Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer
OLYMPIAN KIMBERLI Barrett, Sheri-Ann Brooks and Aneita Denton were the Jamaican winners at the weekend's NCAA National Athletics Championships held at the Sacramento State University in California.
Barrett won the women's shot put; Brooks triumphed in the 200m, while Denton tagged the 800m.
Brooks, a former Manchester student, took the women's 200m - an event won by Aleen Bailey in 2003 - when she defeated American World Junior champion Shalonda Solomon by one hundredth of a second.
Brooks, who had the third fastest time going into the final, won in 22.85 seconds for Florida International University. Favourite Solomon of South Carolina, who defeated Anneisha McLaughlin at the World Juniors last year, was second in 22.86 while Cleo Tyson of Tennessee (23.01) finished third.
KEEP ON PUMPING
"Once I came off the curve ahead of everybody I knew I had it. All I had to do was maintain my form and keep on pumping," Brooks told NCAASports.com.
"This was a good win. I messed up really bad in the 100 so I came back to the 200 and put everything I had into it," she mentioned of her 11.59 clocking in the semis of the shorter sprint.
Former Holmwood athlete Denton became the first Jamaican to win an 800m event at the NCAA. Denton ran a well-timed race to win in a season best 2:02.84 seconds for Arkansas. She defeated Maggie Vessey of Cal Poly-SLO (2:03.10) and Beata Rudzinska of Akron (2:03.14) respectively.
"I really worked to go fast but I got blocked in and that held me back... I felt good on the straightaway," she explained after the race.
"The way I run I'm usually way back but this time I felt upright down the straight away. This is so good for me. This is my second NCAA title (she also won an indoor title) so it's good to win in my senior year. For me to win an outdoor title, I couldn't ask for more... The reason it feels so good is I'm a senior. I'm so happy."
Olympian Barrett won the women's shot out when she threw 18.20m to beat Texas' Michelle Carter (17.06m) and Jessica Cosby of UCLA ( 16.80m).
She said: "All I could do was compare this year to last year, which I thought was very dismal. I felt more control than I'd ever felt. The technique is simple you just have to give it some gas. I wanted to get my big throw out early because waiting until finals is too much of a mind game. I wanted to get myself hyped and get it while I was fresh. It makes the competition more fun."
In the women's 400m hurdles, Olympian Shevon Stoddart secured silver with a 54.47 run, while Melaine Walker (55.32), formerly of St. Jago, was fourth. Shauna Smith of Wyoming won in 54.32.
WORLD LEADER
Ricardo Chambers was fourth in the men's 400, beaten by world leader Darold Williamson of Baylor (44.51). Jamel Ashley of Mississippi State (44.75) and Andrae Williams of Texas Tech (44.90) finished second and third respectively behind Williamson, who ran his world leading time, 44.27 in the semis.
Shereefa Lloyd of Texas Tech was also a fourth place finisher in the women's one lap event. She was timed in 51.39, behind Monique Henderson of UCLA (50.10), Tiandra Ponteen of Florida (50.83) and Stephanie Smith of South Carolina (50.93).
Arkansas and former Albert Town athlete Omar Brown (22.38) was eighth in the men's 200m, won by a world leading run from his teammate Wallace Spearmon (19.91) with Xavier Carter of LSU second in (20.08).
In the women's 100m hurdles, Kasia Williams of Arkansas was last in 13.43 seconds. Virginia Powell of Southern California won in 12.80 seconds. Former Holmwood athlete and Carifta Games gold medallist Nadine Palmer dropped out in the semi-finals of the women's 100m in 11.75. She represented Florida.
Former Alpha student, Peaches Roach, now at Iowa was ninth in the women's high jump with a leap of 1.80m.
Brown's Arkansas won the men's section with 60 points, 11 ahead of Florida (49), LSU (36), Brigham Young and Florida State (34 each).
Meanwhile, Walker's Texas won the women's 4x400m in 3:27.13 over Stoddart's South Carolina (3:27.22) and Patricia Hall's Tennessee (3:27.46). Karen Gayle's Auburn was fifth in 3:29.21.
Walker's Texas won the female section with 55 points ahead of UCLA and Stoddart's South Carolina (48 each) and Hall's Tennessee (40).
