Bahamian athletes take spotlight at indoor track and field meets in US

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

IT was a big weekend for the various indoor track and field conference meets around the United States of America where Bahamians

Terrance Jones, Antoine Andrews, Shaun Miller, Wayna McCoy, Anthaya Charlton, and Charisma Taylor were among those in the spotlight.

Big 12 Jones record-breaking performance

Terrance Jones, a sophomore at Texas Tech, took advantage of their surface in the Sports Performance Center at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas in a time of 6.48 seconds to easily win the men’s 60m to erase the meet record of 6.51 that was previously set by Ronnie Baker of TCU in 2016.

In adding his name to the facility record of 6.45 that he established last year, Jones, a native of Grand Bahama, led a clean sweep for Texas Tech in the top four spots with his nearest rival being his team-mate Don’dre Swint, a senior, in 6.57. He had the fastest qualifying time of 6.46.

Two other Bahamians had to settle for second in their respective 60m hurdles finals.

On the men’s side, Antoine Andrews, in his freshman year at Texas Tech, picked up his runneraward award in 7.59 behind junior team-mate Caleb Dean, who won in 7.62.

Dean also had the fastest qualifying time of 6.72.

Gabrielle Gibson, a senior at Kansas, finished second in the women’s 60m hurdles in 8.11. The winning time was 8.04 by Demisha Roswell, a senior at Texas Tech, in 8.04. Gibson had the second fastest qualifying time of 8.20 behind Roswell’s leading time of 8.04.

AAC Championships McCoy wins

MVP honour

In Louisville, Texas, freshman Wanya McCoy was named ACC men’s track MVP after he clocked the second-fastest time in Clemson history after he sped to victory in the men’s 400m in 45.91 to erase the facility record of 46.75 that was set by Judson Lincoln of Virginia Tech.

Lincoln, by the way, was fourth in the race in 46.75. DaeQwan Butler, a senior at Florida State, was second behind McCoy in 46.45. McCoy had to settle for fifth in the 200m in 20.86. Cameron Miller, a junior at Louisville, won the event in a personal best of 20.27 for new records for the meet and facility. McCoy had the fifth fastest qualifying time of 20.95, while Miller cruised with the best time of 20.33.

SEC Championships

Charlton and Taylor clash

In Fayetteville, Arkansas, it was a Bahamian duo competing head-to-head in the women’s long jump with Kentucky’s sophomore Anthaya Charlton posting a third place finish with a lifetime best of 21-51/4 (6.53m) with Tennessee’s senior Charisma Taylor trailing in fourth with 20-101/2 (6.36m).

“This meet was a great one for me,” said Charlton,