A number of college athletes compete

By SHAVAUGHN MOSS

NG Sports Reporter

Dominic Demeritte, the 2003 Birmingham IAAF World Indoor Championships bronze medalist in the over 200 metres opened his indoor season with a win in Virginia.

Competing at the Virginia Tech Indoor Invitational, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, on Saturday, under the Nike banner, in Rector Fieldhouse, Demeritte ran 21.20 seconds for the 200 metres.

As he begins preparation towards the Athens Olympics, Demeritte also took the opportunity to test his speed skills over 60 metres.

He ran 6.83 seconds in the prelims to go through to the semis where he was clocked at 7.01 seconds. Demeritte missed qualifying for the final by one spot.

Also competing at the meeting in the same sprint events was former St Augustine's College sprinter Don Wood.

Competing for Liberty University, Wood ran 23.62 and was 37th overall in the 200 metres, and 7.04 seconds in the semis of the 60 metres. He did not get through to the final either.

Clemson Invitational

Sophomore thrower Aymara Albury and the University of Alabama Crimson Tide travelled to South Carolina over the weekend where they competed in the Clemson Invitational.

The former St Augustine' s College student had a best of 17.90 metres (58 feet 7 inches) in the women's weight throw and finished fifth.

Coastal Carolina's Amber Campbell won with a meet record of 21.31 metres (69-9) to lead the first four throwers who all surpassed the former meet record of 20.74 (74-6) metres set in 2001. She also qualified at the "A" standard for NCAA's.

Georgia's Jenny Dahlgren threw 20.57 (67-4), North Carolina's Laura posted Gerraughty had a best of 19.23 (63-00) on the day for third. Albury's teammate Beth Mallory threw 18.88 (61-9) metres to finish ahead of Albury.

Junior Chafree Bain, competing in only her second indoor meet for U of A had a best of 13.35 metres (43-7) and finished 16th in the field of 24.

Albury finished fifth in the shot put with a 14.46 (47-4) best throw, three inches shy of what she opened up with the week prior. Bain fouled out of the event, won by Gerraughty with an NCAA automatic qualifying mark of 17.00 metres (55-7).

Wake Forest's Lindsay Neuberger was second in an NCAA provisional mark of 15.17 metres (49-7). Albury and Bain's teammate Beth Mallory's 14.87 (48-7) was good for third.

Antonio Saunders competing for the University of Georgia popped 15.42 metres (50- 6 1/2) to win the men's triple jump, ahead of North Carolina's Daniel Harris (15.10m/49-5) and his teammate Jeremy Glaze (14.80m/ 48-5).

In the men's long jump Saunders finished third with a 7.42 metres (24-4) best jump.

George Kitchens took the event on his home turf with a 7.53 metres (24-7) showing. Georgia Tech's I-Perfecti Harris did 7.45 metres to finish ahead of Saunders.

In what was a pretty busy weekend for him, Saunders then ran fourth in the 60 metres in 6.85 seconds. Charlotte's Derrick Johnson got the win (6.77), Clemson's Larry Griffin (6.38) and Airese Currie (6.83) were beaten to the line on their home turf.

Air Force Invitational

Michael Reckely, a senior at Wichita State ran seventh in the men's 200 metres final in 22.26 seconds, at the Air Force Invitational, US Air Force, Colorado.

The former St John's College student ran 7.01 seconds in the men's 60 metres preliminaries, but did not get through to the final.

Razorback Invitational

Southwest Missouri State's Donnavette Martin finished fifth in the women's long jump on Friday at the Razorback Invitational, ran at the Randal Tyson Track Complex at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas with a best jump of 5.38 metres (17 feet 8 inches) on her second to last attempt. The former CC Sweeting student only got in three legal jumps.

Byonka McDowell competing unattached won with a best of 5.84 metres (19-2).

Martin's teammate Luan Weekes was the best collegiate jumper in the field, she posted 5.67 metres (18-7 1/4) for second. Oklahoma State's Paula Ogunbanjo was third (5.58m or 18-3 1/4).

Martin returned on Saturday to post a best of 11.56 metres (37 feet 11 1/4 inches) for a fourth place finish in the triple jump.

Another unattached athlete had the best jump of the field. Yuliana Perez did 13.32m (43-8 1/2) for the win.

Weekes was again the best collegiate jumper in the field with a 12.36 (40-6 3.4) showing, Ogunbanjo again got the better of Martin with an 11.97 (39 3-1/4) jump for third.

Former St Johns' College quarter-miler Andretti Bain who attends Oral Roberts University, ran unattached on Saturday, but posted a very good first time of the year, 47.59 seconds to finish second, behind Arkansas' Maurice Bridges who ran an NCAA provisional standard (47.16).

Caption: Bahamian sprinter Dominic Demeritte

Posted: Monday January 26, 2004