Julien Alfred, Demisha Roswell and Johnathan Jones pulled off impressive victories as the Big 12 Conference Championships concluded in Lubbock, Texas on Sunday.

Charokee Young ran a massive lifetime best and world-leading time to win the 400m over fellow Jamaican Stacey-Ann Williams at the Texas A&M vs Texas Dual Meeting at Bryan-College Station in Texas on Saturday.

Young, who had mixed results running indoors, has been a lot more assured outdoors as a week after running a 48.98 relay split at the Texas Relays, the 21-year-old Texas A&M sophomore stormed to victory in 50.00, obliterating Williams’ meet record of 51.34 set last year. It also moved her closer to Athing Mu’s facility record of 49.68 also set last year.

It was also a significant improvement over her previous best of 50.85 set last year May.

A fast time was clearly on the cards when Young took control mid-race surging past Texas’ Kennedy Simon to take the lead. Williams, the Texas Junior, responded to Young’s move and stormed past her teammate to challenge Young for the lead.

However, the former Hydel High 800m star never looked likely to yield and pulled away to win in the world-leading time.

Williams broke her own meet record clocking 50.56, the second-fastest time in the world for 2022 while Simon was third in a personal-best 50.68.

 Young moves up to number two all-time on the Texas A&M Aggies women’s 400m list and jumped to number five among the collegiate performers on the all-time chart.

Johnathan Jones won the men’s race in a conference-leading and meet record 45.07. The Barbadian quarter-miler broke his own meet record of 45.82 that was set last year.

Texas A&M’s Emmanuel Bamidele finished second in 45.25 with Jones’ teammate Willington Wright taking third in 45.64.

Meanwhile, in the Women’s 100m, St Lucia’s Julien Alfred ran a personal best of 11.07 to take the victory over teammates Kynnedy Flannel 11.34 and Kevona Davis 11.37. Alfred’s time was a new meet record eclipsing Flannel’s record of 11.23 set last year.

Alfred was third in the 200m in 23.10. The race was won by A&M’s Laila Owens in a personal best and conference-leading 22.57. However, she just managed to hold off Texas’ Rhasidat Adeleke, who was second in 22.59.

In one of the more epic clashes of the day, former Texas A&M multi-sport star Tyra Gittens, now a senior at Texas equalled her personal best of 1.95m to win the high jump over former teammate, the in-form Lamara Distin (1.93).

Distin, who defeated Gittens at last month’s NCAA Indoor Nationals, led when she cleared 1.91m but a fired-up Gittens cleared 1.93 at her first attempt, snatching the lead from her former teammate. Distin managed to clear 1.93 on her third attempt.

However, the Trinidadian Olympian cleared 1.95m, a new meet and facility record, to secure victory after Distin failed all three attempts at that height.

Marleen Guerrero was third with her best clearance of 1.80m.

Gittens enjoyed further success on the day as she soared out to 6.58 to be second on the long jump won by Deborah Acquah of A&M with a new personal best, conference-leading and meet record 6.89m.

Ackelia Smith jumped 6.46m for third.

Saturday’s final day of the 2022 Texas Relays at the Mike A. Myers Stadium saw a number of Caribbean athletes put in impressive performances to kick off the NCAA outdoor season.

Jamaica’s Kevona Davis and St. Lucia’s Julien Alfred were both members of a  University of Texas quartet who were victorious in both the 4x100 and 4x200m relays. The Longhorns ran 42.83 to win the 4x100m ahead of LSU (42.97) and Texas Tech (43.11) then returned to run 1:29.03 to be the overall winners of the 4x200m ahead of Star Athletic (1:30.55) and Hurdle Mechanics (1:30.65).

Two former Class One 800m champions at Jamaica’s ISSA GraceKennedy Boys and Girls Championships, Kimar Farquharson formerly of Calabar High and Chevonne Hall formerly of Edwin Allen, were members of a victorious South Plains College team in the Men’s 4x800m. South Plains ran 7:20.31 to win ahead of Texas A&M (7:24.03) and Arkansas (7:26.84).

Former Excelsior High star Ackera Nugent was in fine form for Baylor University, running 12.72 to finish third in the Women’s 100m Hurdles.

2021 Jamaica Olympian and former STETHS student Stacey Ann Williams helped Texas run 3:22.94 to win the Women’s 4x400m to close out the meet.

Jonathan Jones from Barbados and Shafiqua Maloney from St. Vincent & the Grenadines were both victorious at Thursday’s second day of the 2022 Texas Relays at the Mike A. Myers Stadium.

The 23-year-old Jones, competing for the University of Texas, ran a personal best and Barbadian national record 1:45.83 to win the Men’s Invitational 800m ahead of Moad Zahavi of Texas Tech (1:46.02) and his Texas teammate Crayton Carrozza (1:46.89).

Maloney won the Women’s equivalent in 2:04.59 ahead of Brooke Jaworski of Texas (2:04.90) and Grand Canyon’s Kelly Moodry (2:05.64).

On Friday, Jamaica’s Charokee Young was a member of the Texas A&M quartet that ran 3:38.93 to win the Women’s Sprint Medley. Former Edwin Allen star Kevona Davis ran a leg for Texas who finished second in 3:38.95 while Texas Tech finished third in 3:45.71.

STETHS alumni and 2021 Olympian Stacey Ann Williams helped Texas advance to the Women’s 4x400m final as the second fastest qualifiers. Their time of 3:32.60 was only bettered by Arkansas with 3:31.87. The final is scheduled for Saturday.

Baylor’s Ackera Nugent set a facility record to claim the 60m hurdles title at the Big 12 Championships at the Harry Hoak Track in Iowa on Saturday but it was the Texas Longhorns who stole the show winning their fifth consecutive women’s title and second straight men’s crown.

Nugent, a Sophomore at Baylor clocked a fast 7.91, a facility record, to take the sprint hurdles title ahead of Texas Longhorn Milan Young (8.08). Nugent’s Jamaican compatriot Demisha Roswell, a Junior at Texas Tech claimed the bronze medal in 8.20.

Roswell’s Texas Tech freshman teammate, Vashaun Vascianna, won the men’s title in 7.75. The former St Jago and Kingston College hurdler won his preliminary round heat in 7.70 on Friday.

For the Texas Longhorns, Julien Alfred, Tyra Gittens and Stacey-Ann Williams were all on the podium during the two-day championships.

The Longhorns swept the 400m dash, with Kennedy Simon's diving effort of 51.54 seconds to win her first 400m conference title. Jamaica’s Stacey Ann Williams finished just behind in second at 51.60 seconds, while sophomore Rhasidat Adeleke completed the sweep in third with a time of 52.33.

Texas also enjoyed another sweep in the 200m where St Lucia’s star sprinter Julien Alfred took the title with a time of 22.89 seconds. Kynnedy Flannel was second in 23.02 seconds, while Jamaica’s Kevona Davis finished third in 23.30 seconds.

Alfred was a second-place finisher in the 60m dash, clocking 7.17 seconds, losing by 0.02 to Texas Tech Sophomore Rosemary Chukwuma. Flannel added a third-place finish at 7.30 while Davis added a fifth-place finish at 7.33 seconds.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Tyra Gittens won the silver in the high jump, clearing 1.84m. She was fourth in the long jump competition.

Meanwhile, Baylor’s Women that featured Jamaica’s Kavia Francis would take the 4x400m title in 3:32.77 ahead of Texas Tech (3:35.06) and Oklahoma State (3:36.22).

Danielle Williams stormed to a world-leading 7.75 to win the 60m hurdles at the Tiger Paw Invitational on Friday. In winning, she lowered her previous lifetime best of 7.83 set at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in New York last Sunday.

Jamaica and Baylor University hurdler, Ackera Nugent, had to settle for second spot on the heels of a blistering run from Texas Longhorn Chanel Brissett, in the women’s 60mh final, at the Big 12 Indoor Track & Field Championship in Lubbock, Texas on Saturday.

In the preliminary round, it was Nugent who grabbed the headlines, after storming to an impressive 7.91 seconds, well clear of Brissett who took second in 8.06. 

In the final, however, it was Brissett who set the track on fire after finishing first in 7.89 for a new meet record.  Nugent finished second in 7.98 with Texas’ Emelia Chatfield third in 8.05.

In the women’s 60m, another Jamaican Kevona Davis was narrowly edged out for the top spot after finishing just behind Texas teammate Kynnedy Flannel.  Flannel clocked 7.25 for first place, Davis clocked the same time with the two separated by milliseconds.  Monae Nichols was third in 7.46.  In the women’s 200m the finishing order for the Texas teammates was the same, with Flannel taking top spot in 22.55 and Davis second in 22.87.  Baylor University’s Aria Minor was third in 23.03.

At the SEC Indoor Championships, there was a top spot finish for Jamaica and LSU sprint hurdler Damion Thomas, who took top spot in 7.60, a new personal best.  LSU teammate Eric Edwards JR was second in 7.67, with Arkansas Tre’Bien Gilbert third in 7.70.

Jamaica sprinter Kevona Davis finished in third position, in heat 9 of the 200m time-final, at the Tyson Invitational in Arkansas on Saturday.

In her first year from high school, out of Jamaica, the Texas Longhorn clocked 23.47 to finish behind LSU’s Symone Mason and Florida’s Talitha Diggs who crossed the line first in a personal best of 22.94.

Also in action was St Lucian, Julien Alfred, who also competes for the Longhorns.  Alfred finished in second place after competing in heat 6 where she crossed the line in 23.53.  The event was won by Arkansas's Jada Baylark who took top spot in 23.49.  Stacy-Ann Williams took third place in 23.66.  Jamaica’s Kemba Wilson of Oregon was also listed to compete in the heat but did not face the starter.

The fastest time of the event was clocked by Texas’s Kynnedy Flannel, who took heat 10 in a personal best 22.73, finishing behind her was Alabama’s Tamara Clarke, who was second in 22.89, a season’s best. 

In men’s action, Oregon’s Xavier Nairne, another Jamaican, clocked a personal best 21.14 to win heat 4 of the men’s 200m.  Nairne finished ahead of teammate Jacoby Mcnamara and Texas’ Caleb Hulbin.  Philip Lemonius of Arkansas also took top spot after claiming heat 1.

World U18 100m hurdles record holder set a new personal best while winning the 60m hurdles at the Aggie Invitational in Bryan-College Station in Texas on Saturday.