The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THREE throwers and four quarter-milers all booked their tickets for a trip to Eugene, Oregon, to compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Outdoor Track and Field Championships June 10-13.

The seven athletes - throwers Calea Jackson, Keyshawn Strachan and Kaden Cartwright and quarter-milers Javonya Valcourt, Quincy Penn, Lacarthea Cooper and Collinique Farrington - earned their berths as they were among a list of Bahamians competing at the NCAA East and West First Round at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky, and the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. 

Meanwhile at the Rabat Diamond League in Morocco on Sunday, Bahamian elite athletes, high hurdler Devynne Charlton and quarter-miler Shaunae Miller-Uibo, got second and fourth respectively in their various events. 

NCAA East First Round

In Lexington, Kentucky at the home of the Wildcats, coached by Greene, Jackson, a junior at the University of Miami, threw a lifetime best of 191-feet, two-inches or (8.26 metres for second in the women's discus on her attempt to secure her ticket to the final. "I felt good about the performance overall, I expected to do well of course but I surpassed my own expectations," said Jackson, who was well over her previous personal best of 176-1 (53.68m). 

Now Jackson said she's eager to see what she can do in two weeks.  

"The plan for the championship is to just work on being consistent so that I can execute again," she said. "I know as long as I focus on my technical cues will result in everything I’m supposed to do."

In the women's 400m, Valcourt, a senior at Tennessee, lowered her lifetime best to 50.26 in winning her heat for the third fastest qualifying time for the championships, while Penn, a junior at Florida, was second in her heat in 50.78 to also qualify in the number seven spot. 

Valcourt ran a previous personal best of 50.57 for the second fastest time to advance out of the preliminaries, along with Penn, who was eighth in 51.14.

Cartwright, a freshman at Mississippi State, booked his ticket to the men's javelin final with his eighth place overall with a toss of 225-8 (68.78m) on the last of his three throws.

In the men's discus throw, Northwestern State senior Tarajh Hudson just missed qualifying for the final after he placed 14th with his best heave of 185-7 (56.57m) in the second of his three tries.

Back on the track, Oscar Smith, a senior at Louisiana Tech, fell short by one spot in qualifying for the men's 110m hurdles with his 13th place in 13.55. Tahj Brown, a freshman at Liberty, was 23rd in 14.04.

Wayna McCoy, in his senior year at Florida, advanced in the preliminaries with the eighth fastest time or 20.37, but he didn't compete in the quarterfinals.

Grand Bahamian Shatalya Dorsett, a junior at Georgia Southern, was 31st in the preliminaries of the women's 200m, but didn't advance.

NCAA West First Round

At the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Keyshawn Strachan, the national record holder and a junior at Nebraska, advanced to the men's javelin final with his second place finish with 249-4 (76.00m) on his first attempt. 

Antone Smith, a freshman at Arizona, also advanced to the final of the men's triple jump with his best leap of 54-5 1/2 (16.59m) on his first attempt.

On the track, Lacarthea Cooper, the senior at Texas A&M, clocked 51.53 for third in her heat and seventh overall, while Collinique Farrington, the senior at Texas Tech, was third in her heat as well in 51.89 to also advance to the championships. 

Cooper advanced out of the preliminaries with the seventh fastest time of 51.61 and Farrington, the Grand Bahamian native, followed her in 15th place in 52.30.

Paige Archer, a junior at Texas State, was 37th overall in the preliminaries of the women's 200, in 23.85, but she also didn't advance.

Back on the field, Taysha Stubbs, a freshman at Nebraska, didn't advance after she was 22nd in the women's javelin with her best heave of 156-4 (47.67m) on her third attempt.

Rabat Diamond

League

Devynne Charlton, the two-time world indoor champion and record holder, was second in the women's 100m hurdles in 12.40. She was beaten out by world record holder Tobi Amusan from Nigeria, who posted a meet record in a season's best of 12.28.

”I feel pretty good, I think it has been a bunch of meets and to stay consistent like this, is a big deal early in the season. I had a lot of travel, so to handle that, I took a lot of naps," Charlton said.

"Running those times all around the world is a testament to where I am at training. It was a rough early part of the season but we made it work.

“The goal coming into this outdoor season was to replicate my indoor results outdoors."

Charlton noted that what she's doing in practice is working and so she will take a short break and go back home to continue to train under her Bahamian coach Rolando 'Lonnie' Greene in Lexington, Kentucky before she competes again in Zagreb and Paris Diamond League.

And Shaunae Miller-Uibo, who continues her comeback after having her second child, was fourth in the women's 200m in 22.42.

Americans Cambrea Sturgis and Kayla White got a 1-2 punch in 22.21 and 22.28 (season’s best) with Canadian Audrey Leduc coming in third in 22.41 in another season's best.