Caribbean athletes shine at NCAA Division I Indoor Championships - Day 1

Trinidad's Fana Ashby
Photo: Kurt Morris

by Gary Smith in Arkansas
for Caribbean Net News

Saturday, March 12, 2005

FAYETTEVILLE, USA: On the opening day of competition at the NCAA Division I Indoor Championships on Friday, a number of Caribbean athletes produced sizzling performances to earn All-American honours.

After clocking 23.35sec in her heat, Trinidad and Tobago's Fana Ashby broke her national record to win section one of the two final races, but was edged out by American Tremedia Brice who defeated Grenada's Hazel Regis in the second section to win in 22.90. Competing for Louisiana State University (LSU) Regis registered the second fastest time of her career, 23.10, but had to settle for fourth place overall although she took second in her heat.

Competing for Auburn Fana Ashby is the leading the qualifier in the women's 60-metres dash with a 7.24sec. Also making it to the finals is Jamaica's Sheri-Ann Brooks with a time of 7.29. St. Kitts and Nevis' Tiandra Ponteen leads the qualifiers in the women's 400-metres with a time of 51.62. Joining her in the finals are Regis (51.83), Jamaica's Shevon Stoddart (52.55) and Kineke Alexander of St. Vincent and the Grenadines who clocked a national record of 53.24. Her time is also a national junior record.

In other women's events Kimberli Barrett, of Jamaica attending Miami, won the women's shot put with a heave of 18.10m on her final attempt. Trinidad and Tobago's Candice Scott took third place with a personal best throw of 17.65m.

On the men's side Jamaica's Omar Brown smashed his country's 200-metres indoor record when he finished fifth in the finals in 20.52sec. The race was won by Brown's Arkansas teammate, American sprint sensation Wallace Spearmon Jr. with a stunning 20.10sec. T&T's Damion Barry is through to the finals of men's 400-metres clocking 46.71, but he will have to improve on this time if he hopes for a medal in the finals. Jamaicans Ricardo Chambers (46.79) attending Florida State and LSU's Pete Coley (47.57) just missed making it to the finals.

Trinidad's Sherridan Kirk (1:48.89) and Jamaica's Aldwyn Sappleton (1:49.25) will compete in the finals of the men's 800m. Jamaica's Richard Phillips (7.80) will face the starter in the men's 60-metres hurdles finals but fellow countryman Ricardo Melbourne (7.90sec) of George Mason failed to pass the first stage.

In the men's heptathlon, Jamaica's and Auburn's record holder Maurice Smith holds a 40 point lead over the reigning indoor champion Donovan Kilmartin of Texas. Smith recorded two new indoor bests en route to amassing 3,352 points. In the 60m dash, he won the first heat with his second-best time of the season of 6.99 before leaping a personal indoor best 7.25m in the long jump.

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