Welcome and Maloney for NCAA Nationals

Mikiesha Welcome and Shafiqua Maloney have booked the places at this year NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Track and Field Championships, to be held in Eugene Oregon from June 9-12. Both women earned their spot after competing in the NCAA West Preliminary Meet from May 26-29.

Competing in her Freshman (1^st) year, for the University of Oklahoma, Mikiesha qualified for the Triple Jump with a distance of 13.36m, which placed her 9^th. She will be going into the NCAA Championship ranked No. 15 overall. The OU jumper has had a great year so far, on a national stage, where she broke the Indoor and Outdoor national records, doing so twice for the latter. As it is on paper, equalling, or breaking the record of 13.72m would put her in gold medal contention. Mikiesha came to national prominence in 2019, when she set a national U20 women’s triple jump record of 13.15m, and a 3^rd place finish at the Pan American U20 Championships in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Shafiqua, who will be completing her sojourn as a college athlete, will be in the 800m for the University of Arkansas. She ran 2:03.30 to finish 2^nd at the West regional meet, and is ranked 14^th, going into the Championship next week. The Razorback Senior, also had an outstanding year, where she set national 800m records both indoor and outdoor. The women’s 800m could be a tight one, with just under 3 seconds separating positions 1-14.

Meanwhile, track action a little closer to home saw good performances from athletes in Jamaica. The JAAA held its Destiny Series #2 meet at the national Stadium in Kingston on Saturday. Leading the way for the Jamaica based runners was McKish Compton, who finished 9^th in the 100m, with a personal best of 10.39s. That put him just .06 seconds off the national record, held by Joel Mascoll. Also in the 100m, was Javon Rawlins, who finished 13^th, in 10.40.

Both sprinters ran the 200m as well, where McKish was 10^th in 21.65, and Javon was 16^th in 21.97.

The 400m saw Akani Slater finish 3^rd in 46.47, O.J Jackson 7^th, in 47.02, Handal Roban 12^th with a PB of 47.50, and Yonnick Murray 15^th, in 48.17.

Handal is in 6^th Form at Jamaica College, while all the others are at G.C. Foster College.