Grant, Myrie and Wilson scored more than half of the Tigers Women's points in Louisville.
Kiara Grant, Oneka Wilson and Ockera Myrie accounted for more than half of Clemson University Women's 68 points at the Atlantic Coast Conference championship that concluded in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday night.
Together, the three Jamaicans scored 36 points that went a long way to putting the Tigers' women into the top three schools in the conference.
Grant, a senior at Clemson, won the 60m dash in 7.19 in a blanket finish with FSU’s Dajaz Defrand. The two women crossed the line together but the Jamaica was deemed to have 0.005s faster.
Georgia’s Sheleah Harris was third in 7.35.
Myrie was fifth in 7.38.
The winning time was outside Grant’s conference record of 7.11 but earned 10 points for her school. Myrie’s fifth-place finish earned two points for Clemson that finished third in the women’s championship.
Grant would add an additional four points finishing fourth in the 200m in a personal best 23.43. Her placing meant Clemson picked up 14 points from the race won by Ockera Myrie.
Myrie clocked a personal best 23.08, which broke Savannah Sutherland’s facility record of 23.66 set earlier in the season.
Dafrand won her second silver medal running 23.10 for the runner-up spot.
Halle Bieber won the bronze medal in 23.31.
Oneka Wilson, meanwhile, a freshman at Clemson, won the 60m hurdles in 8.12, a personal best that broke the facilities record of 8.20 set by Michigan’s Aasia Laurencin earlier this season.
Her teammate Antoinette Van De Merwe made it a Tigers 1-2 finishing second in 8.23s, a personal best.
Alexandra Webster of Florida State University came in third in 8.26.
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Carey McLeod leaps to national title, Nickisha Pryce fastest into 400m final of Day Three of Jamaica National Championships
Day three of the Jamaica National Championships at the National Stadium in Kingston on Saturday saw some thrilling performances, headlined by Carey McLeod's victory in the men's long jump and Nickisha Pryce's impressive run in the 400m semi-finals.
McLeod clinched the men's long jump title with a leap of 8.38m but the highlight of the event was Shawn-D Thompson's dramatic qualification for the Paris Olympic Games. Thompson, who previously had a personal best of 8.13m from 2019 and a season’s best of 7.93m, saved his best for last. He produced a massive 8.30m effort in the final round, securing second place and a spot on the Olympic team.
Thompson's jump initially seemed to be a foul, but after review, it was deemed valid. His final leap pushed national record holder and two-time World Championships medallist Tajay Gayle out of contention. Wayne Pinnock finished third with an 8.27m effort.
Nickisha Pryce, competing in Jamaica for the first time since setting a national record at the NCAA Championships, dominated the women’s 400m semi-finals. Pryce clocked 49.63 seconds, the fastest time heading into Sunday's final. Pryce, who also set the NCAA record with 48.89 seconds, was the only Jamaican to run under 50.00 seconds on Saturday.
Barbados' Sada Williams posted a season’s best of 49.80 seconds, while Junelle Bromfield achieved a lifetime best of 50.74 seconds, meeting the Olympic qualifying standard. Stacey-Ann Williams ran 50.93 seconds, with veteran Stephenie-Ann McPherson recording her fastest time in two years at 51.10 seconds. Ashley Williams (51.16s), Charokee Young (51.58s), and Shaquena Foote (51.62s) also made it to the final.
The men's 110m hurdles final on Sunday promises a thrilling showdown, with the last two Olympic champions, Hansle Parchment and Omar McLeod, and Commonwealth Games champion Rasheed Broadbell, all qualifying from Saturday’s semi-finals. The trio will compete for the three spots on the Jamaican team for the Olympic Games in August.
The women’s 100m hurdles semi-finals saw World Champion Danielle Williams and Olympic bronze medallist Megan Tapper advancing to Sunday's final. Ackera Nugent led the qualifiers with a season’s best of 12.46 seconds followed by Williams at 12.57 seconds and Tapper, running with a sore hamstring at 12.71 seconds.
Oneka Wilson of Clemson University clocked a personal best of 12.76 seconds, a similar time as Demisha Roswell, while 2019 World Championships finalist Janeek Brown (12.83s) and Amoi Brown (12.86s) also advanced.
Notably, national record holder and World Championships silver medallist Britany Anderson, running in Jamaica for the first time since 2022, failed to get past the semi-finals.
The action-packed day set the stage for an exciting final day of competition on Sunday, with several athletes looking to secure their places for the Paris Olympic Games.
LSU's Brianna Lyston, Clemson's Oneka Wilson lead Caribbean charge into NCAA Nationals
Jamaica’s Brianna Lyston spearheaded an impressive contingent of Caribbean athletes into the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships following stellar performances at the NCAA East Regionals on Saturday.
Lyston, a sophomore at Louisiana State University, marked her 20th birthday on Friday with a standout performance, winning her 100m heat in a swift 10.99 seconds. She continued her impressive form by qualifying for the 200m with a time of 22.82 in her heat, securing her place at the national championships.
Joining Lyston is fellow Jamaican Shenese Walker from Florida State University, who clocked a personal best of 11.09 to finish third in the same 100m heat.
Antigua's Joella Lloyd also shone brightly, advancing to the national championships by finishing third in her 100m heat with a time of 11.06. Lloyd's qualification highlights the growing presence of Caribbean athletes in top-tier collegiate track and field competitions.
Clemson University’s Oneka Wilson delivered a personal best of 12.79 to win her 100m hurdles heat, showcasing her exceptional hurdling skills and securing her spot in the national championships.
Additionally, Onieka McAnuff of the University of Kentucky set a lifetime best of 51.70 in the 400m to qualify for nationals, demonstrating remarkable endurance and speed.
In the field events, Roschell Clayton of Villanova cleared 1.84 meters in the high jump, earning her place at the nationals with a strong performance.
These athletes will now compete at the NCAA Division I Outdoor National Track and Field Championships, set to be held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, from June 5-8, 2024. Their outstanding performances at the NCAA East Regionals highlight the Caribbean's rich track and field legacy and promise thrilling competition at the national championships.
Next time I touch the 100m: Kerley has sights set on Bolt’s world record
2022 World 100m champion Fred Kerley has his sights set on Usain Bolt’s 15-year-old 100m World Record.
In fact, the 29-year-old says that the next time he does the event, he will become the fastest man ever.
“World record next time I touch the 100m,” Kerley said on Twitter on Tuesday.
Usain Bolt’s mark stands at an incredible 9.58 done to win his maiden World Championship gold medal at the Berlin World Championships on August 16, 2009.
Bolt is the only man to ever run faster than 9.60 with Tyson Gay and Yohan Blake the only other men to run sub 9.70.
Gay and Blake both have a personal best of 9.69 to be joint-second on the all-time list.
Kerley, one of the only athletes ever to go sub-10 in the 100m, sub-20 in the 200m and sub-44 in the 400m, has a personal best of 9.76 done at the World Championships in 2022 in Eugene where he went on to claim 100m gold.
His time puts him in a three-way tie for sixth all-time alongside countrymen Christian Coleman and Trayvon Bromell.
Asafa Powell (9.72), Justin Gatlin (9.74) and Ferdinand Omanyala (9.77) make up the top ten.
This season, Kerley has competed four times in the 100m. He opened his season with a win at the Hurricane Invitational on March 16 in Coral Gables, Florida with 10.03 and followed that up at the same venue on April 6 in the Hurricane Alumni Invitational with 10.11 to also come out on top.
Kerley then competed at the season’s first two Diamond League events in Xiamen and Suzhou on April 20 and 27, respectively. He first ran 10.17 to finish second in Xiamen before running 10.11 for third in Suzhou.
He most recently competed at the Jamaica Athletics Invitational on May 11 where he ran 20.17 to finish second in the men’s 200m.
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