By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

ELITE professional hurdler Devynne Charlton, pole vaulter Brenden Vanderpool and quarter-miler Lacarthea Cooper posted victories in their respective events to lead a host of Bahamian athletes over the weekend in various meets around the United States of America.

Prelude to World Indoors

Charlton, the Bahamas women’s national indoor and outdoor high hurdles record holder, cleared her way to victory at the Rod McCrary Memorial Track and Field Meet at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky.

Representing Puma, Charlton took the tape in the 60m hurdles in 7.88 seconds, holding of Kentucky’s graduate Masai Russell, competing unattached, who was second in 7.89. Rayniah James was third in 8.09. Charlton had the second fast time in the semifinals in 8.13 behind Russell’s leading time of 7.96 and ahead of James in 8.13. But in the preliminaries, Charlton topped the list with 7.99 with Russell with second best in 8.09 and James third in 8.12.

“I thought I had a great meet overall. The 60 metres was first a d I ended up running my fastest time since college so that was the first indicator of the shape I’m in,” Charlton said. “I think I’m right where I expected to be. Based on how practices have been going, I knew that I was in 7.8 shape or better.”

As she prepares for her trek to World Athletics’ World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland from March 1-3, Charlton said she wants to run a full season, which would include some sprinting to keep with her hurdles.

In the 60m, she had the fourth best time of 7.39. Paige Archer, competing for the University of Central Florida, was 61st in 9.44.

Also on the track, Adam Musgrove, in his freshman year for Howard University, clocked 22.01 to win his heat for eighth place in the men’s 200m. He was 20th overall in the 60m in 6.89.

And Otto Laing, also at Howard, was third in the men’s 60m hurdles in 7.95. Laing had the second fastest time in the semifinal in 7.89 and the fourth best in the preliminaries in 7.91.

On the field, Calea Jackson, competing for the University of Miami, was 18th in the women’s discus with a heave of 43-feet, 6-inches or 13.26m and she was 22nd in the put with a toss of 35-8 ½ (13.26m).

National record breaking performance

At the Birmingham Metro CrossPlex in Birmingham, Alabama, Brenden Vanderpool, coming of a sensational year as a senior in high school, made his collegiate debut for Samford an impressive one, soaring 16-feet, 8 3/4-inches or 5.10 metres to improve on his Bahamian national record.

His team-mate Jed Sisco, a junior, followed closely behind with 16-6 ¾ (5.05m).

Come-from-behind win

At the 2023 Texas Tech Stan Scott Memorial, hosted by Texas Tech University Sports Performance Center in Lubbock, Texas, New Mexico Junior College’s sophomore Lacarthea Cooper took the tape in a come-from-behind victory in the women’s 400m in 54.04, edging out Niesha Burgher, a senior at UTEP, who did 54.35.

Her team-mate Amari Pratt, now in her freshman year at New Mexico JC, was 20th in the women’s 60m in 7.73. Pratt also doubled up in the 200m where she was 20th in 25.57.

Two Bahamian seniors competed in the men’s 60m final where Grand Bahamian Terrence Jones got the better of the match-up with a time of 6.6z1 for fifth place, while Karon Dean, representing UTEP, was eighth in 6.80.

Jones had the fourth fastest qualifying time of 6.71 and Dean got the sixth best in 6.80. Xavier Butler, a freshman at UTEP, fell short of advancing to the final after he placed 10th in the preliminaries in 6.76.

Butler had a better shoeing in the 200m, placing fourth in 21.21 with Dean coming in 13th in 21.96.

And in the men’s 60m hurdlers, Jalen Cadet, a junior at UTEP, was 14th in 8.63. Antoine Andrews, a sophomore at Texas Tech, didn’t advance either after he had a false start in his preliminary race.

Andrews, however, came back and ran the second leg for Texas Tech’s 4 x 400m relay team that placed third in 3:12.45, ahead of UTEP, anchored by Butler in 3:12.87.

On the field, Cadet was fourth in the men’s long jump with 23-0 ¾ (7.03m).

Freshmen introduction

At the Arkansas Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Jonathon Fowler, a freshman at Oral Roberts University, was eighth in the preliminaries of the men’s 60m in 6.98, but he missed making the cut of the top six for the final.

Grand Bahamian Shatayla Dorsett, also in her freshman year at Louisiana Tech, was ninth in the women’s 60m in 7.54, but she too didn’t get a chance to compete in the finals, missing the final cut by one spot.

Philip Gray, yet another freshman, competed in the men’s 400m where he was 12th in 49.58.

On the field, Mateo Smith, a sophomore at Louisiana Tech, had to settle for seventh in the men’s long jump with his best leap of 23-feet, 4 3/4-inches or 7.13m. The winning leap was 24-11 (7.59m) by Jedidiah Udunna, a sophomore at UT-Rio Grande.

Senior experience

At the Clemson Invite at the Clemson University Indoor Track in Clemson, South Carolina, Wendira Moss had a series of events as she go through her senior year at Northern Colorado. In the women’s 100m, she was 23rd overall in 7.89. Her best performance came in the 200m where she got seventh in her season’s best of 24.79. And in the 400m, she 10th in 56.06.