The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas men's team of Demetrius Pinder, Ramon Miller, Michael Mathieu and Chris Brown gave it a gallant effort but missed a golden opportunity to upstage the United States in the USA vs the World Men's 4 x 400 meter relay at the 2012 Penn Relays.

On Saturday as the prestigious three-day relay festival closed out, the USA Red team posted the world leading time to establish a new meet record in three minutes and 00.15 seconds as American LaShawn Merritt came from behind down the stretch to out-sprint Brown, leaving the Bahamas in second in 3:00.56. The performance came after the Bahamas' women's and men's 4 x 100 relay teams had to settle for fifth and seventh respectively.

The Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations fielded the teams in the event in a bid to ensure that they secured one of the top 16 teams in the world in order to be eligible to compete at the 2012 London Olympics in August.

In the men's 4x4, Pinder took the lead on the back stretch and passed it off to Ramon Miller first on the exchange. He kept the lead as he passed it off to Michael Mathieu. At the first turn, American Bershawn Jackson caught Mathieu but Mathieu pulled away and stayed ahead taking it to Brown on anchor.

As they went on the final one-lapper, LaShawn Merritt trailed right on the heels of Brown until the final 150 when he started to make his move. As they came off the final curve, Merritt surged ahead and took the lead through to the tape.

Merrit's split was 44.8, compared to Brown's 45.6. On the third leg, Jackson had a split of 44.2 while Mathieu did 44.5 in the critical third leg that set the stage for the dramatic finish on the anchor leg.

It was Mathieu's second appearance on the day as he led the Bahamas' 4 x 100 team of Michael Mathieu, Jamial Rolle, Warren Fraser and Johnathan Farquharson that ran 39.68 for third in the first of two heats for their seventh place overall.

The youthful women's 4 x 100 team of V'Alonee Robinson, Nivea Smith, Sheniqua Ferguson and Anthonique Strachan followed the men with their fifth place finish in 44.14.

The USA Red team, anchored by Carmelita Jeter, took the tape in a record time of 42.19 well ahead of arch-rival Jamaica (anchored by Shelly-Ann Fraser) in 43.31. Nigeria, anchored by Blessing Okagbare, was third in 43.92 and Trinidad & Tobago, anchored by Semoy Hackett, did 44.07 for fourth.

The BAAA formed a relay coordinating team, led by Auburn University assistant coach Henry Rolle, to spearhead the efforts of the relay teams in their bid to qualify for the Olympics. Unlike the individual events, relay teams will have to post one of the top 16 times in the world by the cut off date to be eligible for an appearance in London.

Earlier on Saturday in the high schools boys 4 x 400 relay, Moore's Island team of Elroy McBride, James Williams, Deleceo Stuart and Antoin Davis had the fastest time of the three Bahamians when they finished eighth in their heat in 3:25.08. Munroe College of St Elizabeth, Jamaica, won the race in 3:16.11. In another heat, St Augustine's College's team of Kinard Rolle, Stephan Hepburn, Keric Rolle and Nakita Higgins was 10th in 3:29.44. Morris Hills of Rockaway, New Jersey, won the race in 3:19.65.

CV Bethel's team of Avery Thompson, Yurick Smith, Andrew Smith and O'Shawn Smith was fifth in 3:32.51 in their heat. West Morris Mendham from Mendham, New Jersey, won the race in 3:28.07.

And Queen's College's team of Jermaine Smith, Ian Kerr, Theotis Johnson and D'Mitry Charlton didn't finish in the last of 35 heats.

On Friday in the high schools boys 4 x 100 meters (Small School), Abaco's Moore's Island team of Nicholas Roberts, Antoin Davis, James Williams and Elroy McBride was 14th in 43.63, well ahead of three other teams from the Bahamas. Queen's College's team of Ian Kerr, Jermaine Smith, D'Mitry Charlton and Theotis Johnson got 31st in 44.24; CV Bethel's team of Raymonte Burrows, Kirk Lewis, Clarence Major and Rashad Gibson was 33rd in 44.26 and St Augustine's College team of Brynton Johnson, Kinard Rolle, Xavier Coakley and Stephan Hepburn came in 36th in 44.30. Herbert Morrison of Montego Bay, Jamaica, turned in the fastest time of 41.9, followed by St Jago of St Catherine, Jamaica, in second in 42.4 and Junipero Serra of Gardena, California, was third in 42.5. In the college women's 4 x 100 Championship of Americas race, Niivea Smith ran the second led for the University of Auburn as they got fifth in 44.68. Texas A&M won the race in 43.87. The BAAA afforded the women's relay teams from St Augustine's College as well as the boys relay teams from both CV Bethel and Moore's Island the opportunity to compete in the event by virtue of their performances at the recent Scotiabank National High School Track and Field Championships at Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium. The other schools made the trip on their own.