National Jr. & JUCO Championships Takes Center Stage


It's a busy weekend for BVI athletes at home and in Jr. College competition as they chase qualifying marks PHOTO Dean "The Sportsman" Greenaway

The BVI Athletics Association National Jr. Championships are scheduled for Friday and Saturday at the A. O. Shirley Recreation Grounds, with three sessions of competitions.

Competition begins at 5:30 p.m. on Friday with field events and running events starts at 6 p.m. the second session on Saturday which includes the prelims of the 200m starts at 10 a.m. Session three will run from 5:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.

Three athletes from St. Croix and two from Anguilla are expected to use the competition to qualify for the 45th Carifta Games in Grenada, Mar 26-28.

St. Croix's Lamar Miller and Amani Alfred, will contest the U18 Boys 100 and 200m, while Barthelemy Peter and Rodney Griffith will run the U20 Boys 200m and 400m.

Anguilla's two athletes will also be seeking to qualify for the Carifta Games. Mauriel Carty in the U20 Boys 100/200 and Artesha Richardson in the U20 Girls 200/400m.

Five athletes to compete in JUCO Indoor Nationals

Five British Virgin Islands track and field athletes-who are ranked in the top 10 of their respective events and representing two institutions-will compete in the National Jr. Colleges Athletics Association Championships in Winston-Salem, NC, March 4-5. 

Central Arizona College freshman Kyron McMaster, will join sophomore teammates Eldred Henry and twin sisters Trevia and Tynelle Gumbs and South Plains College's Taylor Hill at the two day competition. 

McMaster is coming off a 600m victory in the Central Arizona College Indoor meet on Saturday, where he ran one minute, 22.40 seconds. Tynelle and twin sister Trevia Gumbs-who occupy the top two positions in the Jr. College rankings in the Weight Throw-are coming off a 1-2 finish.

After fouling her first two attempts, Tynelle had a series of marks from 18.58m or better with a best of 18.81 on her fifth attempt. Trevia upped her best from 18.01m two weeks ago to 18.28m.

Trevia was third in the Shot Put with a heave of 13.00m on her first throw.

Heading into the JC championships, McMaster's 47.78 seconds in the 400m is the sixth best mark. Henry's 18.05m effort tops the Shot Put and he's 10th in the Weight Throw at 17.07m. 

Tynelle has the top billing in the Weight Throw with 19.55m while Trevia's 18.28 mark is third.

Hill is ranked 7th in the 60m dash with 7.51 seconds and 6th in the 200m with a 24.54 mark.

Elsewhere, sprinter Ashley Kelly won the Staten Island Last Chance 200m in 23.76 seconds.

On Friday, Tahesia Harrigan-Scott will tune up for the IAAF World Indoor Championships at the World's Last Chance meet at the Armory in New York. She along with Karene King, wlll contest the 60m. Tarika Moses is expected to see action in the 400m.