Runner-up finishes for Roje Stona and Lamara Distin secured top billing for Jamaicans at last week’s NCAA Outdoor Championships at Eugene, Oregon. Stona, now at Clemson University, and Distin, who represents Texas A&M University both produced personal best marks to win silver medals in the discus and the high jump respectively. Podium finishes were also earned by hurdlers Phillip Lemonious, Ackera Nugent, Andrenette Knight and long jumper Carey McLeod.
Stona, the former Carifta champion, zipped his discus out to 61.94 metres to take his silver medal while Distin, the 2018 World Under 20 finalist, leapt up to joint number 3 on the Jamaican all-time high jump performance list with a clearance at 1.90 metres.

In keeping with the nation’s current hurdling prominence, Lemonious, Nugent and Knight all produced fine runs. Lemonious gave the University of Arkansas the bronze with a personal best of 13.39 seconds with the precocious Nugent outrunning a tough 4×100/100/100 hurdles to secure third place for Baylor University in 12.84 seconds. The trio of hurdles bronze medals was completed by Knight for the University of Virginia with her second fastest time – 55.81 seconds.

McLeod took bronze in the long jump for his University of Tennessee team and came back with a lifetime best of 16.40 metres for 7th in the triple jump where Clayton Brown, the University of Florida student-athlete, led all Jamaicans in 5th place with his personal best – 16.56 metres. Brown was fifth in the high jump as well.

Sprinters Kemba Nelson and Kevona Davis placed 4th and 8th in the 100 and 200 metres respectively, with Davis clipping her best ever time to 22.78 seconds.

Notable Jamaican placings came from Shanice Love, 4th in the discus, Charokee Young, 5th in the 400 metres, ahead of Stacey-Ann Williams who was 6th, Gabrielle Bailey, 6th in the discus, Leonardo Ledgister, 6th in the 400 metre hurdles, Damion Thomas, 8th in the 110 hurdles, Obrien Wasome, 8th in the triple jump, Nyoka Clunis, 8th in the hammer throw with a personal best of 67.40 metres, and Nugent, 9th in the 100 metres final.

Young ended by helping Texas A&M to a special run in the 4×400 metres relay. She contributed to a quartet that levelled the NCAA record down to 3:22.34 seconds.  That time would have won the bronze medals at the 2019 World Championships.