The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

ANTHAYA Charlton, preparing for her first World Indoor Championships this weekend, led a trio of Bahamians in action at the National College Athletic Association’s Indoor Championships over the weekend.

The two-day meet was staged in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and also featured Olympians Antoine Andrews and Javonya Valcourt.

Charlton, in her junior year at the University of Florida, finished fourth in the women’s long jump with a leap of 22-feet, ¼-inches or 6.71 metres, which came on her fifth attempt. 

Her series of jumps included 21-83/4 (6.62m) on her first attempt, 21-41/4 (6.51m) on her second, 20-5¾ (6.24m) on her third, 20-6½ (6.26m) on her fourth and 20-10 (6.35m) on her sixth and final attempt.

Alexis Brown, a senior at Baylor, soared 22-7¾ (6.90m) in the fourth round to win the title. 

Tacoria Humphrey, a senior at Illinois, was the runner-up with 22-13/4 (6.75m) in the first round and Alyssa Jones, a junior at Stanford, was third with 22-¼ (6.71m).

Charlton, 21, went into the championships having posted a previous nation leading mark of 22-103/4 (6.98m) on January 31 for a new Bahamas national indoor record. She was named to the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ national team that will compete at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, March 21-23 where she will join her sister world indoor record holder Devynne Charlton, who will be defending her title in the women’s 60m hurdles.

Also named to the team are Olympian hurdler Denisha Cartright, sprinter Camille Rutherford and Olympic quarter-miler Wendell Miller. 

The head coach Bernard Rolle and the manager is Foster Dorsett. Dr Kent Bazard will be the team doctor and BAAA’s president Drumeco Archer will head the delegation. 

Andrews, a junior at Texas Tech, was sixth in the men’s 60m hurdles in a time of 7.56 seconds. The race was won by Ja’Kobe Tharp, a sophomore at Auburn, in 7.45. 

“I feel pretty good for the most part obviously not satisfied but I do believe in the Lord having bigger and better opportunities for me,” Andrews said.

“The indoor national is the hardest meet to make and made it every year so I have to something right. I felt like I could’ve been cleaner but outdoors we move.”

The 21-year-old Andrews was a part of an 18-member track team that represented the Bahamas at last year’s Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France where he made it to the semifinal of the 100m hurdles, placing eighth in his heat in 13.43.

And Javonya Valcourt competed for the University of Tennessee in the women’s 400m where she finished 12th overall in the preliminaries in 52.31, which was short of making the top eight to advance to the final.

Valcourt, 20, ran out of the second of four heats in lane three, did the first of the two-lap race in 23.94 to move into second, but on the last lap, she was dropped to third and finished in that position.

Eila Onojuvwevwo, a junior at LSU, took the tape in 51.61 with Rachel Joseph, a junior at Iowa State, coming in second in 51.86, as they both advanced. 

Valcourt, 20, came back and ran the second fastest split of 50.75, anchoring Tennessee to a third-place finish in the last of three heats for third place overall in 3:27.25

Her team-mates included Cydney Wright, who led off in 54.11, Brianna White on second in 50.70 and Esther Joseph on third in 51.71, as Tennessee ended up fourth overall.

Last year, Valcourt was a part of the Bahamas’ mixed 4 x 400m relay team that included Miller, Alonzo Russell and Quincy Penn. The team didn’t make it out of the preliminary round, running 3:14.58 for eighth place.