The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

GRAND Bahamian jumper Holland Martin and sprinter Tynia Gaither led a list of Bahamians competing in various collegiate meets in the United States over the weekend by snatching a victory and a runner-up position in their respective events.

Competing at the University of New Mexico Collegiate Classic, Martin soared 25-05 ½ or 7.06 metres to win the men’s long jump. Competing in flight two, Martin posted his winning mark on his fifth attempt. After he fouled his first attempt, he got on the scoreboard with his leap of 24-2 ¼ (7.37m) on his second attempt. However, he fouled his third, fourth and six attempts.

He needed to soar 26-11 3/4 (8.22m) to qualify for the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, March 17-20.

Kelsey Daniels of New Mexico Junior College, who trailed with 24-11 (7.59m) on his final attempt, got second, just ahead of third place finisher Seaneke Abraham, who did 24-10 (7.57m) on his fifth jump.

At the Charlie Thomas Invitational at the Bryan College-Station in Texas, Gaither, competing for Adidas, clocked a season’s best of 23.32 for second place in the women’s 200m final. The race was won by Laila Owens, a freshman at Texas A&M, in 23.28. Unfortunately, the 200m is no longer contested at the World Indoor Championships as World Athletics banned it in Budapest, Hungary, in 2002 because they felt it was too predictable to the competitor who drew the outside lane in the one lap race on the 200m track.

Dominic Demeritte went down in history as the last male champion, setting a Bahamian national record of 20.66 at the Budapest Championships on March 7. However, Grand Bahamian Demetrius Pinder shattered that mark on February 3, 2012, at the New Mexico Classic.

Camille Rutherford, a freshman at the University of Houston, placed second in the women’s 60m in 7.31. She had the second fastest qualifying time of 7.42. Rayniah Jones, a sophomore at the University of South Carolina, won the race in a personal best of 7.23.

Rutherford’s cousin, Alexis Tilford-Rutherford, also a freshman at the University of Houston, placed third in the women’s long jump with 19-0 (5.79m). They are the daughters of brothers Chad and Frank Rutherford.

Frank Rutherford won the first Olympic Games track and field meet in the men’s triple jump with a bronze in 1992 in Barcelona, Spain.

Ingeborg Gruenwald, a sophomore at UTSA, won with 20-10 (6.35m), while Samiyah Samuels, competing unattached, was second with 19-2 ½ (5.85m).