s 4 x 100m relay in a season’s best of 43.70 for the sixth fastest time to qualify for the NCAA Championships.

The other members of the team were Shadajah Ballard, Celera Barnes and Dajour Moss.

The coaching staff at the University of Kentucky, by the way, is headed by Bahamian Rolando ‘Lonnie’ Greene, a former versatile athlete from AF Adderley High School with Golden Girl Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie as an assistant coach.

Tamar Greene, a junior at Purdue University, made the 12th and final cut for the NCAA Championships with his leap of 52-2 (15.90m).

The top qualifier was Tennessee State’s senior R’Lazron Brumfield with a season’s best of 53-11 3/4 (16.44m).

Purdue’s Samson Colebrooke, who has qualified for the Olympic Games, didn’t fare as well in the men’s 100m quarterfinals, finishing 20th overall in 10.21 as he missed the top eight cut to advance to the NCAA Championships.

JoVaughn Martin, a sophomore at Florida State, was the qualifier in 9.97.

Colebrooke, however, bounced back in the men’s 200m and secured his spot at the NCAA Championships when he finished 11th in a season’s best of 20.50.

Terrace Laird, a junior at Louisiana State University, had the fastest qualifying time of 19.94.

Colebrooke also led the Purdue men’s 4 x 100m relay team of Malcolm Dotson, Justin Becker and Marcellus Moore to fifth place as they clocked 39.06 to advance to the NCAA Championships.

Ohio State's sophomore Adrian Curry teamed up with Tyler Johnson, Kainnan Ramsey and Harrison in the 4×100 relay sixth overall in 39.10.

And Doneisha Anderson was a part of Florida's No.1 seeded women's 4 x 400m relay team that took the top qualifying spot in a facility record time of 3:27.51. The other members of the team were Taylor Manson, Sterling Lester and Talitha Diggs.

North Carolina A&T was the winner in 38.54.

The Bahamian duo at Purdue is coached by Bahamian Norbert Elliott, a former NCAA triple jumper at UTEP and Olympian.

Etienne and Coakley miss cut

Indiana University’s junior Jyles Etienne produced a season’s best of 7-1 (2.16m), but it was only good enough for 17th place as he failed to qualify for the NCAA Championships.

Allen Gordon, a junior at Ole Miss, won the competition with 7-2 1/4 (2.19m).

Xavier Coakley, a senior at the University of Miami, was 21st in the men’s 110m hurdles in 14.06, but he too didn’t move onto Oregon.

Cartwright triple threat at NCAA DII

At the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships at the Grand Valley State Track and Field Stadium, freshman Denisha Cartwright was a workhorse for Minnesota State made her presence felt in the women’s 100m hurdles, 100m and 200m as well as the 4 x 100m relay.

In the 100m hurdles, Cartwright cleared the 10 flights of hurdles in 13.58 for third place. Melonie Welsing, a sophomore at Queen’s, won in 13.43 and Jaylah Walker, a junior at Azusa Pacific, was second in 13.47.

Cartwright also got seventh in the 200m in 23.92 with Hiba Mahgoub, a senior at NW Missouri, winning the half-lap race in 23.25.

In the 100m, Cartwright had to settle for eighth place in 12.04. Rajiah Andrews, a sophomore at Tiffin University, won the century in 11.98.

Cartwright anchored Minnesota’s 4 x 100m relay team of Makayla Jackson, Ja’Cey Simmons and Grace Hartman to second place in 44.87 as Grand Valley State took the tape in 44.86.

Sands closes out at NAIA Championships

Life University’s senior Bria Sands completed her career with an 11th place in the women’s high jump on Friday with a best of 5-4 1/2 (1.64m).

Winning the title was Indiana Wesleyan’s senior Janae Moffitt with 5-6 (1.73m).

Sands, the sister of Bahamian Olympic bronze medalist and national male triple jump record holder, also competed in the triple jump on Thursday where she was second with 41-0 1/2 (12.51m) after she won the long jump with 20-2 1/2 (6.16m) on Wednesday.

Sands, the sister of Bahamian Olympic bronze medalist and national male triple jump record holder, had qualified for the championships last year, but skipped the meet due to the death of her father, Leevan Sands Sr.

Campbell leave her mark

Wayland Baptist’s senior Coshan Campbell got sixth in the women’s 800m in 2:14.62. The winning time was 2:09.53 by Emma Mott, a junior at Bethel (Indiana).

Campbell also anchored Wayland Baptist women’s 4 x 400m relay team to victory in 3:42.76. The other members of the team were Argyanna Bolton, Safia Bright and Raheema Westfall.

Consolation for Deveaux

Indiana Tech’s Antonishka Deveaux also got a piece of the action at the championships, placing sixth in her heat of the women’s 200m in 24.65 for 21st overall as she didn’t advance to the final.

Deveaux, however, got some consolation as she anchored Indiana Tech women’s 4 x 100m relay team to a third place finish in 45.79. The other members of the team were Sha’londa Terry, Soyinne Grenyion and Derica Gibson.

William Carey won the race in 45.51, followed by Wayland Baptist in 45.73.

In the preliminaries, the same quartet of Terry, Grenyion, Gibson and Deveaux won their heat in 40.70 seconds for the third fastest time to advance to the final.