Natasha Ruddock - File
LUBBOCK, TEXAS: THE two-day National Junior College Indoor Track and Field Championships, which came to an end on the compound of Texas Tech University on Saturday, saw Jamaican athletes walking away with five individual victories.
Leading the way were former St. Jago High athlete, Natasha Ruddock and former Edwin Allen star, Shakeeri Cole.
In her final indoor season for Essex County College, Ruddock was in immaculate form on Friday's opening day as she broke Lacena Golding's 14-year-old 55-metre hurdles record of 7.68 seconds, when she recorded 7.66 seconds in the preliminary round.
In the final on Saturday, despite a desperate challenge from Barton County College's April Williams, Ruddock held on for a close win to post a similar time of 7.66 seconds, with Williams, the 2005 100 metres hurdles World Youth champion, finishing second in 7.72.
Sweet revenge
It was sweet revenge for Ruddock, who lost to Williams in Morocco four years ago.
"I am very happy for the record and to beat Williams this time around after my loss at World Youth," said, Ruddock.
"It is a great feeling also to break a record set by a very outstanding Jamaican, who has done very well for her country at all levels over the years," added a very elated Ruddock, who will be attending Texas A&M University in September.
Cole, a freshman at South Plains College, captured the women's 600 metres in 1:32.65 and the 800 metres in 2:21.57. On both occasions, she relegated her former teammate at Edwin Allen, Andrea Sutherland, to second position.
Competing for Barton County Junior College, Sutherland waited too late to kick in both races, thus failing to peg back the front-running Cole. Her second place time in the 600 metres was 1:32.87 and for the 800m, she clocked 2:22.32.
In the 800, it was 1-2-3 for Jamaican athletes as former Vere Technical middle distance runner, Petrona Layne, who ran for New Mexico, took the bronze in 2:22.40.
Major upset
Former Vere Technical long jumper, Jillisa Grant, created a major upset in the women's 400 metres. Running just the third 400 metres race of her career, the first-year student at South Western Christian College found an extra gear in the final 50 metres to win in a personal best of 55.44 seconds, as favourite Kayon Robinson had to settle for fourth.
Robinson, also a past Vere Technical and national junior representative, who now competes for New Mexico, clocked 55.75 seconds.
Earlier, Grant finished fourth in the 55 metres hurdles in a personal best of 8.09 seconds and second in the long jump with 6.04 metres. Also in this event, former St. Jago High athlete, Sashakaye Matthias, won in a personal best of 6.11 metres for Essex County College.
There were also top three finishes for New Mexico's Shantal Thompson and Cawley College's Jessica McLeod.
Thompson, formerly of Vere Technical, took bronze in the high jump with a leap of 1.65 metres; and a similar medal in the triple jump, where she scaled the bar at 11.70 metres.
McLeod, formerly of Edwin Allen, secured her bronze in the 1000 metres in 3:05.72.
World Junior 4x100 metres silver medallist, Shawna Anderson, could only manage a fourth place finish in the 55 metres dash.
Competing for South Plains, the former Edwin Allen sprinter clocked 6.93 seconds.
Florissent Valley's Santana Lowery broke Juliet Campbell's 18-year-old record of 6.75 seconds, when she won the event in a fast 6.69 seconds.
Taking the double
Lowery took the double as she won the 200 metres in 23.45 seconds, ahead of the World Junior 200 metres gold medallist, Sheniqua Ferguson of The Bahamas, who clocked 23.69 seconds representing Southwest Mississippi.
Among the boys, former St. Jago High quarter-miler, Riker Hylton, could only mange a sixth place finish for Essex County College in 48.27 seconds. Caribbean athletes scored a one-two in this event as Trinidad and Tobago's Olympian, Renny Quow, competing for South Plains, held off the strong finish of Essex County College's Demetrius Pinder of The Bahamas. Quow's winning time was 46.45 seconds, while Pinder clocked 46.89 seconds.