Clifford Leads Collegiate Saint Lucians

Eight Saint Lucian athletes competed in the collegiate ranks in the United States this weekend, as the outdoor season approaches its midway point.

Saint Lucia's top male sprinter, Mandela Clifford returned to competition on Saturday in Rolla, Missouri, representing the Lincoln University Blue Tigers in the Dewey Allgood Invitational, at the Missouri University of Science & Technology's Allgood-Bailey Stadium. A 25-year-old senior, Mandela posted two top-three finishes in the 100m and 200m, stopping the clock in 10.55 for second place and 21.71 for third, respectively. A year ago, Mandela ran a career-best 10.29 in the 100m. He also ran 21.49 seconds to set the indoor National Record for the men's 200m in February last year.

Over in Fayetteville, Arkansas, at the John McDonnell Invitational, three Saint Lucians were in action. Makeba Alcide posted two top-10 results for the host team, the No. 6 ranked University of Arkansas Razorbacks. Her ninth-place time of 14.12 seconds in 100m Hurdles was a hundredth of a second off her National Record. Her 5.85m (19'2.5") in Long Jump was less than four inches shy of her personal best and was enough to earn her third place on Saturday. Meanwhile, her 200m time of 25.40 seconds was her fourt fastest time ever, placing her second in Heat 3 and fifteenth overall in that event.

Sophomore Pernell Joseph and freshman Merica Moncherry also competed in Fayetteville, for the Missouri State University Bears. Pernell clocked 24.29 and Merica 24.31 in the 200m, finishing second and third in Heat 5 and fifth and sixth overall. In the 100m, meanwhile, Pernell ran 11.87 to end third in Heat 3 and Merica 11.97 for second in Heat 2, fifth and ninth overall in the preliminaries. Having both made the final in that event, they repeated their preliminary times with a 1.6 metre-perr-second wind, closing out at fifth and sixth. The Missouri State sprint relay team failed to finish.

At the Longhorn Invitational on the University of Texas' Mike A. Myers Stadium, sophomore Jhorden Hunter ran 24.78 seconds in the women's 200m, finishing seventh for the University of Texas (San Antonio) Roadrunners. She was sixth in Heat 1. Under sunny skies and perfect conditions at the Northwest Nazarene University Invitational, junior Christabel Leonce was the top sprinter for the home team, winning the women's 200m for the Crusaders. Her time of 25.83 was her best for the seasion and ranks her sixth for the year in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

Meanwhile, at the J Fred Duckett Rice Twilight, hosted by Rice University in Houston, Texas, Karique Stephen placed third for Sam Houston State in the men's Triple Jumpe with a distance of 14.97m (49'01.5") on his sixth and final trial. In the Larry Ellis Memorial at the Weaver Stadium, Princeton, New Jersey, Rutgers senior Danai Lendor was seventh in Heat 3 of the women's 400m Hurdles. Danai, 27th overall, ended in 1:04.27.