Ncaa

Brown, 22, is the second-fastest Jamaican woman ever over the 100m hurdles by virtue of the 12.40s she ran to win the NCAA national title in June 2019. Only Danielle Williams’ 12.32 is faster.

The University of Arkansas alum goes to MVP International with a stellar collegiate record.

Her 100-meter hurdles time of 12.40 40 is tied for the second-fastest performance in the 100-meter hurdles in NCAA history. Only Briana Rollins’ 12.39 is faster.

In 2019, Brown, a former student at Wolmer’s High School for Girls in Jamaica, was also the SEC Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year and is the only woman in NCAA history with four performances of 12.57 or better in a single season.

Brown, who signed a professional contract with Puma in the summer of 2019, was seventh in the 2019 World Championships finals that featured two other Jamaican women – Williams and Megan Tapper.

At MVP International she joins a number of rising Caribbean track stars including Antigua's Cejhae Green, Teray Smith of the Bahamas as well as fellow Jamaicans Natalliah Whyte and Jonielle Smith, 2019 World Championship sprint relay gold medalist as well as 400m finalists Akeem Bloomfield and Nathon Allen. 

Nugent, 20, who completed her sophomore year at Baylor University in May, ran a personal best of 12.45 at the Big 12 Championships in Lubbock, Texas on May 15.

The time, which she shares with Jamaican champion Britany Anderson, is the sixth-fastest in the world this year. Only Texas Tech’s Demisha Roswell’, who ran 12.44 to beat Nugent at the Big 12 Championships has run faster.

Notwithstanding, what is a significant accomplishment, Nugent is focused on completing her education at Baylor where she is majoring in Psychology.

“Basically, having an education with track is very important, so if I decide to go pro, I’d still be going to school but I have only ran 12.4 once and I haven’t run healthy, so I have decided that I should come back to college and focus on trying to get an outdoor NCAA title,” said the 2021 NCAA National Indoor champion.

Two years of college, she said, have been a great learning experience for her.

“It has taught me a lot. That I need to expect the unexpected, that you will have your highs and lows but you have to get up and do what you have to do, especially not having your family around you, your support system and when you have to put your trust in a coaching staff, a medical team,” she explained.

“It has helped me grow so much. I am more mature and Baylor is helping me grow into the amazing athlete that I think I am today.”

Nugent shut down her season in June after tearing her plantar fascia in regionals earlier this year. The decision saw her miss the NCAA Division I nationals in Oregon and also the Jamaica National Championships at the end of June.

The time, the 14^th fastest in the world this year is the fastest by a Jamaican and is just over half a second shy of Seymour Newman’s national record of 1:45.21 set back in 1977.

The former St Jago athlete held off Sam Whitmarsh of Texas A&M and Georgia’s Claymore Pender, who each ran personal best times of 1:46.09 and 1:46.71 for second and third, respectively in the race where the top-six all produced lifetime best performances.

However, for Anderson, a junior at Mississippi State, this is where his quest to go beyond Newman’s 45-year-old record begins.

“My job here is just now getting started,” he told Sportsmax.TV on Sunday.

“My goal is not only to be the best 800m that passes through Jamaica but also to bring the awareness and the spotlight to the younger generation letting them know that we can be dominant in the 800m as well.

“I will stay humble and work, my times will speak for themselves in due time.”

The 21-year-old Anderson has had to put in the work over the past few years to get to this point where he is within touching distance of the long-standing national record that only a few other Jamaicans like Clive Terrelonge (1:45.44), Mario Watson (1:45.58) and Alex Morgan (1:45.58) have got close to.

“To be great in the 800m there has to be a constant shift in mechanism, being able to run a fast 400m or 200m repeats today and being to hit a steady 10 miles the next morning,” said Anderson who stands at a wiry 1.93m (6’ 4”).

“Not everyone has the same body type or is built the way I am. I stay fit with morning runs and coordinate with my strength coach to get workouts that are going to help me move forward at least two to three times weekly.”

The journey to this point has been difficult but he has never given up hope nor lost sight of his goals as an athlete even when things were not going according to plan while he was at St Jago.

“I started high school running the 400m and the 1500m, taking on the 1500m at champs for my first two years. I made the finals both years but it was constant downhill after that,” he said, explaining that he believes “It was just not my time. I was training to the best of my ability but I wasn’t able to compete at a high level at Champs.”

Notwithstanding those early disappointments, Anderson never gave up and his fortunes began to change when he moved on to Essex County College in the United States.

“I stayed motivated and worked with Coach Andrew Kidd, who helped me develop a strong endurance background. I then went to Coach Lionel Leech at Essex County College. From 1:57-mid, coach got me down to 1:52-low is less than two years,” he said.

“I then made a great decision to attend Mississippi State, the right 800m university where Coach Chris Woods worked tirelessly to get my time down from 1:52 to 1:45 and still in progress in less than two years. That is spectacular.”

He said he has no plans to rest on his ‘spectacular’ progress with his goal now clearly in sight.

“I’ll keep working and I’ll keep working,” he concluded.

Last week, the talented St. Lucian was recognized for outstanding performances in the 60-metre dash, 200-metre dash and as a member the University of Texas’ 4×400m relay team.

Alfred, who celebrates her 19^th birthday on June 10, entered the NCAA Championships as the national leader in the 60-meter dash following a school-record 7.10 she set at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Collegiate Invitational back in January.

In the 200-meter dash, her 22.99 made her the eighth-fastest collegiate competitor in 2020, and the seventh-fastest indoor performer in UT history.

Alfred’s 4×400m relay effort came alongside Brooke Jaworski, Stacey Ann Williams and Kennedy Simon at the Big 12 Indoor Championships.

However, just when it seemed like the St Lucian teen was about to really take off this season, fears over the spread of the Coronavirus COVID19 forced the cancellation of the season, indoors and outdoors.

Winning the awards seemed like the only redeeming outcome for the rapidly rising Longhorn sprinter.

“Earning these three awards means a lot to me because of how far I’ve come,” she told Sportsmax.TV on Wednesday.

“I started school in January 2019 and I only got the chance to compete indoors only once, and later on in my freshman year, I got hurt during regionals.

“For a while I was disappointed in myself and quite often began to have self-doubt. But look at where I am today and look at what I’ve accomplished.”

She might have capable of achieving so much more the NCAA not cancelled the season.

Running healthy since she recovered from a hamstring injury that cut her season short in May 2019, Alfred seemed poised to perform at even higher level for Coach Eldrick Floreal in 2020.

The awards, she says, makes the situation a little easier to accept.

 “Just knowing how hard I’ve worked to come this far and though I never got the chance to reach the level that I was looking forward to the most, which was nationals, I’m just happy that my achievements this season were recognized,” she said.

The owner of national records in the 100m and 200m, Alfred said the honour she treasures the best is the one that represents the event she hates the most.

“All three awards are meaningful to me. However, earning an all American honour in the 4x400m means a lot to me because as everyone knows, I don’t like anything over 200m,” she said.

“All that is just down to my coach, who allowed me to be on the 4x400m team not only to help me get stronger in the 200m but for me to help my team at conference and nationals. I never thought I would have come this far.

“I am happy with my growth. I remember during my freshman year, I was weak-minded and there were so many other things that I had to work on but my growth is what I’m most pleased about.”

Hibbert produced a winning leap of 17.10m to win the triple jump at the SEC Indoor Championships and was the only freshman to claim a field event victory. His winning mark leads the NCAA for the 2023 season and is the 14^th-best mark in collegiate history.

The teenaged Jamaican becomes the third Razorback to receive the accolade indoors, joining Nkosinza Balumbu (2006) and Andrew Irwin (2012), since the award was first presented in 2004.

Arkansas has also had three individuals receive SEC Freshman Runner of the Year – Chris Bilbrew (2008), Patrick Rono (2012), and Omar McLeod (2014).

Hibbert, the 2022 World U20 champion, recently became the youngest athlete to surpass 17m indoors as an 18-year-old and moved to No. 3 on the World U20 all-time list while improving his Jamaican indoor national U20 record.

Nugent, who turned 19, on April 29, won the 100m hurdles and 100m dash in a 30-minute span during another outstanding outing notwithstanding the windy conditions.

The World U18 100m world-record holder eased to a comfortable victory in the hurdles in 12.95, a time aided by a generous wind of 3.4m/s. She defeated the Texas A&M duo of Kaylah Robinson and Summer Thorpe, who clocked 13.05 and 13.15 for second and third, respectively.

Less than a half-hour after that win, Nugent raced to victory in the 100m in 11.21.

She crossed the finish line well clear of Texas A&M’s Immanuela Aliu, who clocked 11.44, edging out Aniekeme Elim of William Carey, who was third in 11.45.

Nugent’s winning time would have eclipsed the 11.25 facility record set by Arkansas’ Tiona Wilson that was established on April 10, but the wind of 4.2m/s rendered it illegal.

Clemson University announced yesterday that it was reversing its initial decision in November 2020, to end the men’s programme after what they said was months of discussion with student-athletes, their representatives, families, supporters and others, Clemson University and the Department of Athletics.

“In addition, Clemson Athletics will add one or more women’s varsity sports in its continuing commitment to gender equity and to supporting our female students’ championship aspirations. A decision on which sport(s) to be added will be made in the near future,” Clemson said in a statement yesterday.

The news was music to the ears of Elliott, his coaching staff that includes Assistant Coach Lennox Graham, and student athletes.

“They did reverse their decision and all of us are excited about it, coaches, parents, athletes, all those who had stepped up to support the programme,” Elliott told Sportsmax.TV this morning.

“It was a great day for Clemson’s track and field and for track and field on a whole.”

Clemson is home to a number of Caribbean athletes, mostly Jamaican, who had taken up scholarships at the University. Among them are athletes like Fabian Hewitt, LaFrenz Campbell, Rayon Holmes, Zico Campbell and Rojae Stona.

Clemson had committed to honouring those scholarships but some of them might have been considering transfers to other schools.

Elliott, who has been at Clemson since 2013, believes that this should no longer be an issue as the process of transferring would not start until the end of the season.

The news was also welcomed by school president Jim Clements.

“This is the right decision for our University, our Department of Athletics and, most importantly, for the young men and women who proudly wear the Clemson uniform,” said Clements. “I am thrilled that we are able to continue these men’s programs and I am excited for the new varsity opportunities we will soon be adding for our female student-athletes.”

Last November, Clemson Athletics Director Dan Radakovich shocked the NCAA track and field community by announcing that the school would ending their men’s track programme at the end of the 2020/21 season citing a projected shortfall in revenues of US$25 million.

He said by ending the programme, the money saved would be reinvested into other athletic department initiatives, including the remaining Olympic sports and will help to provide additional financial stability moving forward.

The rapid onslaught of the infectious disease has seen the postponement or cancellation of sporting events around the globe.  In a bid to halt the spread of the virus, many universities in the United States have closed their doors, with the National Collegiate Athletic Association taking the decision to axe its spring athletics season last week.

Further afield, pressure continues to mount on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to postpone the Tokyo Games, with the latest news suggesting a decision would be reached in four weeks’ time.  With the universities serving as a home, training base and source of frequent and healthy competition for athletes who may qualify to take part in the Olympics, Francis believes they will be hardest hit.  The list could include several Jamaicans. 

“The biggest problem I see is the NCs (NCAA) because that is where you have the most breakthroughs, so to speak, and that’s cancelled,” Francis told RJR Sports.

“Those athletes can’t even train because their coaches are gone home and the universities are closed, so most of them are without a coach,” he added.

“But by and large for most of the world much hasn’t changed, people still, for the most part, can do their workouts; they can’t compete but it’s up to the coaches to devise methods for substituting for competition.”

Francis believes, however, that athlete should not worry about missing out on the Olympics Games if it is cancelled, as there would still be opportunities to shine. 

“Every year you have people that make a breakthrough, but I don’t think you need the Olympics to make a breakthrough.  You can make a breakthrough so long as there are meets to be run."

Francis has coached the likes of Olympics and world champion medallists Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Melanie Walker, Brigitte Foster-Hylton and Asafa Powell.

Thomas, the NCAA National 60m hurdle champion after running a personal best and collegiate-leading 7.51, took his good form outdoors winning the 110m hurdles in a personal best and world-leading 13.22 seconds.

The LSU junior powered away from the field leaving South Dakota freshman Brithon Senior (13.54) and LSU sophomore Erica Edwards Jr (13.56) to battle for the other podium spots.

McKnight won the Women’s 400m hurdles invitational in a creditable 57.27 ahead of Melissa Gonzalez of Colombia who was more than a second behind in the runner-up spot having crossed the line in 58.69.

Alana Yukich, a senior at UTSA, was third in 58.78.

Distin, who has broken the national long jump record several times in the last several months, kept her concentration to dominate the field after a six-hour weather delay.  Eventually, the Texas A&M athlete posted an event-winning mark of 1.95m to complete the SEC indoor and outdoor high jump title sweep.

The athlete finished ahead of South Carolina’s Rachel Glenn who recorded a best of 1.86m and LSU’s Nyagoa Bayak who finished third with 1.86m on the countback.  The in-form Distin also had three attempts at 1.99m but failed to clear the bar.

The 21-year-old Louisiana State University student registered his first NCAA title this past indoor season and last month continued that form with brilliant hurdling, which saw him clock a world-leading 13.22 seconds (1.3m/s) at the Texas Relays.

The efforts mark a comeback of sorts for Thomas who tied the U20 world record in the 110-meter hurdles, after running 12.99 over the 39-inch height at the 2018 Jamaican Junior Championships. He then followed up the record-breaking moment by winning gold at the World U20 Championships.

A quadriceps injury during the 2019 season, however, hampered the hurdler's efforts to build on a promising start to his collegiate career and, of course, in 2020, the global pandemic saw sports grind to a halt for several months.

 "I'd say last year's coronavirus [pandemic] shutting down the season was probably more heartbreaking than my sophomore year and the injuries," Thomas said in an interview with Milesplit USA.

"I felt healthy, training was going so well into the meet and then they shut it down for everybody. Right after that meeting, I remember all of us just going to one room and we literally were staring out the window. 'Like dang this is crazy.'"

 The athlete, however, managed to use the quarantine period to his advantage, putting work into honing his technique.  He has emerged from the hiatus as strong and sharp as ever and is so far a big favourite to secure a spot on the Jamaica Olympic squad later this year.

"It feels good to know that I'm on the right path," Thomas said of his resurgence.

“I think the big thing now is... not to be complacent and continue to look at the flaws in my race to see where I can get better. I want to stay hungry and continue to feel like an underdog. Even though I'm world-leading, that doesn't mean anything going forward."

Saturday also marked the end of a journey of acquiring his first degree and the start of another, his pursuit of a Master’s in the field of Data Sciences.

Looking back at that day, Allen said it was an emotional time for him.

“I had mixed emotions at my graduation. When I think back to all the obstacles I have faced from Jamaica, in college, being the only black kid in the majority of these classes and was the only black graduate in Mathematics, to now reaching the climax of it all, I was elated so much so that I almost cried,” he told Sportsmax.TV.

"Being the first of my immediate family to go to a university is a great accomplishment for me. Not having my parents experiencing university, made it somewhat of a challenge as certain questions I could not ask them and would have to seek outside help. But my parents are extremely proud of my achievements.

“However, I also had feelings of uncertainty of my next move, although I have opportunities awaiting me. The emotions were so wild that two weeks prior I could not stay asleep. Most days I only got four hours of rest, even throughout my finals and leading up to the big day."

Growing up, life itself was challenging for Allen. The only child for Wayne and Sherrell Allen, Sherwayne was born into humble circumstances in Kingston where he spent the first six years of his life. He revealed that those early years were not easy for him or his family.

“Well, life for me growing up in Richmond Park was a challenge. Some days were worse than others, whether it was the occasional gunshots that would echo or the financial constraints of my parents which motivated me to want better for myself,” he said.

“I am the only child for both my parents. As far I can remember, initially, my dad was working at the JUTC (Jamaica Urban Transit Company) in Spanish Town before being laid off, while my mom went to school for fashion designing at Garmex in downtown Kingston.”

His parents eventually separated and he and his mother moved to Spanish Town, St. Catherine as she sought a better life for herself and her then six-year-old son.

“I moved to Angels (Estates) because my parents were having problems and my mom wanting a better life for us as a family. However, my dad did not come with us,” he recalled.

It was while living in Spanish Town he discovered his passion for engineering.

“I always had an interest in creating traps, trying to catch rodents in my backyard which was always unsuccessful,” he recalled. “However, this sparked my enthusiasm for the field of engineering primarily civil engineering.”

While attending Angels Primary School, Sherwayne developed a liking for sports, specifically football and athletics but it was not until he attended Kingston College, that he found his niche in track and field as well as a lasting friendship with 200/400m standout Akeem Bloomfield.

“Kingston College was one of the best decisions of my life. Due to the ‘all-roundedness’ of the institution, I was exposed to the different lifestyles of my brothers from different parts of Jamaica. While at KC, I started my career in the 800m before transitioning to the 400m hurdles as I thought it would be easier in obtaining a scholarship to study abroad,” he said.

“My friendship with Akeem started from fifth form while we both doing the sciences and track and field at the same time. I remember that year after we both started the season well, closer to the end we got injured. I got injured before Champs while he got injured during Champs and missing an opportunity to make a Jamaica team,” he recalled.

“We then both attended the same extra math class. Coincidentally, we found out we lived in the same neighbourhood.”

Bloomfield, he revealed, influenced his decision to attend Auburn where the bond of friendship became even stronger.

Never an outstanding athlete at KC, Sherwayne did his best to contribute to the school’s pursuit of the coveted Mortimer Geddes trophy, the symbol of high school athletic supremacy at the ISSA Boys and Girls Championships. Between 2012 and 2016, he earned valuable points for the school even as he missed out on medals in the 800m and 400m hurdles.

His performances, though, were good enough to win him a scholarship to Auburn University where while still being a middling performer in the 400m hurdles, he rubbed shoulders with World Championships gold medalists Jonielle Smith and Natalliah Whyte and also forged a new friendship with NCAA 400m medalist and World Championship finalist Nathon Allen. He also strengthened the bonds of a friendship that began at KC with Bloomfield.

But leaving Jamaica to attend school in Alabama, proved to be quite a challenge for Sherwayne, who lifted the lid on what life can be like as a student-athlete in a foreign land.

“The transition from Kingston to Auburn for me was a big culture shock as being from Jamaica to  Alabama was an experience. I oftentimes found it boring, accompanied by the fact that 90 per cent of people there were of different ethnicity, had a different culture, and as such had different ways of doing and saying stuff than what I was accustomed to,” he said.

“I always had to make sure my English was clear and slow while communicating which initially was quite annoying.”

There were other more significant challenges as well.

“I initially ventured off to Auburn to become a civil engineer. However, because of my lack of self-discipline at the time, I lost focus. Because of scholarship requirements, I could not retake the class I had failed and had to switch my major. The school wanted me to do Exercise Science or another "easy" major as it would have been easier for me to pass and compete at the same time,” he said.

“However, I had no intentions of doing that. I found Mathematics as a way of staying close to my dream at the time of becoming an engineer.”

He continued: “Life for me being a student-athlete was rough, especially for me doing such a demanding major. I remember day-after-day full of classes. I would have a workout where I was literally on the verge of seeing the face of God!

“I would then have to take my dead legs up to get dinner really quick and head to tutoring. I would be there from 7 to 10, four days a week for the whole semester. The challenges that came with that for me personally was seeing other student-athletes partying, spending little to no time in tutoring and just living their best life. Also being an athlete we had all these responsibilities, such as going to meetings and early morning drug tests while still having to be a student and maintain the grades in classes so that we can compete.”

However, it was not all bad. Having his fellow Jamaicans close by provided some measure of relief to the grind of life as a student-athlete.

“Sharing a dorm with Nathon was good. I didn't know him prior, other than seeing him run and competing against Akeem. However, he was very humble and quiet. We all built a brotherhood and camaraderie, especially seeing that we all came at the same time and being Jamaicans,” he said.

“I have fond memories of when we were all together always making jokes, cooking and playing games together.”

With graduation, Sherwayne has also chosen to close another chapter of his life as a student-athlete.

 “My athletic career is done. I will take pride in watching Akeem, Nathon, Natalliah, Raheem, Jonielle and my other pro friends compete,” he said. 

Turner, who represented Jamaica at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, led the Fayetteville State Broncos to their second consecutive Women's CIAA Indoor Track and Field Championship title in the program's three years of existence.

The Broncos captured the podium 32 points ahead of their competition with 155 points in the eight-team championship. Winston-Salem State was the runner-up (132) while Virginia State (66) was third.

The former middle-distance runner was honoured but praised the people who have supported her.

"It is the blood that keeps giving me strength from day to day; it will never lose its power. It flows to the highest mountains and reaches the lowest valleys. When rewarded with an award like this, it comes with support, first from God who bestowed his blessings, sealed and handed me an envelope that must pass through a process.  A process that includes the toughest, resiliency, hard work and dedication," she said on Facebook.

"It is worthy to pay dues that one day will find a way to float back to you unprecedented. To everyone including my student-athletes, my coaches, my AD, Dr Miller, Norwood, King, Ferguson, the whole athletic department, and our Chancellor of Fayetteville State University please know that I do this not by myself. "

At the championships, FSU’s Mya Jackson received Most Valuable Women's Track Athlete after winning the 60-meter hurdles and the 200m while Jade Jordan won the triple and long jumps for the Women's MVP for field events.

Turner has made a huge impact by bringing the Fayetteville State track program back to life since taking over the role of Head Coach in 2017.

In addition to the recent indoor titles, Coach Turner has led the Broncos to three consecutive CIAA Women's Cross-Country Championships in her first three seasons at the helm. The indoor program finished third in the conference in 2017 and the outdoor track and field program was runner-up in the same year.

Coach Turner received the USTFCCCA DII Indoor Atlantic Region Coach of Year Award in 2020.

The 43-year-old Pompey replaces Jim Hurt, who retired in May after a head coaching career lasting 40 years.  St John’s Director of Athletics Mike Cragg made the announcement on Wednesday.

"During my tenure at St. John's, Coach Pompey has demonstrated time and time again that she has what it takes to lead a high-calibre program of her own," he said.

 "In addition to being an outstanding athlete in her own right with national championship pedigree, she has shown that she possesses the rare ability to elevate the talents of the athletes she mentors and help them reach their full potential.  I have the utmost confidence that Coach Pompey will continue to help the track & field program reach new heights as its head coach."

In accepting the position, Pompey said she plans to make St John’s a major force in collegiate athletics.

 "I want to thank Mike Cragg for his vote of confidence and his support in appointing me as the head coach," she said.

"It is with great honour that I accept this position. I have seen the growth and successes of this team over the years – from a distance when I was in college, and intimately over the last seven years. I want to continue the tradition of excellence for which we've become known. I thank Coach Hurt for his guidance and patience while I found my coaching voice and Kathy Meehan, whose leadership has served as a model for me. I am excited to continue working with our returning student-athletes who have committed to making our team better. Joined by the incoming class, we'll strive to be impactful not just with the Big East, but nationally."  

Hurt said he pleased him that Pompey was selected to replace him.

"She is exceptionally qualified to lead the program to new heights. It's been my fortune to work with Aliann these past seven years and her record of accomplishments have been outstanding,” he said.

“She is a person of character and always has her athletes' best interest at heart. I look forward to following all the great things she will accomplish in pushing the program forward in the years ahead."

In addition to her responsibilities as a coach, Pompey currently serves as the president of the Panam Sports Athlete Commission. She was also a member of the Athletes' Commission and she is also a member of the organization's executive board and a liaison to the International Olympic Committee.

Pompey won the NCAA National 400m title in 2000 while representing Manhattan College.

Elliott, who joined Clemson in 2013 after 12 years as an assistant coach at Louisiana State University, was caught off guard when the Division I school announced the unthinkable late last week.

Athletics Director Dan Radakovich delivered the devastating news last Thursday, November 5. In a letter posted on the university’s website, he wrote:

“After consultation and communication with President Clements and the Board of Trustees, I have made the difficult decision to discontinue sponsorship of the men’s track and field program effective June 2021. The program includes indoor and outdoor track and field and cross country.

After a long period of deliberative discussion and analysis we concluded that discontinuing our men’s track and field program is in the best long-term interests of Clemson Athletics. While this decision comes during the significant financial challenges due to the ongoing pandemic, those challenges are just one of many factors that led to this decision. We will continue to honor all student-athlete scholarships and provide them with support as they work towards earning their degrees. “

He said the school would also honour the contracts of the six coaches employed by the school, which basically means until the end of the 20/21 season.

The athletic director said several factors contributed to the decision including, but not limited to: competitive balance, gender equity and Title IX compliance, financial positioning, impact on diversity among student-athletes and staff, and local and national  interest and participation in the sport.

“The annual $2-million plus in savings will be reinvested into other athletic department initiatives, including our remaining Olympic sports and will help to provide additional financial stability moving forward. The Department of Athletics has already undertaken several significant measures to address a projected resource shortfall of $25 million this fiscal year,” he rationalized.

Elliott told Sportsmax.TV he was stunned by the news.

“It came as a big surprise. I had no knowledge. I found out about an hour and a half after the student-athletes were told by the athletic director,” he said. “They (student-athletes) were caught off guard and they’re still trying to process it, just like we are.”

Jamaica currently has about five or six male athletes on scholarship at Clemson among them Fabian Hewitt, LaFrenz Campbell, Rayon Holmes, Zico Campbell and Rojae Stona. Of the five, three – Hewitt, Campbell and Holmes - are due to graduate this academic year but they will still have college eligibility.

What this means is that if any of them were planning to continue to pursue further college competition and eventually transition to the professional ranks, they will likely consider transfers to other schools. Elliott reveals that if that turns out to be the case, then he will do everything to help them find new schools.

“They would have to seek alternatives and I and the coaches would help them along that path,” Elliott said.

Besides the athletes, at least 50 per cent of the athletics coaching staff that includes Lennox Graham, are likely to lose their jobs as under NCAA rules, the number coaches a school can employ depends on whether the number of programmes they have.

“It affects everyone, three of us or six of us could be gone,” Elliott said while explaining why for him the situation is so regrettable.

“Track and field is what got me to where I am today. My parents could not afford to send me to college so I got a scholarship just like these young men,” he said.

“It hurts on many levels. This is my livelihood too but I don’t view it as that alone. It is an opportunity to give opportunity to those like myself. It does hurt.”

It is why he say wants this coming season to be one of Clemson’s best ever.

“The focus is on the student-athletes to be able to be competitive. That is where the focus is right now. Life offers you challenges. How you respond is what makes the difference. We will try to get them to reconsider," he said. 

Nelson, a junior at the University of Oregon, clocked 11.18 to win the 100m well clear of teammate Jasmine Reed who stopped the clock at 11:48. California’s Ezzine Abba ran 11.52 for third.

An hour later, Nelson would finish second in the 200m, beaten by UCLA’s Shae Anderson who clocked 22.96 for the win. Nelson ran a creditable 23.03, sandwiched by Anderson’s teammate Makenzy Pierre-Webster, who clocked 23.51.

Nelson expressed her satisfaction afterwards.

“I am happy with races! Big PR for me. Great opener as well,” said the former UTech sprinter, whose previous best was 11.49 in Kingston in June 2019.

“In the 100, I was more focused on execution. Staying patient with the drive phase and not rushing the race.”

She wasn’t too perturbed by her 200m loss seeing that her time was also a personal best.

“Though it was an hour after the 100 it was a good race too. I definitely have a lot to work on. But it’s a part of the sport. You win some, you lose some. Just have to get back to work.”

Nelson is having an outstanding first year on the US Collegiate circuit. In March she was the NCAA 60m Indoor title in a personal best 7.05s, a time that made her the fifth-fastest Jamaican woman indoors behind Merlene Ottey, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce

Alfred was among four women tied for the highest number of points scored, took the 60m dash and the 200m title to continue her incredible run of form this season. The St. Lucian star was also a member of the Longhorns winning 4x400m team.

Going into the 60m with a personal and season’s best time of 7.10, Alfred lived up to expectations, crossing the line in a meet record 7.15 over Oklahoma State’s Aaliyah Birmingham and breaking a 23-year-old facility record and the 16-year-old meet record held by Longhorns legend Sanya Richards-Ross.

“I’ve been trying to go after it (the record) but I don’t like to think about times because when I think about times I get nervous and I don’t execute my race as well,” she said afterwards.

Unlike the 60m, Alfred was not favoured to win the 200m. However, her winning time of 23.02 was good enough to take the gold as she became the first Texas woman to win the Big 12 60 and 200 titles since Marshevet Hooker in 2006.

Alfred said the 200m victory was the sweeter of the two victories.

“The 200 gave me more pleasure because I don’t really like it and just knowing that  I am a lot more stronger in the event makes me happy,” said Alfred who was fifth in the Big 12 60m final last year.

She was second in the 100 and third in 200 outdoors, but she missed the rest of the postseason when she tripped and fell at the NCAA West Preliminary Round.

“I am very hungry for this season,” Alfred said. “When I went out last season, it made me feel bad I missed out so much. I need to get my team points at the national level.”

The 22-year-old Trinidadian who attends Texas A&M University scored a personal best 6418 points to win the two-day event. Her score which was just two points off the Olympic qualifying standard of 6420 points is also a championship-leading effort as well as a meet and facility record. 

“I am proud of where I am. I am proud of my accomplishments. I hope the world sees that I have so much potential and I have so much more room to grow. This is just the beginning,” she said.

Along the way, Gittens achieved several personal milestones, including a massive personal lifetime best in the long jump of 6.96, which qualifies her for the Olympics this summer and a personal best and a national record 1.95m for the high jump and a centimetre shy of the Olympic standard.

It was also the first time in history that a woman had jumped 1.95m in the high jump and beyond 6.95m in the long jump in the same heptathlon. Gittens now holds national records for the high jump outdoors and indoors, the long jump outdoors and indoors, the pentathlon and the heptathlon.

However, she wasn’t satisfied and revealed her true ambitions, believing she is capable of so much more.

“I don’t like to talk about my goals publicly because then people take it as ‘Oh, she’s trying to talk smack’ but I want people to hold me accountable when I say this. I want to be the ultimate heptathlete and that means breaking Jackie Joyner’s record and that’s what I’m going for.

 “This is my first time saying that publicly but I have never been at a point in my life when I’ve felt so confident saying that, and after this weekend, even though my heptathlon wasn’t what I wanted, my mentality and how I pushed through one of the hardest weekends but one of the best weekends of my life, I am ready and I know, I really think I can get this world record.”

 It is that lofty goal and it is the accompanying mentality that has her experiencing mixed feelings about her record-breaking weekend. Joyner-Kersee’s heptathlon record, which has stood since 1988, is 7291 points and it explains why Gittens wasn’t so happy with her performance last weekend because she understands that if she is to break that record, she has to be better at all her disciplines, not just two or three.

 “The long jump and the high jump were the highlights of my meet. I rarely surprise myself but I definitely surprised myself in the long jump,” she the Texas A&M senior said.

 “The high jump wasn’t necessarily a surprise. I knew this is where I wanted to be around this time. In the long jump, I didn’t expect to reach 6.90 so soon. I know I could do it, I knew I could be up there but I was thinking later on in my career, like years later.”

However, as good as she was in the long and high jumps, Gitten concedes that her performance in several other disciplines did not meet her expectations and it was a bitter pill to swallow.

 “The shot put definitely hurt me, just because of how inconsistent it was. It was embarrassing for me to come off such a high in the high jump, not to be able to gather myself correctly for the shot put. I thought I did but I still had a lot of adrenalin and excitement from the high jump and it never allowed me to focus on the shot put and it just didn’t click,” she said of her 658-point 11.96m throw that was well short of her 13.58m throw that earned her 807 points in a heptathlon on May 8.

 She was equally devastated by how poor she was in the 800m that she completed in 2:31.97 and which she said came as a shock.

 “The 800 was a surprise. I did not expect to run that slow. I started the race and normally I have someone yelling my 100m splits but this time there were two events going on so my coach wasn’t able to so he put some people to say the times. I didn’t hear them and so I was kind of running blindly and it wasn’t until the last 150 when I saw the finish-line time board and I saw that I was way behind my pace,” she said.

“I honestly started tearing up running down the straightaway because I knew I didn’t set myself up in the other events like the shot put and the hurdles, even though my long jump and high jump were great, the Hep was not very consistent for me.” 

Such is the mentality of the effervescent Trinidadian that she has chosen to focus on the silver lining rather than dwell on the dark clouds.

 “That being said, everything happens for a reason. I was very impressed with myself that my hep was a pretty bad one. The things that saved me, the high jump, my 200 and long jump because everything else was not where I wanted to be at all,” she confessed, “the hurdles, shot put, javelin even though it was PB in the Hep for me, I see myself a little farther along than 40 metres. The 800 definitely broke my heart.”

She was devastated to come so close to the Olympic standard. 

“Being only two points away from the standard is definitely tough to swallow because it was just two points and I knew what I needed to do but at the end of the day, it is what it is. It happened. I came out with an Olympic standard and literally kissing the other standards,” she said. 

“I am on pace. I knew my open events would come before my Hep because it is a lot harder to put together than get one jump. I am not worried. I am not stressing. I am actually above my pace for what I want to do and the next Hep is going to be bigger and better because I am going to come in ready to be more consistent and ready to stay focused. 

“I want to shine. I want to be the ultimate heptathlete, meaning I want to be consistently good, amazing in some (events) and consistently good in others. I would love to be a Jackie Joyner and be amazing at all seven but that’s not my reality, so you have to take advantage of what you’re really good at and then you have to work and stay focused on what you’re not so gifted in.”

 Gittens also finished second in the individual high jump, clearing 1.89m. She was also fourth in the long jump with a 6.56m leap. For her efforts, she was named United States Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Athlete of the Week.

Director of Athletics Dan Radakovich made the announcement this afternoon saying that the programmes to be discontinued include indoor and outdoor track and field and cross country. Radakovich said the university will honour the contracts of the coaches through to their full term, which means that the coaches will be paid up until June 2021.

Clemson Athletics will also honour the scholarships of all impacted student-athletes through their undergraduate years at the level of financial aid that they are presently receiving, the statement said.

The NCAA-maximum number of allowable scholarships for men’s track is 12. Clemson’s 12 scholarships are presently split among 26 student-athletes, 15 of whom are scheduled to graduate by August 2021.

Clemson also supports an additional 25 walk-on student-athletes in the program.

“This difficult decision is a result of an exhaustive examination of our athletics department over the past several  months,” said Radakovich. “After careful analysis, we concluded that discontinuing our men’s track and field  program is in the best long-term interest of Clemson Athletics. This decision impacts incredible student-athletes,  and we know how hard they work and the effort and pride they take in representing Clemson University.”

Head Coach Mark Elliott’s phone went unanswered when Sportsmax.TV called today. He took the Clemson head coaching position in 2013 after spending 12 years as an assistant coach at Louisiana State University.

Notably, Jamaican Olympian and 800m national record holder, Natoya Goule, who won an NCAA title under Elliott’s watch, followed him to Clemson that year.

Assistant Coach Lennox Graham (hurdles and long sprints) joined the coaching staff in 2017 after spending a decade at Johnson C Smith University where he enjoyed tremendous success guiding 27 athletes to NCAA Division II championships titles, both indoors and outdoors.

In a brief comment to Sportsmax.TV, he said he just heard the news prior to being called and that he was still processing it.

Graham’s professional club, TRS, currently trains at Clemson. Danielle Williams, the 2015 World 100m champion, Kyron McMaster, the Commonwealth 400m hurdles champion and World Championship 400m hurdles finalist Leah Nugent are all members of the club.

Men’s track and field has been sponsored at Clemson since 1953, claiming 23 combined ACC Team Championships, 16 individual NCAA champions, 22 Olympians and four Olympic Gold Medalists.

 Thomas, who has made significant strides in his athletic career despite facing recurring injuries, expressed gratitude for the medical support he’s received. Under the guidance of Dr.  John Thompson, a specialist who has overseen his rehabilitation since March, Thomas has worked through rigorous physical therapy and orthopedic care to manage his injury. However, as the pain continued to affect his performance, surgery became necessary to give him the best chance at a full recovery.

“This past year working with Dr. Thompson has been monumental,” Thomas shared on social media. “Since March, Dr. Thompson’s overseeing of my injury through physical therapy, orthopedic care, and lastly surgical procedure has been a driving force in allowing me to finish the previous season and set myself up for a new future. I am thankful.”

The 24-year-old hurdler, who specializes in the 110m and 60m hurdles, has a decorated history in athletics. A former Louisiana State University (LSU) standout, Thomas won the 2021 NCAA Indoor 60m hurdle title, setting a school record and becoming the fifth-fastest hurdler in NCAA history. In 2018, he equaled the junior world record of 12.99 seconds in the 110m hurdles, a feat that positioned him as one of the most promising young hurdlers globally. Thomas also represented Jamaica at the Tokyo Olympics, advancing to the semi-finals with a time of 13.39 seconds in the 110m hurdles.

 In early 2024, Thomas was selected to represent Jamaica at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow. Despite his impressive achievements, ongoing injuries have held him back from reaching his full potential on the international stage.

 With the surgery now behind him, Thomas is focused on recovery and a strong comeback. His determination to overcome setbacks highlights his commitment to his sport, and fans are hopeful that the procedure will enable him to return to peak form in the coming season.