SPORTS SECTION E
TUESDAY, MAY 30, 2017
Top athletes are victorious in Atlanta Relays By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net SPRINTERS Anthonique Strachan and Warren Fraser, hurdler Jeffery Gibson and jumpers Bianca Stuart and Leevan ‘Superman’ Sands all posted victories at the 2017 Atlanta Georgia Relays as they gear up for their outdoor season and the IAAF World Championships in London, England in August. The one-day meet held on Saturday in Atlanta, Georgia, also saw a number of junior competitors from Club Monica, including Marissa White, Megan Moss and Denvaughn Whymns, prevail in their respective events. And after picking up a second place finish in the epic women’s
200m at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, Miller stopped over in Atlanta where she shared in the success of her former club members and students of her alma mater at St Augustine’s College. Strachan needed just 23.23 seconds to hold off Kai Selvon, who did 23.25 in the women’s 200m. Strachan, however, was short of the World Championship qualifying time of 23.10. Fraser, competing for Rss Athletics, took the tape in the men’s 100m in 10.32, well ahead of Obinna Metu of Gothan Spark, who was clocked in 10.42. Cameron Parker was 12th in 10.82. The qualifying time for the World Championships is 10.12. In his season debut as he rebounds from an injury, Jeffery Gibson captured the men’s 400m
hurdles in 50.63. William Wynne of Titans Track was a distant second in 51.03m. Gibson, however, was short of the World Championship qualifying time of 49.35. Also on the track, Ojay Ferguson, representing Oxy Athletics, came in fourth in the men’s 400m in 46.80. Winston George won the timed final event in 45.82. In the women’s long jump, Stuart soared 6.67 metres or 21-feet, 10 ¾-inches. Her performance was just shy of the qualifying mark of 6.75 (22-1 ¾). Julienne McKee was Stuart’s nearest rival in the event with 6.53m (21-5 ¼). In the men’s triple jump, Sands popped his winning leap of 16.28m (53-5) to beat out Brandon Jones, who did 15.59m (51-1 ¾). The men’s long jump saw Oral Rolle from Club Monica finish sec-
ond with 7.18m (23-6 ¾) behind Reggie Steele’s winning leap of 7.21m (23-8). In the high school segment, Denvaughn Wyhmms of Club Monica won the boys’ 17-18 long jump with 6.95m (22-9 ¾). His nearest rival was Austin Allen of Bullis with 6.88m (22-7). Moss came in second for Club Monica in the girls’ 15-16 100m in 12.13. Shaniya Hall of Bullis won in 12.01. In the preliminaries, Moss also had the second fastest time of 12.24 behind Hall’s 12.02. Moss again had to settle for second in the 200m in 24.58 behind Hall’s winning time of 24.22. In the preliminaries, Moss ran 25.24 for the third fastest time and Hall was clocked in the leading time of 25.07.
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Ijeoma-Delva earns her first national bowling title By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
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t was “surreal” for Uchenna IjeomaDelva as she won her first women’s title at the Bahamas Bowling Federation’s BTC National Bowling Championships, but “routine” for David Slatter as he repeated as the men’s champion. In an unprecedented performance in the stepladder final on Sunday at Mario’s Bowling and Family Entertainment Centre, Ijeoma-Delva came from the fifth spot to knock off No.4 seed Marina McClain, No.3 Janice Hoyte, No.2 Jonice Lockhart and No.1 Driskell Rolle on her way to clinching the title. Slatter, on the other hand, pulled off two consecutive victories over No.3 seed Mario Brown and No.2 seed Leonardo ‘Lee’ Davis to retain his crown. The performances by Ijeoma-Delva and Slatter wrapped up a two-week tournament and earned them both a trip to the QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup in Hermosillo, Mexico, November 4–12. Ijeoma-Delva’s stunning feat As the No.5 seed, Ijeoma-Delva took on McClain in the first match and easily won 192-131. She then held off Hoyte 175-157 before she dethroned Lockhart, the defending champion, 194-160. If that wasn’t enough, Ijeoma-Delva wasn’t done until she paraded through her first National Champi-
JOB WELL DONE: Uchenna Ijeoma-Delva receives the floating and personal trophies from BBF’s president Sonith Lockhart and Director of Sports Timothy Munnings after her victory in the BTC National Bowling Championships. onship final with an impressive 214-174 victory over Rolle, the 2015 champion. “It was an awesome experience being in this position for the first time,” said Ijeoma-Delva, who surprisingly is a newcomer to the sport. “I also want to thank God because without him, none of this would have been possible.” As she began the stepladder final, Ijeoma-Delva said she didn’t expect the
progression to go as she did without having any rest. “I just went out there and tried to stay focused,” said the 38-year-old banker at the Bank of the Bahamas. After getting through the first match against McClain, Ijeoma-Delva said she had the worst, but closest match against Hoyte in what really pushed her to the limit. “I think I made a mistake on the 10th frame, but I
managed to get through it,” she stressed. “I was happy for that because I was able to prove that I belonged in the stepladder against such a talented field.” Looking back at the intense struggle that she encountered, Ijeoma-Delva admitted that nobody could have prepared her for the challenge. “I didn’t have a rest so every time I went out there and played a game, I prayed
to God,” she said. “Sonny Lockhart was there, pushing me, telling me that I could do it, stay strong and finish strong.” As she completed the final in grand style, IjeomaDelva said she never knew the word “surreal,” but she realised what it was when she was crowned the new champion. “I think I knew I had it
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Naughty
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CHAMP LEADS WITH 17 STOLEN BASES FOR RUMBLE PONIES By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net CHAMP Stuart has been highly regarded in the New York Mets organisation for his baserunning ability and he continues to impress with his numbers at his latest assignment. Stuart currently leads the Double-A Eastern League with 17 stolen bases for the Binghampton Rumble Ponies and is third among players in all of the three Double-A leagues. He currently stands behind Mauricio Dubon of the Biloxi Shuckers in the Southern League with 23 and the Arkansas Travelers’ Ian Miller who leads the Texas League with 20. He was recently featured by WBNG for his baserunning prowess in a segment called “The Art of Stealing Bases.” WBNG is the CBS affiliate for the Binghamton Television Market which serves the Southern Tier of New York. Stuart outlined his base stealing process that has made him one of the most feared runners in the league. “The first step is to get to the bag, make eye contact with your coach, and anticipate the game, read the pitcher,” he said. “It starts from in the clubhouse you have to do your homework on him.” Stuart last recorded a stolen base on May 26 but has gone three games without a successful attempt. “I take my lead, which is basically a step and a dive back,” he said. “From then I’m looking at the pitcher, analysing whether his first move comes from his upper body or lower body. “If he moves his foot first it’s most likely a pick off move. Sometimes I go on the first pitch, depending on how fast he is to the plate or sometimes I wait and it’s based on what he moves first. I always stay in motion so I’m never completely still, then I make my break.” Despite his top-ranked stolen base numbers, Stuart looks to improve his numbers at the plate, which have dipped in
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Jaraun ‘Kino’ Burrows en route to semis in French league By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net WITH a late shift to a new country and a new league, Jaraun “Kino” Burrows has continued playing at an elite level and is
now en route to the semi-finals. Burrows has spent the last nine games with FOS Provence Basket in French Basketball’s Pro B Division, the second tier level league in the country. They closed out the best of three quarterfinals series with a two-game sweep over Roanne Sunday night. Burrows finished with seven points and four boards in the 66-65 game two win, following eight points, six rebounds and three assists in a 79-65 win in game one. The 31-year-old veteran joined Provence Basket on April 14 and finished with 13 points, four rebounds and four assists in his debut. He followed with his best game of his tenure with the club thus far when he posted 16 points and eight rebounds. The team has gone 6-3 during Burrows’ nine-game stretch and has averaged 10.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. Provence finished the regular season ranked No.2 in the league with a record
JARAUN BURROWS in action. of 22-12 and will face No.6 Nantes in the semi-finals. The top two placed teams from each season’s Pro B are promoted to the top-tier
level, LNB Pro A. Prior to his French debut, he spent the bulk of the 2016-17 season, for Hapoel Haifa in Israel’sLiga Leumit, - the second tier level league in the country. He appeared in a total of 26 games for them and averaged 21.7 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. Burrows saw his stock rise after a dominant season last year with LF Basket in the Swedish Pro League. The 6’8”, 220-pound forward had the second-best scoring average in the league at 20.1 points per game and also averaged 9.2 rebounds per game. His pro career has also included stops in Finland, Eastern Europe and South America. Burrows recently completed play with the national team that finished 7th at this summer’s FIBA Centrobasket tournament in Panama. They earned qualification for 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games.