The reigning Jamaica 400m hurdles champion Leford Green, representing Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) in the US, captured both the open 400m (46.43) and the 400m hurdles (50.17) at the 2011 Tiger Track Classic on the campus of the University of Auburn over the weekend (Apr. 2). Green also teamed up with fellow countrymen Winston Brown and Akino Ming along with Gabriel Franklin to anchor the JCSU 4x4 team to victory in 3:10.61. Green with a personal best 45.56 in the open 400m and 48.47 in the 400 hurdles is the 2011 Division II National Indoor Track Athlete of the Year.
Shermaine Williams of JCSU won the 100m hurdles in 13.40secs ahead of Jamaican Kim Laing (13.53) of the University of Alabama.
Meanwhile, the Bahamian duo of Sheniqua Ferguson and Nivea Smith joined Trinidad’s Kia Selvon and USA’s Joanna Atkins to win both the 4x1 (43.80) and 4x4 (3.38.82) relays.
Season Best for Henry
Jamaica’s Natasha Ruddock of Texas A&M took the women’s 100m hurdles in 13.01 (ws 2.4) at the LSU Invitational on Saturday, April 2. Ruddock, the St. Jago High School graduate, recently came back from surgery.
Ruddock’s teammate Tabarie Henry of US Virgin Islands won the men’s 400m in a season best 44.83secs ahead of teammate Demetrius Pinder of the Bahamas (45.06). Henry, who has a personal best 44.77 in the 400m, has been displaying good early season form. Pinder is the reigning NCAA 400m Indoor champion, and his time of 45.06 is his season best. Henry and Pinder then team up with Joey Roberts and Bryan Miler to win the men’s 4x4 relay in an impressive 3:02.21. Jamaica’s Riker Hylton of LSU, the former teammate of Pinder at Essex County College, was 5th in 46.32.
Trinidad & Tobago’s Semoy Hackett of LSU won the women’s 100m in 11.23. Her LSU teammate and fellow Trinidadian Kyron Blaise took 2nd place in the men’s long jump with a leap of 7.60 m (24’11¼”).
Reigning men 60m hurdles indoor champion Jamaica’s Andrew Riley of the University of Illinois took 2nd in the men’s 110m hurdles in 13.61, behind winner Barrett Nugent (13.58) of LSU.
South Plains Records
The Texas Tech Invitational on Saturday, April 2 at South Plains College created a buzz with performances highlighted by some outstanding times run by Caribbean athletes. Leading the way was Grenada’s Rondell Bartholomew, who broke the 400m school with a world-leading 44.65secs.
Janeil Bellille of Trinidad also broke the women’s 400m hurdles record in 55.80ses, the 2nd fastest time in the world as of Saturday.
Jamaica’s sprint-double specialist Jura Levy finished second in the women's 400m and broke the 2008 school record with 53.58secs. Teammate and compatriots Kemoy Campbell and Natoya Goule were both second in the 800m (1:53.25), and the 1500m (4:35.08), respectively.