Nugent leads the way as Jamaicans shine on final day of NCAA Champs

Ackera Nugent was the star as Jamaican female athletes had a good showing on Saturday’s final day of competition of the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Austin, Texas.

Nugent clocked a wind-aided 12.25 seconds to win the women’s 100m hurdles, while there were top three finishes for Ackelia Smith, Lamara Distin, Kevona Davis and Nickisha Pryce.

In what was the race of the championships, University of Arkansas’ Nugent, aided by a positive wind of 3.8 metres per second (mps), clocked the fastest-ever collegiate time under any conditions. The former Excelsior High student ran a very strong second half of the race to hold off the fast-finishing Masai Russell (12.32) of the University of Kentucky and Louisiana State University’s Alia Armstrong, who was third in 12.49.

Nugent, who also defeated Russell to win the indoor 60m hurdle final earlier this year, praised her coach for her big win. “It feels amazing to know that I have trusted God and have trusted my coach and I followed his instructions very, very well. To be able to follow those instructions and see the time, I feel very pleased,” said Nugent, who added that she had to refocus after running in the 4x100m earlier. Her team placed fourth.

Pryce, a former Vere Technical student who also attends the University of Arkansas, continued her big improvement in the 400m this season after finishing third in the one-lap event in a personal-best 50.23 seconds to be the second-fastest Jamaican female in the event this season. Rhasidat Adeleke of the University of Texas created a big upset by defeating Briton Wilson of the University of Arkansas to win in a meet record of 49.20 as Wilson had to settle for second in 49.64. Pryce was also a member of her college’s 4x400m team which won in 3:24.05 minutes.

Davis, the former Edwin Allen star, produced her best showing since at the college level with a third-place finish in the 200m in 22.03 seconds (aided by a of 2.5mps wind) and fifth in the 100m in 11.03 seconds, helped by a positive 2.2mps wind. Her teammate at the University of Texas, Julien Alfred, copped the sprint double, winning the 100m in 10.72 and the 200m in 21.88. Both sprinters had earlier helped their team to victory in the 4x100m in 41.60 seconds, just outside the collegiate record of 41.55 they set in the semi-finals.

Both Distin and Smith had second-place finishes in their events. Distin of Texas A&M cleared 1.87m as Chantilly Griffiths of Ball State won with a personal best of 1.93m.

After her success in the long jump, Smith, another former Edwin Allen High standout, produced a personal best of 14.54m in the triple jump, but the University of Texas jumper had to settle for second. Defending champion Jasmine Moore of the University of Florida who lost her long jump title to Smith, won with a personal-best and meet record 14.78m. Smith is Jamaica’s leader in the event this season, just ahead of Shanieka Ricketts. Ricketts has a season’s best of 14.53m.

Lashanna Graham, a former Edwin Allen High athlete, produced a personal best in the 400m hurdles. Competing for Clemson University, she finished sixth in 55.59 seconds. Savannah Sutherland of Michigan created a major upset to win in a personal-best 54.45 seconds as collegiate leader and defending champion Wilson had to settle for seventh in 55.92.