Texas junior Ackelia Smith produced an NCAA leading performance to take top spot on day one of the Texas Invitational at the Mike A. Myers Stadium on Friday.

The 22-year-old reigning NCAA champion produced a season’s best 7.10m, her first jump over 7m this season, to win ahead of Trinidadian Puma athlete Tyra Gittens (6.72m) and UTSA’s Ida Breigan (6.65m).

This is a welcome return to form for Smith who suffered a torn hamstring at the NCAA Indoor Championships in early March.

Smith was Jamaica’s national champion in the long jump in 2022 and was a finalist in both the long and triple jump at that year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Bahamians Antoine Andrews and Denisha Cartwright won the respective sprint hurdles titles at the 2024 Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays held at the Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas from March 27-30.

Andrews, a sophomore at Texas Tech University and 2022 World Under-20 champion, produced 13.37 to win the 110m hurdles with a 2.4 m/s wind behind him.

Howard University’s Samuel Bennett was second in 13.39 while UTEP’s Jordani Woodley, formerly of Rusea’s High in Jamaica, was third in 13.44.

Cartwright, a 24-year-old Minnesota State senior, produced 12.81 to win the 100m hurdles ahead of UTEP’s Marissa Simpson (12.92) and Cal’s Jada Hicks (12.99).

That race was run with a 2.7 m/s trailing wind.

In the field, Jamaican Arizona State junior Brandon Lloyd threw 61.54m for second in the men’s discus. South Alabama senior Francois Prinsloo threw 64.41m to take the win while Texas Tech senior Devin Roberson was third with 60.98m.

St. Lucian senior Julien Alfred and Jamaican junior Kevona Davis were part of the Texas quartet that set the Mike A. Myers Stadium track on fire on their way to setting a new collegiate record at the 2023 Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays on Saturday.

Alfred, the 2023 NCAA Indoor 60m and 200m champion and record holder, ran the opening leg for the Longhorns before passing to Ezinne Abba who then passed to Lanae Thomas before Davis anchored the team to a time of 42.00, breaking the previous collegiate record 42.05 set by LSU in 2018.

Earlier in the day, Alfred, Davis and Thomas combined with Rhasidat Adeleke to set a new collegiate record 1:28.05 in the 4x200.

On Friday, Alfred was also a part of the quartet that set a collegiate record in the sprint medley.

The 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medallist split 22.4 in the first 200m leg of the relay and combined with Rhasidat Adeleke, Kennedy Simon and Valery Tobias to run 3:36.10 and break the previous record 3:38.93 set at last year’s Texas relays by Texas A&M.

Individually, Jamaican Ashanti Moore ran 11.23 for second in the Women’s Invitational 100m behind Olympic 200m bronze medallist Gabby Thomas (11.09) while Lynna Irby-Jackson was third in 11.31.

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.