T&T's Michelle-Lee Ahye opened her indoor season with two gold medals at the FasTrak Invitational on Saturday at Bill Yeoman Fieldhouse on the University of Houston campus in Texas, USA.
The Adidas athlete sprinted across the line first in the women's 60 metres dash in a time of 7.27 seconds, to beat her Adidas colleague Remona Burchell into second in 7.31 and Sam Houston State University sophomore Kenaysia Dixon into third in 7.70. Ahye advanced from the preliminary round with the fastest qualifying time in 7.32 winning the second of two heats.
Later in the women's 200 timed final, the Commonwealth Games 100m champion, comfortably won the third section of three in 24.13, the fastest time overall.
Another local runner Deon Lendore was also active on the weekend at the Texas A&M Triangular, placing third in the men's 600m. The Puma athlete clocked 1:16.90.
At the same event, T&T's Jenea Spinks in her first competitive collegiate race won gold. The Texas Christian University (TCU) freshman crossed in 7.43 in a thrilling final beating her schoolmates Destiny Longmire (7.45) and Hope Glenn (7.51), respectively.
At the Vanderbilt Invitational meet in Tennessee, T&T athletes had a number of podium finishes in their respective events.
Lisa Wickham copped silver in the women's 60m event in 7.40 after progressing with the third fastest time of 7.46 in the preliminaries. The Tennessee Tech junior also competed in the 200m and placed 21st (25.21).
Her Tennessee Tech teammate, Khemani Roberts of Tobago had a tough time in both events. The senior student-athlete clocked 7.97 to place 42nd and was 40th in the 200m in a time of 25.62. Roberts also raced in the 400m and was 19th in 57.88.
Mauricia Prieto was part of the University of Alabama 4x400 relay team that nabbed gold in the final with a 3:36.81-clocking.
Over on the field, her University of Alabama teammate, senior Portious Warren was second in the women's shot put with her best effort measuring 17.13m. In the weight throw, she was 14th with a 17.73m-throw.
At the Clemson Invitational, Dwight St Hillaire, a sophomore at the University of Kentucky, missed out on medals in two events. In the men's 200m, he placed fourth with a time of 21.26 and also in the 4x400m relay final with his team crossing in 3:13.40. St Hillaire also competed in the 60m and he placed eighth in 6.90.
On Friday at the Red Raider Invite at Texas Tech-Sports Performance Center in Lubbock, Zakiya Denoon was the lone local athlete picking up a medal, running the second leg in the women's 4x400m relay to help Louisiana State University (LSU) to second place in 3:44.40.
She line-up in the 60m event also and place seventh in 7.49 in a final that had six of the possible eight lanes filled with LSU runners
Akanni Hislop was to race out of lane two in the men's 60m final, advancing with the fastest qualifying time of 6.78 seconds but unfortunately, the junior did not start in the medal race.
Another LSU junior Xavier Mulugata also competed in the dash and reached the semifinal round after clocking 6.94 to move on with the 15th qualifying time but place 13th in 6.89 in next round and did not reach for final. He raced in the men's 200m B race and was 38th overall with a time of 23.31.
At the Lumberjack Team Challenge on Friday, Jeminise Parris, an Arizona State Junior, placed seventh in the 60m hurdles (8.81) and her team crossed fifth in the 4x400m (3:57.21). This performance followed up her first-place finish in the 60mH (7.86) at the HBCU battle.
In Birmingham, Alabama at the Samford Open, Jeunice Maxime of Grambling State University finished 10th in the women's 200m in 25.87.
Cherisse Murray started her season in fine style with a gold and a silver at the Puma Indoor Invitational in Arizona. The Central Arizona sophomore reached the top of the podium in the women's shot put with a 15.83m-throw. She finished the second in the weight throw (16.95m).
