The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

WHEN good friends Devynne Charlton and Carmiesha Cox left the Bahamas two years ago to pursue their collegiate athletic careers at Purdue University, the sprinting duo knew that they would be providing the competition for each other as they race in the same events.

Now in their sophomore year, the pair started the Boilermakers 2015 indoor season at home at the 20th annual Gene Edmonds Invitational on Saturday at Lambert Fieldhouse as they went head-to-head in both the 60 and 200 metres, while teaming up to run on their 4 x 400m relay team. Charlton also took part in her specialty in the 60m hurdles.

Charlton won the 60m dash after qualifying for the finals with the second-best time. In the finals, she ran a PR of 7.47 seconds to win 0.07 of a second. Her time ranks second in Purdue history, just 0.06 of a second off Sybil Perry’s record from 1983, and is currently 10th in the country and second in the Big Ten Conference.

Cox, back in action after missing most of last year with an injury, had the third fastest time in the preliminaries in 7.62 before she lowered it to 7.55 for the same position in the final.

Charlton also won the 200m dash (24.59), edging Cox (24.61). Charlton’s time converts to 24.22 seconds, which ranks fourth in the country, while Cox’s time converts to 24.24, which ranks sixth in the country. The conversions are due to Purdue’s 200m track size.

The duo are ranked first (Charlton) and second (Cox) in the one-lap race indoors.

In the 60m hurdles, Charlton took the title in the 60m hurdles. After running the leading time in the preliminaries with 8.41 seconds, Charlton posted a time of 8.38 seconds in the finals to win by 0.22 of a second. That time is just 0.05 of a second off her PR, and is still behind only two other Boilermakers in programme history. She is also ranked second in the Big Ten Conference.

“I felt pretty good about my performance. It puts me in a much better place than I was last year,” said Charlton in an interview with The Tribune. “I enjoyed the 60m the most this weekend because I got a PR and I moved up a spot in the top five list at number two right now. I’m just chasing the record of 7.41 and I ran 7.47. I have the 200m record that I just broke again.”

As for the rest of the season, Charlton said while she is pleased with her start, her focus is actually not on indoors.

“My real focus is going to be on the outdoors,” she said. “This is just something to do until I get outdoors.”

And while she gears up for that, Charlton said she’s excited to have Cox back at full strength and competing with her again. “Having her right next to me a lot of times pushes me because I know what she’s capable of doing,” said Charlton of Cox, who was unavailable for comments. “In order for me to beat her, I have to work a lot harder. I can’t give anything to her and I know she’s not going to give me anything. So she really pushes me a lot.”

Charlton and Cox also ran on the Boilermakers’ ‘B’ team 4 x 400m relay, which finished third overall with a time of 3:51.91.

Charlton, a 20-year-old graduate of St Augustine’s College, is the daughter of David and Laura Charlton. She is studying biological sciences with a goal of marine biology, while Cox, also a 20-year-old graduate of Aquinas College, is the daughter of Dwight and Carmin Cox. She is majoring in business management.

Another Bahamian on the team, Kinard Rolle, an 18-year-old freshman who graduated from St Augustine’s College, did not compete in the meet. He is the son of Ricardo Rolle and Prenell King-Rolle and plans to major in accounting.

The trio are coached by a pair of Bahamians. Rolando ‘Lanny’ Greene is the head coach and Norbert Elliott is his assistant.