Bahamian World Indoor Championships 60m hurdles silver medallist Devynne Charlton gave an early indicator into her form this season with a personal best and national record 7.75 to win at the Corky Classic at the Sports Performance Center in Lubbock, Texas on Saturday.

Charlton, who also took 100m hurdles silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, won ahead of Americans Tia Jones (7.80) and Masai Russell (7.88).

She also took the 60m hurdles at the UK Rod McCravy Memorial in Louisville in 7.88 on January 13.

Elsewhere on the track, Jamaican Texas Tech sophomore and former Wolmer’s Boys and Kingston College standout Shaemar Uter ran 46.04 for second in the men’s 400m behind Oklahoma senior Zarik Brown (46.03). Dubem Nwachukwu, running unattached, was third in 46.30.

In the field, Kentucky junior Luke Brown jumped 16.80m to win the men’s triple jump ahead of Miami’s Russell Robinson (16.59m) and Texas Tech’s Garison Breeding (15.82m).

Ralford Mullings threw 18.58m for top spot in the men’s shot put ahead of Baylor’s Gary Moore (18.20m) and Miami’s Milton Ingraham (18.07m).

Two-time World 100m hurdles champion Danielle Williams headlines a star-studded field assembled for the 60m hurdles at the Millrose Games set for February 11 in New York.

Williams shocked the world by winning her second World title last August with a 12.43 effort in Budapest.

She will be joined by countrywoman Ackera Nugent and fellow Caribbean star Devynne Charlton in the eight-woman field.

Nugent, who finished fifth at the World Championships in Budapest, dominated both the indoor and outdoor NCAA circuits last season.

She claimed the 60m hurdles title at the NCAA Indoor Championships in New Mexico in March with a brilliant 7.73 second effort, this after running a national record 7.72 in the semi-finals.

She followed that up with 100m hurdles gold at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Texas in June with a wind-aided 12.25.

Charlton is also well-credentialed both indoors and outdoors. She was a finalist in the 100m hurdles at the World Championships in Budapest, finishing sixth.

In 2022, she won silver in the 60m hurdles at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. That same year, she also took silver in the 100m hurdles at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Also in the mix will be former World 100m hurdles record holder Keni Harrison, two-time World Indoor champion Nia Ali as well as Tia Jones, Alaysha Johnson and Masai Russell.

In her first conference championships since she transferred from Baylor in the Big 12, Ackera Nugent set a pair of new personal bests in the 60m hurdles and 60m dash as Arkansas crowned themselves SEC champions on Saturday.

Nugent, who holds the U20 60m world record of 7.92, stormed to a personal best 7.81 to win the silver medal behind NCAA record holder Masai Russell, who took gold in 7.77s.

The winning time was just outside Russell’s collegiate record of 7.75 run earlier in the season.

Russell, a senior at Kentucky, broke the previous meet record of 7.89 set by LSU’s Tonea Marshall in 2020 and facilities record of 7.79 that had been held by Clemson’s Briana Rollins since 2013.

Nugent, who was also under the previous meet record, eclipsed her previous best of 7.88 set in January.

Tennessee’s Charisma Taylor ran 8.03 for the bronze medal.

Nugent would have gone into the hurdles final with a boost in confidence after winning the bronze medal in the 60m dash in a personal best of 7.20, finishing just behind silver-medallist Georgia’s Kaila Jackson who clocked 7.17.

Tennessee’s Jacious Sears ran a personal best 7.11 to win the gold medal.

Arkansas’ women topped the table with 130.5 points. Florida was second with 84 while Tennessee finished third with 56.33 points.

Alabama and Ole Miss shared fourth place with 54 points each.

Meanwhile, Arkansas' men also wrapped up the men's title scoring 102.25 points, some of which were contributed by Clemson's Roje Stona.

The former St Jago thrower hit a brand new personal best of 19.96m that won him the bronze medal in the men's shot put.

The top three men all produced personal bests as silver-medallist Jordan West of Arkansas hit his best throw ever of 20.29m. 

The winner, John Meyer of LSU, had the winning mark of 20.37m.

Florida finished second in the men's standings with 73 points while Alabama's 63 points put them third.

Georgia (59) and Tennessee (54) rounded out the top five.

Healthy again and armed with a new mindset, Demisha Roswell is intent on making her senior year count for Texas Tech in the NCAA this season.

The 25-year-old former Vere Technical athlete impressed on Friday, January 20, when she ran 7.98 over 60m to finish second to Masai Russell at the Red Raider Open in Lubbock, Texas.

Kentucky’s Russell won in a world-leading 7.75 but Roswell’s time made her the fastest Jamaican woman in the world this year after eclipsing the 8.00 run by Arkansas’ Ackera Nugent in Fayetteville, Arkansas on January 13.

It was a welcome return to form from injury for Roswell, who defeated Nugent to win the Big 12 Championships last May, running an outdoor personal best 12.44 for the 100m hurdles.

However, her celebrations were short-lived as an injury slowed her significantly for the remainder of the season. She was seventh at the NCAA Division I Championships in a pedestrian 12.94 and just missed out on a place on Jamaica’s team to the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, when she finished fourth at the Jamaican championships in 12.83.

Since then, the work she has put in to get healthy again has been  paying off but it wasn’t easy.

“The background work was somewhat tough for me because I was struggling with my injury plus my mentals, but it paying off little by little,” she said.

“It (rehab) went well even though I hate it but my coach and trainer were very tough on me to get me back where I’m supposed to be.

“The time didn’t surprise me at all, to be honest. I’m confident about this season so I’m hoping I keep healthy.”

Roswell also revealed that she is approaching the new season with a different mindset. She is more focused and committed to being successful this season as she intends to leave her mark in her final year in the NCAA.

“I want more this year and I want my name to be remembered,” she said.