New National Records for Alcide & Joseph

Saint Lucia has three new National Records (so far!) this weekend. Makeba Alcide accounted for two of them, whilst becoming the fourth member of the University of Arkansas woment's track and field team to claim a Pentathlon title at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships. Pernell Joseph also set a new mark, competing for Missouri State University at the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championships.

Makeba is used to setting Saint Lucia and Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States records. Every time she lifts her performance in the 60m Hurdles or Pentathlon it goes in the record books. Friday at the Nutter Field House in Lexington, Kentucky, the sophomore celebrated her birthday in style - the day after Independence Day anniversary festivities in her native Saint Lucia - by coming away with a clutch of new records.

In the first event of the day, Alcide finished eighth in the 60m Hurdles with a personal-best time of 8.72, good for 969 points. She followed up with first place in High Jump and a 1.76m clearance, then ended second in Shot Put with a best throw of 11.82m to stand third after three events. A personal mark of 5.72m in Long jump still left her 56 points back of Alabama's Kaylon Eppinger, needing a five-second advantage in the 800m run.

With everything on the line, Makeba turned in a personal-best time of 2:20.60, third in the event, but more than seven seconds ahead of Eppinger and finished close enough to Erica Bougard of Mississippi State to clinch the SEC crown. Makeba's final point total was 4,126, fourth in NCAA Division I, the first time she's gone over 4,000, and second all-time in Arkansas history, just 15 points from the school record.

"I wanted to give myself a birthday present," said Makeba. "I was getting personal records in almost every event but I was behind so I had to dig a little bit in the 800 meters. I went out a little too fast so the time I wanted to hit didn't happen but at the same time, I just ran and had to give a good effort at the end." Makeba returns to action Sunday in High Jump, where she will face fellow Saint Lucian, Jeannelle Scheper of South Carolina.

In Iowa, meanwhile, at the University of Northern Iowa's UNI Dome in Cedar Falls, diminutive second-year student athlete Joseph qualified for the finals of the women's 60m and 200m races. She won both her heats, and in the process of winning Heat 2 in the 60m, broke a two-way tie between MSU alumni Michelle Baptiste (1999) and Jineill Vite (2004), both of whom had run 7.55 seconds to share the National Record.

Pernell took four hundredths of a second off that mark, and ended second overall in qualifying, with finals in all events on Sunday. She also stopped the clock in 24.71 seconds to make the 200m final. Missouri State freshman and compatriot Merica Moncherry also made both sprint finals. Merica (7.61) was second in Heat 1 of the 60m, and won her 200m heat in 24.82 seconds to go through to Sunday's final.

Over in the Southland Conference Championships, at the Mosier Indoor Track on the University of Oklahoma, Jhorden Hunter of the University of Texas San Antonio ran 7.57 to finish fifth in qualifying for the women's 60m finals. Her time placed her second in Heat 2. She would go on to repeat that performance for sixth in the final, and though she won her 200m heat in 25.50, it was the slowest of the six qualifying races.

In Boston, Connecticut, at the New England Championships, the University of Connecticut Huskies saw freshman Nyanka Moise through to the women's 400m finals in a time of 56.36, the second-fastest qualifying performance. In the final, though, Nyanka's 56.31 was good only for fourth. Teammate Tiffany Daley was second, but the two teamed up to lead UConn to a time of 3:46.09 and the women's mile relay title.

There's no telling what Sunday will bring, with Alcide, Joseph, Moncherry and Scheper still perhaps in celebratory mood following the 33rd anniversary Independence celebrations in miweek. It's left to be seen if Joseph has any more in the tank, and what sort of form Scheper is in, as earlier this season she appeared poised to threaten the National Junior Record for High Jump, now held by Levern Spencer.