The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

JYLES Etienne continues to establish himself as one of the top male high jumpers in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, while sprinter TyNia Gaither is getting back into the swing of things in the women’s professional ranks.

The duo highlighted the series of events that Bahamians competed in over the weekend around the United States.

At the 2019 Indiana Relays in Bloomington, Indiana, Etienne won his speciality with a leap of 2.09 metres or 6-feet, 9-inches. The performance was between the Indiana sophomore’s season and personal best of 2.15m (7-5) that placed him second at the Jim Green Invitational two weeks ago at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky.

Etienne’s nearest rival over the weekend was Trent Nytes of Wisconsin with 2.02m (6-7 1/2).

Meanwhile at the Houston Invitational at the Yeoman Field House at the University of Houston in Houston, Texas, TyNia Gaither, representing Adidas, sped to a second place finish in the women’s 60 metres in a time of 7.46.

Chelsea Francis of SMU was the winner in 7.28. Gaither qualified with the second fastest time in winning her heat in 7.49. Francis also won her heat in 7.30 for the fastest coming out of the qualifying round.

Alexis Gray of Texas Southern was also in the event. She won her heat in 7.52 for the third fastest qualifying time behind Francis and Gaither. But in the final, she ended up in fifth in 7.58.

Javon Martin, also from Texas Southern, won his heat of the men’s 60m in 6.88 that placed him fifth overall. John Lewis III of Houston won the event in 6.81 and Terence Ware, also of Houston, had an identical time of 6.88 to beat out Martin for fourth.

And also competing at the meet was Houston’s Brianne Bethel. The Grand Bahamian native twin sister got second in the collegiate women’s 200m in 24.20. Hannah Jackson of Rice University won the event in 23.83.

At the Penn State National Open at the Multi-Sport Facility & Horace Ashenfelter Indoor Track in University Park, Philadelphia, Penn State’s senior Keianna Albury got second in the women’s 200m in 24.18.

Freshman Alexis Holmes posted a personal-best time of 23.83 to take the tape in a top-10 time in the nation.

At the Razorback Invitational at the Randal Tyson Track Complex at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Purdue’s sophomore Tamar Greene cleared 15.84m (51-11 3/4) for second place in the men’s triple jump on his third attempt.

Greene lost out to Florida’s junior Clayton Brown, who won with 16.29m (53-5 1/2) on his opening jump.

Laquan Nairn, a junior at Arkansas, was eighth in the men’s long jump with his leap of 7.50m (24-7 1/2) on his sixth and final attempt. Grant Holloway, a junior at Florida, took the title on his fifth attempt with 8.02m (26-3 3/4). Greene had to settle for tenth place with 6.96m (22-10) on his second attempt.

On the track, Samson Colebrooke, a junior at Purdue, was tenth in the men’s 200m in a time of 21.38. Akanni Hislop, a junior at LSU, did 20.96 to secure the win.

And at the Texas Tech Classic in Lubbock, Texas, Celine Thompson, a junior at the University of Miami, came in 10th in the women’s high jump with her leap of 1.67m (5-5 3/43).

The winning height was 1.82m (5-11 1/2) by Zarriea Willis, a senior at Texas Tech.