… Samuels, McKoy continue to shine

LAST weekend saw some stellar performances from the Guyanese athletes in the U.S., competing at various levels, including the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Listed below are the results and updates.

Natricia Hooper: She ran the 500m at the Great Dane Classic on Saturday. Her 1:16.45 was good enough for 5th place.

Onassha Rodgers: One of three Guyanese runners at Monroe College in New Rochelle (team-mates are Avon Samuels and Claudrice McKoy: She had a busy week competing at two meets back-to-back, to simulate championship-type competition atmosphere. On Friday, she finished 4th at the HBCU Challenge at the Armory in the 200m in a time of 25.66. The next day she ran 7.72 in the 60m. The college freshman continues to show talent and maturity.

Avon Samuels: Avon continues to impress coaches, handling the two days of competition in a professional manner. On Friday at the HBCU she opened with a phenomenal 1:15.51 in the 500m – her first time running the event and coming away with a win. The next day she returned a 58.89 and 25.95 in the 400m (25th) and 200m (27th) respectively. Her times were good enough to qualify for the NJCAA nationals at the end of the indoor season.
Claudrice McKoy: She continues to impress from her cross country season (she was the NJCAA MVP). She won the mile at the HBCU Challenge in a time of 5:23.52. She ran the 100m at the Great Dane meet the following day and returned an amazing 2:59.61 to finish 11th overall. (Results: same link as Rodgers)

Brenessa Thompson: In her first meet of 2018, she posted 4th and 5th in the 60m (7.55) and 200m (24.11) respectively at the Ted Nelson Invitational in College Station, Texas on January 13. Her 60m time of 7.53 achieved on December 9 at the Reveille Invitational was slightly quicker.

Stephan James: On January 12, he false-started in 500m at the UAB Blazer Invitational in Birmingham, Alabama. He was disqualified for the race and later competed with three other team-mates from Mississippi State University in the 4x400m relay. His team finished 3rd with a time of 3:13.11

Jeremy Bascom: He joined his team mates at the Great Dane Classic on Saturday. Jeremy was 5th in the 60m Invitational race with a time of 6.86. He also ran a preliminary time of 6.86.

Winston George: He only ran a relay with Central Park New Balance club team. He ran the 3rd leg, and his team finished 9th overall. No split was available at the time of this email’s composition.
Travis Collins: On January 11, Travis won the 60m dash in a time of 6.64 at the Wichita State Shocker. His time in the final was an improvement on his preliminary run of 7.72. This is a personal best for the sophomore at Butler Community College.)

UPCOMING EVENTS:
Along with the usual weekly competitions, the athletes will come together to run a 4x200m at the Armory at the Dr Sander Invitational on January 27. The race features an international field.
On the men’s side, Jeremy Bascom, Winston George and Ken Nelson have confirmed. The decision is still to be made between two alternates. On the women’s side, Shenika King, Iana Amsterdam, Jenea McCammon and Natricia Hooper have committed to running, with two alternates available if needed.