RAYMOND GRAHAM, Freelance Writer
Simone Facey - file
AFTER sparkling performances two weeks ago at her conference meet, Texas A&M's Simone Facey is set to continue with her good form this weekend as the NCAA Division One Track and Field Regional Meets will be held at four different venues tomorrow and Saturday.
Florida State University will host the east, the mid-west will be at Nebraska, Arkansas will host the mid-east, while the west region will be held at California State, Northridge.
The regional meet will be the penultimate meet for Division One College athletes as they get their final chance to qualify for the NCAA Championships which will be held in Iowa between June 11-14. Athletes finishing in the top five in individual events, along with the top three teams in the relays, will get automatic qualification.
Facey leading the way
Several Jamaicans will once again be in contention for the top spots, with Facey leading the way in the mid-west region. Following her speedy 10.95 in the 100 metres and 22.36 seconds over the 200 metres, she is ranked number one and two in both events. She will come face to face once again with Kansas University's Nickeisha Anderson. The former Herbert Morrison Technical graduate with times of 11.18 and 22.64 seconds, is ranked at fourth and third, respectively, and she will be hoping to improve on both times.
The Oklahoma University pair of Latoya Greaves and Latoya Heath are the other Jamaican women who are ranked highly in the mid-west. Greaves, with a time of 12.99 seconds in the 100 metres hurdles, is ranked number one, while Heath is ranked fifth with her 13.46 seconds done at the conference meet.
Former Wolmer's Boys athlete, Julian Reid, a freshman at Texas A&M University, will be hoping to take a double in the field, as his mark of 7.78 has him at number two in the long jump while his 16.55 metres in the triple jump is third best distance this season.
Bailey's best chance for gold
Former Kingston College jumper, Alain Bailey, has the best chance of the Jamaican men for gold in the mid-east region. After his impressive win in the long jump with 7.94 metres at the conference meet, Bailey, competing for Arkansas University, is the second seed in his event. Louisiana State University's Patrick Lee, with a time of 50.94 seconds, is ranked fifth in the 400 metres hurdles.
Among the females here, Nickeisha Wilson of Louisiana State University is strongly tipped to win both the 100 and 400 metres hurdles. She is the top seed in both events, with 12.81 and 55.83 seconds, respectively. After winning the sprint hurdles at her conference meet, Wilson will want to make up for the one lap hurdle following her disqualification for false starting two weeks ago.
Highly-ranked teammates
Wilson's teammates Samantha Henry, Kay-Ann Thompson and Andrea Linton are all ranked highly in their events. Henry (11.27 seconds) is fourth in the 100 metres, and second in the 200 metres with 22.98 seconds, while Thompson with a time of 2:04.82 is at number four in the 800 metres, and Linton (12.91m) is fifth in the triple jump. Nadia Alexander, formerly of St Hugh's is ranked fifth in the shot put with a throw of 16.63m. She represents Louisiana Tech.
Vere Technical past student Kimberly Williams, who now attends Florida State University, is the best Jamaican in the east, as her 13.60 metres in the triple jump has her at number two, while former Morant Bay High athlete, Kimona Smith of North Carolina A&T University, sits at number eight with 13.01 metres. The other top-ranked Jamaican here is former G.C. Foster College athlete, Tanisha Wisdom, who is at number seven in the 400 metres with her 52.90 seconds done at the MEAC Meet.
Among the men, former G.C. Foster College athlete, Carlington Morgan, who now attends Coppin State University, is ranked number four in the 400 metres with a time of 46.45 seconds.
Do
you have a problem? Is something bothering
you? Write to