The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

JUMPERS LaQuan Nairn, Charisma Taylor, Kaiwan Culmer, Daejha Moss, Kyle Alcine and Shaun Miller Jr propelled a series of Bahamian professional and collegiate athletes’ performances in various meets in the United States over the weekend.

Nairn victorious/Taylor double threat in Arkansas

LaQuan Nairn, the national indoor record holder, pulled off a big victory in the men’s long jump to lead a field of Bahamians at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas,

Nairn, now competing on the professional ranks after his graduation from the University of Arkansas, took a giant leap of 26-feet, 7 1/4-inches of 8.11 metres to fall shy of his national record of (8.16m) that he established last year.

Carey McLeod of Tennessee followed Nairn with 26-5 3/4 (8.07m).

Versatile Charisma Taylor also performed extremely well, albeit in her double duties for Tennessee.

Taylor came through in fourth place in the women’s long jump invitational with a leap of 21-feet, 2-inches or 6.45 metres in an event that was won by American Olympian Tara Davis with 22-5 1/4 (6.84m).

On the track in the 60m hurdles, Taylor was fifth in the women’s 60m hurdles in 8.10. Alie Armstrong, a sophomore at Louisiana State University, won the race in a meet and championship record in a personal best and world-leading time of 7.81.

Taylor had the third fastest time in the preliminary rounds in 8.05. Joining her in the rounds was Florida’s senior transfer Sasha Wells, who ended up 12th in 8.48. Wells, who previously competed for Oral Roberts University, had the fastest time of 8.30 in the qualifying rounds.

Also on the field, Kaiwan Culmer returned to the collegiate scene where he came in fourth in the men’s triple jump invitational with a distance of 51-11 (15.82m). Jah-Nhai Perinchiewf of Bermuda won with 55-5 3/4 (16.91m).

And Anthonique Strachan, competing in the women’s 60m open final, was fifth in 7.41. American Mary Beth Sant-Price won the race in 7.04. Jamaicans Shericka Jackson (7.12) and Natasha Morrison (7.35) were second and third respectively, while American Taylor Anderson (7.39) was fourth. Strachan, who trains in Jamaica with the MVP Track Club that includes Jackson and Morrison, advanced to the final with the fourth fastest qualifying time of 7.39.

Miller Jr and Moss in Clemson

Shaun Miller Jr, with his parents May and Shaun Miller Sr in the stands watching, came through with a fifth place finish in the men’s high jump at the 2022 Clemson Tiger Paw at the Clemson University Indoor Complex.

Miller Jr, representing Ohio State as a sophomore, posted a best of 6-11 3/4 for fifth place on the countback with two other competitors.

Dontavious Hill, as junior at Auburn, also had to go to the scorecard to claim the victory over Darius Carbin, competing unattached, after they both cleared 7-3 (2.21m).

Kentucky’s sophomore Megan Moss had to settle for fifth place in the women’s 400m after she clocked 52.74. Her team-mate Alexis Holmes won the event in 51.27.

Moss also led off in a split of 53.22 to help Kentucky’s team win the women’s 4 x 400m relay in 3:27.27. The other members were Abby Steiner, Karimah Davis and Alexis Holmes.

Ohio State’s sophomore Oscar Smith reached the semifinals of the men’s 60m hurdles where he got ninth place in 7.85.

The eighth and final qualifier for the final was Cedric McGriff of North Carolina A&T, who did 7.83.

Smith came out of the preliminaries with the 13th best time of 7.94.

Adrian Curry, also in his sophomore year at Ohio State, finished 30th in the preliminaries of the men’s 60m in 6.92.

Not to be left out, Kentucky’s freshman Jaida Knowles was tagged at 37th in the preliminaries of the women’s 60m in 7.63.

Knowles also came in 57th in the preliminaries of the women’s 200m 24.89.

Her team-mate Abby Steiner, who had a chance to go after the sprint double, posted a new NCAA record of 22.37 to erase the previous mark set by American Olympian Gabby Thomas of 22.38 she set in 2018 for Harvard.

Moss and Alcine shine at Iowa

North Dakota State’s junior sensation Daehja Moss soared to victory in the women’s high jump at the Iowa State Classic at the Harry Hoak Track in Ames, Iowa with a leap of 5-7 3/4 (1.72).

Her closest rival was Southeastern Louisiana’s freshman Katrice Olson with 5-6 1/2 (1.69m).

Moss was also seventh in the long jump with a leap of 18-5 1/4 (5.62m). Khyasia Caldwell, a junior at Texas Christian University, won with 20-5 3/4 (6.24m).

Kyle Alcine, now in his senior year at Kansas State, cleared 6-10 1/4 (2.09m) for second place in the men’s high jump as he lost out to his sophomore teammate Devon Richardson, the winner with 7-0 1/4 (2.14m). Also at the meet, Kayvon Stubbs, a senior at Drake University, was third in the women’s 200m in 25.04, while Tyler Gray, a sophomore at Northern Iowa, had to settle for eighth place in 25.45.

Emily Vos, a sophomore at Northern Iowa, won the event in 24.76.

Gray and Angel Pratt, a freshman at North Dakota State, were also entered in the women’s 400m, but they both didn’t finish. Gray, however, came and ran on the third leg of the Northern Iowa women’s 4 x 400m relay team of Auriona Kimbrough, Emily Vos and Erin Kertrnoff that placed fifth overall in 3:52.15.