Five Jamaicans bag wins at NJCAA Champs

Five Jamaicans scored wins at the National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) Track and Field Championships in Monroe, Los Angeles, at the weekend.

Former Edwin Allen High School thrower Christopher Young, competing for Barton County Community College, led the way with two wins and a third-place finish. In a sweep of the three top spots by Jamaicans, Young first captured the shot put event with a heave of 18.76 metres. Trevor Gunzell, another former Edwin Allen athlete now competing for Cofeyville Community College, was second with 18.50m while Denz Simmonds, a Calabar High past student now at Iowa Western Community College, was third with 17.92m.

Young’s second win came in the hammer throw with a distance of 56.01m. He also had a third-place finish in the discus with 57.42m. Gunzell won the event with 58.39m. Yekina Bowen, a former Petersfield High athlete now representing Iowa Western Community College, was second with 57.92m.

Former Enid Bennett High middle distance runner Tyrice Taylor also picked up a win at the meet. Competing for Indian Hills Community College, Taylor stopped the clock at 1:47.97 to capture the 800m final.

There were also top-three finishes for Bovel McPherson, Corey Ottey, Kevroy Venson, and Dishaun Lamb.

McPherson, a former 400m runner at Holmwood Technical, placed second in the one-lap race for New Mexico Community College in 45.86 seconds. Former Calabar jumper Corey Ottey was also second in the high jump, with 2.12m, for Cloud County Community College. Dishaun Lamb, another Calabar past athlete competing for South Plains Community College, was third in the 110m hurdles in 13.87 seconds. Venson was third for Indian Hill Community College in the 1500m in 3:52.31.

Former St Jago High hurdler Safhia Hinds and former Holmwood Technical thrower Cedricka Williams were also winners.

Competing for South Plains Community College, Hinds won the 400m hurdles in 58.31 seconds. Williams captured the women’s discus for Barton County College with a distance of 57.80m.

Two Caribbean athletes who participated at the Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships in Jamaica also had wins at the championships.

Isaiah Patrick of Grenada, who competed for Kingston College, won the 110m hurdles in 13.58 for South Plains Community College. He was also second in the long jump with 7.59m.

Guyanese Trevon Hamer, who competed for Jamaica College, had a win for Barton Community College in the triple jump with a distance of 15.90m.