Jamaican Dejanea Oakley of the University of Georgia and Bahamian sprint star Anthaya Charlton lit up Hayward Field with personal best performances on Thursday night, as they spearheaded a wave of Caribbean talent with contrasting fortunes at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Oakley, the former Clarendon College standout, blazed to a lifetime best of 50.18 seconds in the 400m semifinals to book her ticket to Saturday’s final. The Jamaican quarter-miler, who finished seventh in last year’s championship final, trimmed her previous mark of 50.35s and now stands as one of the leading contenders for a podium finish.
While Oakley soared, her fellow Jamaican teammates faced stiffer challenges. Shaquena Foote of San Diego State, the reigning Mountain West champion, clocked 51.40s for 11th overall, as she fell short of the final nine. Meanwhile, Joanne Reid (53.11s) of the University of Arkansas finished 24th.
In the women’s 100m hurdles, Habiba Harris of the University of Florida reaffirmed her top billing with a composed win in semifinal three, in 12.84s (0.0 m/s)—the third-fastest time of the round. Harris, who owns a personal best of 12.62s, will be joined in the final by fellow Jamaican Oneka Wilson of Clemson, whose 12.93s (1.0 m/s) secured a non-automatic qualifying spot. Unfortunately, Marissa Simpson of UTEP just missed out, as she finished 10th overall in 12.97s.
The Caribbean’s biggest sprint statement came courtesy of Anthaya Charlton, who flashed across the line in a blistering 10.87s (1.4 m/s), a personal best and joint fastest time of the night alongside South Carolina’s JaMeesia Ford. Charlton, representing the University of Florida, controlled her semifinal and now enters the final as a co-favourite for gold.
Ohio State’s Leah Bertrand of Trinidad and Tobago also impressed with a wind-assisted 10.91s to advance to the final, while Shenese Walker of Jamaica and Florida State punched her ticket in 11.06s (1.4 m/s), as she claimed the final qualifying spot.
Bertrand returned to the track in the 200m semifinals, where she clocked a personal best of 22.54s, good enough for the sixth-fastest time heading into Saturday’s final. Gabrielle Matthews of Jamaica and the University of Florida was not far behind, as she qualified ninth overall in 22.59s, also a career-best mark.
Meanwhile, Michelle Smith of the US Virgin Islands continued her smooth season as she topped her 400m hurdles semifinal in 55.65s, in a show of her class as she conserved energy for the final. However, Jamaicans Safhia Hinds (57.18s), Dyandra Gray (58.86s), and Calisha Taylor (59.70s) all missed the cut.
Charlton returned to action in the long jump and finished fifth with a leap of 6.58m, while Jamaica’s Aaliyah Foster placed seventh with a wind-aided 6.47m (2.6 m/s), a marked improvement from her 13th-place finish last year.
