Terrence Jones and Kion Benjamin both booked their spots in the semi-finals of the Men’s 100m at the 2023 NCAA Championships scheduled for June 7-10 at the Mike A. Myers Stadium in Texas.

The pair advanced from the quarterfinals held on day three of the NCAA West Regionals in Sacramento on Friday.

Jones, the Bahamian Texas Tech junior, produced a time of 9.93, just .2 seconds slower than his personal best and national record-equaling 9.91 done earlier this season, to advance to the semis second-fastest from the West region. The 20-year-old also ran 20.21 to advance in the 200m.

Benjamin, the Trinidadian Minnesota Junior and reigning Big 10 100m champion, set a new personal best of 10.11 to advance. His countryman and Minnesota teammate, Carlon Hosten, ran 20.49 to advance in the 200m.

In the 400m, St. Lucian Kansas Junior Michael Joseph, advanced with 45.23

Jamaican Arkansas Junior Phillip Lemonious ran 13.45 to progress in the 110m hurdles. Joining him in Texas will be Bahamian Texas Tech freshman Antoine Andrews (13.74).

In the field, world leader and world junior record holder, Jaydon Hibbert, produced 16.81m to advance in the triple jump alongside teammates and countrymen Ryan Brown (16.25m) and Carey McLeod (15.88m).

Hibbert, still only 18, famously jumped an absurd 17.87m at the SEC Outdoor Championships on May 13, setting a new world lead, collegiate record and world under-20 record in the process.

Roje Stona (65.54m) and Ralford Mullings (61.74m), both of Arkansas, advanced in the discus. Stona also threw 19.89m to advance in the shot put.

On Wednesday, the Arkansas pair of Wayne Pinnock and Carey McLeod jumped 8.05m and 7.80m, respectively, to advance in the long jump. The Jamaican pair were the top two finishers at the SEC Outdoor Championships.

Meanwhile on the women’s side, their countrywoman, Texas sophomore Ackelia Smith, jumped 6.69m to lead all qualifiers. Nebraska’s Velecia Williams (6.37m) also advanced.

Smith is fresh off a personal best 7.08m, the furthest legal jump in the world this year, to win at the Big 12 Championships earlier in May.

At the Eastern Regionals in Jacksonville, Florida’s Jevaughn Powell (46.68), and North Carolina A&T’s Shemar Chambers (46.89) both made it through in the 400m.

In the sprint hurdles, Caymanian Tennessee senior Rasheem Brown ran 13.45 to advance alongside Jamaican Syracuse junior Jaheem Hayles (13.67).

Defending Jamaican national champion Navasky Anderson of Mississippi State (1:49.43) and Tarees Rhoden of Clemson (1:49.70) both made it through in the 800m.

Minnesota’s Kion Benjamin ran a swift 10.18 to win the 100m title at the Big 10 Championships on Sunday in Bloomington, Indiana.

The 22-year-old Trinidadian secured first place ahead of Wisconsin’s Lawrence Johnson (10.22) and his Minnesota teammate and fellow Trinidadian, Carlon Hosten (10.22).

Jamaican Ohio State senior Yanique Dayle was third in the Women’s equivalent in 11.19. The event was taken by her teammate Leah Bertrand in 11.15 while Minnesota’s Amira Young ran 11.15 for second.

Dayle went two better in the 200m, running 22.87 to win ahead of Michigan’s Ziyah Holman (23.08) while 100m runner-up Young was third in 23.09.

Minnesota’s 19-year-old Trinidadian sophomore, Devin Augustine, ran 20.45 for third in the Men’s equivalent behind Iowa’s Austin Kresley (20.26) and 100m third-place finisher Carlon Hosten (20.43).

Jamaican Ohio State sophomore, Zidane Brown, ran 45.75 for second in the Men’s 400m behind Iowa’s Jenoah Mckiver (45.59). Michigan’s Dubem Amene ran 46.20 for third.

In the field, Nebraska’s Lotavia Brown took the Women’s triple jump in 13.33m ahead of Ohio State’s Jaimie Robinson (13.24m) and Michigan’s Riley Ammenhauser (13.07m)

Trinidad & Tobago’s Devin Augustine and Jamaica’s Ashanti Moore were among the winners at the 2023 Longhorn Invitational at the Mike A. Myers Stadium in Texas on Saturday.

Augustine, a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Minnesota, ran a personal best 10.26 to win the Men’s equivalent ahead of teammate Carlon Hosten (10.28) and Texas’ Nolton Shelvin (10.28). Augustine’s time is also a new Minnesota school record.

The Trinidadian was also victorious in the 200m with 20.60, which would have been a new personal best if not for the 2.2m/s wind. Another Trinidadian Minnesota athlete, 22-year-old junior Kion Benjamin, was second in 20.70 while Shelvin, like in the 100m, was third in 20.75.

Moore, the 22-year-old former Hydel star, ran 11.27 to win the Women’s 100m ahead of Americans Anavia Battle (11.31) and Lynna Irby (11.33). The same three made up the podium places in the 200m as well with Moore finishing third this time in 23.01 behind Irby (22.65) and Battle (22.93).

In the field, 26-year-old former Jamaica College star O’Brien Wasome jumped 16.72m for victory in the Men’s triple jump ahead of the UTSA pair of Jemuel Miller (16.02m), and Jacob Jenkins (15.77m).

Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica won sprint relay medals on Sunday with silver and bronze medals, respectively, at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.

Despite the absence of 200m champion Jereem Richards Trinidad and Tobago’s team of Jerod Elcock, Eric Harrison Jr, Kion Benjamin Hislop and Kyle Greaux raced to a season-best 38.70 to claim second place behind England that ran a season-best 38.35 for the gold medal.

Nigeria ran 38.81 for the bronze.

Meanwhile, Jamaica’s women owe a debt of gratitude to sprint-double champion Elaine Thompson-Herah for their bronze medal as Kemba Nelson, Remona Burchell and Natalliah Whyte were unable to put Jamaica in contention for a medal over the first three legs.

However, at the final exchange with Jamaica in fifth, the fastest woman alive, stormed down the home stretch to snatch the bronze medal from Australia.

Jamaica clocked a relatively pedestrian 43.08, well behind England who ran a season-best 42.41 for the silver and winners Nigeria, who stormed to a new area record of 42.10.

Australia clocked 43.16 for fourth.

Double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah led all qualifiers to the semi-finals of the 100m as Athletics action got underway at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on Tuesday.

The World Championship 100m bronze medallist from Eugene ran an easy 10.99 to win heat two and advance.

Antigua & Barbuda’s Joella Lloyd was next up, finishing third in heat three in 11.42 to advance. In heat four, Guyana’s Jasmine Abrams almost perfectly matched Lloyd, running 11.42 for third to advance.

Trinidad & Tobago’s Michelle Lee-Ahye and the Bahamas’ Tynia Gaither ran 11.14 and 11.19, respectively, to finish first and second in heat five and progress.

Jamaica’s Natalliah Whyte ran 11.31 to win heat six and advance while St. Lucia’s Julien Alfred (11.24) and Jamaica’s Remona Burchell (11.46) were the top two finishers in the seventh and final heat.

On the Men’s side, Nadale Buntin of St. Kitts & Nevis will be in the semis after finishing third in the first heat with a season’s best 10.37.

Rikkoi Brathwaite of the British Virgin Islands finished second in heat three in 10.42 to advance.

Next up was Jamaican 2014 Commonwealth Games 100m champion Kemar Bailey-Cole who ran 10.15 to finish second in heat four to progress.

Heat six saw Trinidad & Tobago’s Kion Benjamin produce 10.34 for second to move on while Jamaica’s Conroy Jones (10.28) and Trinidad & Tobago’s Eric Harrison Jr (10.37) both advanced from the eighth heat.

The tenth and final heat saw three Caribbean men advance. Trinidad & Tobago's Jerod Elcock won the heat in 10.26 while Guyana's Emmanuel Archibald (10.28) and St. Lucia's Stephan Charles (10.29) finished second and third, respectively.

Jamaican World Championship finalist Natoya Goule is now a Commonwealth Games finalist as well after running 1:58.39 to advance to the final as the fastest qualifier.

In the field, Jamaica’s Danniel Thomas-Dodd and Lloydricia Cameron both advanced to the final of the Women’s shot put after throws of 18.42m and 16.61m, respectively. Thomas-Dodd’s distance was the farthest in qualifying.

The Caribbean will be well represented in the final of the Men’s long jump as The Bahamas’ Laquan Nairn (7.90m), Jamaica’s Shawn-D Thompson (7.85m), Guyana’s Emmanuel Archibald (7.83m), Dominica’s Tristan James (7.65m) and Trinidad & Tobago’s Anduelle Wright (7.58m) will all be present.

Jamaica’s Traves Smikle (64.90m) and Roje Stona (58.35m) will both be in the final of the Men’s discus throw alongside Grenada’s Josh Boateng (56.51m).

Jamaican quarter-miler Anthony Cox prepared for his stint at the upcoming World Championships in Eugene, Oregon by winning the Men’s 400m gold medal at the Caribbean Games at the Stade du Gosier in Guadeloupe on Saturday.

Cox, who ran 45.65 for third at the Jamaican National Championships in Kingston on June 26, produced 45.48, his second fastest time, to win ahead of Barbados’ Kyle Gayle (46.23) and Cuba’s Lenord Padilla (46.24).

The Women’s equivalent was won by the Dominican Republic’s Fiordaliza Cofil Mendez in 51.31 ahead of the Bahamas’ Megan Moss (52.53) and Cuba’s Suan Rodriguez Mauricio (53.70).

Rasheem Brown of the Cayman Islands ran 13.72 to win the Men’s 110m hurdles ahead of the Bahamas’ Oscar Smith (13.96) and Guadeloupe’s Erwann Abenaqu (14.00).

Trinidad and Tobago’s team of Tamia Badel, individual 100m champion Akilah Lewis, Naomi Campbell and Leah Bertrand ran 45.19 for gold in the Women’s 4x100m relay ahead of Cuba (45.47) and the Dominican Republic (46.21).

Their Men’s team of Jayden Moore, Kion Benjamin who won the individual 100m title on Friday, Che Lara and Lorenzo Luces ran 41.64 for second in the Men’s sprint relay behind the Dominican Republic (41.31).

The British Virgin Islands quartet of Mikkel Bassue, Vadley Sylvester, Malik John and Ke’andrae Campbell ran 42.24 for bronze.

In the field, Barbados took silver and bronze in the Men’s triple jump through Jemuel Miller (16.28m) and Nathan Crawford-Wallis (16.11m). The event was won by Cuba’s Andy Salazar with a 16.40m effort.

The BVI’s Dijmon Gumbs threw 17.99m for silver in the Men’s shot put behind Cuba’s Juan Gomez (18.09m). Puerto Rico’s Jorge Nazario threw 17.60m for bronze.

 

St. Lucia’s Julian Alfred can now call herself the inaugural Caribbean Games Women’s 100m Champion after winning the event at the Stade du Gosier in Guadeloupe on Friday.

Alfred ran 11.34 in the preliminaries before returning to run 11.07 to comfortably win the final ahead of Trinidad & Tobago’s Akilah Lewis (11.55) and Leah Bertrand (11.57).

Alfred goes into the World Championships in Eugene later this month on the back of some excellent form. The Texas standout ran a personal best and national record 10.81, the fourth fastest time on the world this year, at the Big 12 Championships on May 14.

She then went on run 11.02 to win the 100m at the NCAA Championships on June 11.

Meanwhile, Trinidad & Tobago’s Kion Benjamin ran 10.36 to win the Men’s equivalent ahead of Franquelo Perez Occena of the Dominican Republic (10.55) and Antigua’s Darrion Skerritt (10.72).

Jamaica’s Anthony Cox, who was named in their World Championships squad on Friday as well, ran 46.15 to lead all qualifiers into the Men’s 400m final while the Dominican Republic’s Fiordaliza Cofil Fernandez (51.11) led all qualifiers in the Women’s equivalent.

Elsewhere, Puerto Rico’s Paola Fernandez Sola won the Women’s long jump with a 6.15m effort ahead of Cuba’s Yani Carrion Cremdelly (5.81m) and Guyana’s Chantoba Bright (5.85m).

Antigua’s Sheldon Noble jumped 7.31m to win the Men’s equivalent ahead of the Cayman Islands’ Louis Gordon (7.23m) and Grenada’s Nishon Pierre (6.91m).

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