media_artricles :: 2013

Davis grabs NCAA gold

400 silver for Lendore in 44.94

Wayne Davis II struck gold for Texas A&M University on the final day of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 Outdoor Track and Field Championships, in Oregon, USA, yesterday.

Davis was the men’s 110 metres hurdles silver medallist last year. But this time, the Trinidad and Tobago athlete won the event, getting to the line in a wind-assisted 13.14 seconds. British Virgin Islands hurdler, Eddie Lovett (University of Florida) and American Spencer Adams (Clemson University) were second and third, respectively, clocking 13.32 and 13.34.

There was gold too for T&T’s Sparkle McKnight. She ran the second leg for University of Arkansas, winners of the women’s 4x400m final in three minutes, 27.09 seconds.

Shermund Allsop anchored Louisiana State University (LSU) to fourth spot in the men’s 4x100m final in 38.78 seconds.

Auburn University’s Kai Selvon clocked a wind-aided 22.65 to finish sixth in the women’s 200m championship race.

And in the men’s 4x400m final, Deon Lendore ran the anchor leg for eighth-placed Texas A&M, a dropped baton costing the team a shot at gold. Lendore and company clocked 3:07.64.

Texas A&M and Florida tied for first in the men’s team competition with 53 points each. Arkansas (46.5) finished third, and LSU (27) copped seventh spot.

University of Kansas captured the women’s team title with 60 points, beating Texas A&M (44) and University of Oregon (43) into second and third, respectively. Arkansas (30) finished eighth, and Auburn (11), 23rd.

Late on Friday, Lendore became only the ninth T&T athlete to join the sub-45 club when he clocked 44.94 seconds to secure men’s 400m silver.

Going into the meet, the 20-year-old sophomore had a personal best of 45 seconds flat—a clocking he produced on April 20 in Louisiana.

Bryshon Nellum, of the United States, struck gold in Friday’s one-lap final, the University of Southern California senior stopping the clock at 44.73. Another American, Florida’s Arman Hall picked up bronze in 45.02.

“I wanted to score as many points as I could for my team,” said Lendore, in an interview on the Texas A&M website (www.aggieathletics.com). “I gave it my all and ran a PR (personal record). I was able to score eight points, so I’m happy.”

Lendore is ninth on the all-time T&T men’s 400m performance list.

Ian Morris is at the top of the list with the 44.21 seconds national record run he produced in the semifinal round at the 1992 Olympic Games, in Barcelona, Spain.

The 2012 Olympic one-lap bronze medallist, Lalonde Gordon is second at 44.52. Renny Quow (44.53) is in third spot, ahead of Patrick Delice (44.58), 1964 Olympic 400m silver medallist Wendell Mottley (44.82), and Alvin Daniel (44.84). Ato Stephens (44.87) and Mike Paul (44.88) are seventh and eighth, respectively.

On Friday, McKnight finished sixth in the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championship women’s 400m hurdles final, in 56.16 seconds—the second fastest time of her career. The T&T athlete’s PR is 55.71.

American Kori Carter, a student at Stanford University, got home in a world-leading 53.21 seconds to grab gold. Carter’s clocking is a new meet record.

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