The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

MINNESOTA State Mavericks’ sprinter Denisha Cartwright felt like an energiser bunny as she “kept going and going” in her four final appearances at the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships on Saturday.

And even though it took its toll on her as she admitted that it “wasn’t my best performances,” she still “executed and did my best” as she and two other Bahamians made their presence felt at the Birmingham CrossPlex at the University of Montevallo in Birmingham, Alabama.

The 21-year-old junior transfer from Central State University was joined on stage by Minnesota State University Moorhead’s junior Shyrone Kemp in the men’s triple jump and Jahmaal Wilson, a sophomore at West Texas A&M Buffaloes, in the men’s 60 metre hurdles. Cartwright’s performances helped the Mavericks to a second place finish, their women’s best in indoor track and field history, surpassing the programme’s previous eighth place in the 2003-04 and 2007-08 seasons.

Cartwright began Saturday with a seventh place finish in the women’s 60m in 7.57 seconds as Angelica Floyd, a senior at Grand Valley State, won in 7.44.

“I just had a positive mindset,” Cartwright said about the opener. “I really didn’t think about it too much. I just went out there and ran my race.”

Cartwright got into the final with the eighth and final qualifying spot in Friday’s 60m preliminaries in 7.59 after she got fourth in the first of two heats.

In her second event on Saturday, the former Temple Christian Academy volleyball player clocked 8.50 for second in her speciality in the 60m hurdles as she trailed Cheyenne Williamson, a sophomore at Saginaw Valley, who ran 8.41 for the win.

“I wasn’t as aggressive over the hurdles. I felt like I was floating over a little bit, which was caused because of my nerves,” said Cartwright, admitting that she wasn’t at her best.

In the preliminaries of the 60m hurdles, Cartwright had the fastest qualifying time of 8.48 on Friday.

Cartwright, a member of the Silver Lightning Track Club and coached locally by Rupert Gardiner and Ednal Rolle, followed that on Saturday with seventh in the 200m final in 24.67. Kajsa Johansson, a senior at Hillsdale, won the title in 24.03.

“After the loss in the hurdles, I got my mind together and I stayed focus and remembered that I couldn’t let one race get me down,” she quipped.

“I still had to finish what I came to do, so I just went out there and ran my best with everything I had in me.”

With a victory in the last of four heats of the 200m preliminaries on Friday in 24.60, Cartwright ended up in fifth place overall heading into the final.

Cartwright, the daughter of fellow volleyball great Leslie ‘Russia’ Cartwright and Denise Cartwright, closed out her meet on the third leg of Minnesota State’s 4 x 400m relay in a split of 58.88.

With the other members of the team, Nyeaee Robins (57.13), Mackenzie Keune (55.95) and Mackenzie Woodard (55.60) clocked 3:47.55 for third place.

“I stayed positive and kept my mindset strong. Even after running all those events, most people wouldn’t do it, but I wanted to do it for my team and to get us the victory with everything I had left in me. I just kept my pace and reserved my energy so I could have something for the end.”

Colorado Mesa won in 3:47.09.

Kemp finished 5th in TJ

In the men’s triple jump, Kemp picked up a fifth place finish for MSU-Moorhead with a best of 49-9 3/4 (15.18m) on his third attempt after posting two consecutive fouls.

Dakota Abbott, a junior at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, cleared 51-5 3/4 (15.69m) on his sixth and final try for the victory.

Wilson seventh in hurdles

WTA&M got a seventh place finish from Wilson in the final of the men’s 60m hurdles on Saturday at the NCAA Indoors in 8.03. The winning time was 7.83 by Trevor Bassit, a senior at Ashland.

In the preliminaries, Wilson took the eighth and final spot in a time of 8.08 after he got fourth in the last of two heats on Friday.