Three Grenadians Advance to NCAA Championships in Eugene

by Michael Bascombe

NEW YORK, May 30, 2026 - Grenada will be represented by three athletes at the 2026 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships after a series of impressive performances at the East and West First Round meets in Lexington, Kentucky, and Fayetteville, Arkansas.

The trio consists of Jamora Alves of St John's University, Kelsie Murrell-Ross of the University of Georgia, and Nazzio John of Ohio State University.

Alves qualified in the Women's Discus Throw after another record-breaking performance at the NCAA East First Round in Lexington. The Grenadian national record holder unleashed a personal best throw of 57.56 metres to finish third overall and secure her place at the national championships.

The performance improved her own national and school records, which she had established just two weeks earlier at the BIG EAST Championships. It will be Alves' third appearance at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon, where she previously earned USTFCCCA All-America Honourable Mention recognition in 2023 and 2025.

Murrell-Ross also secured her place in Eugene after advancing in the Women's Shot Put. Competing for the University of Georgia, she recorded a best mark of 17.63 metres to finish among the qualifiers from the East Region.

The former Grenadian national junior standout has enjoyed a strong season in one of the most competitive conferences in collegiate athletics and will now have an opportunity to test herself against the nation's elite throwers.

On the track, Nazzio John continued his outstanding season for Ohio State University by qualifying for the Men's 200 metres and the Men's 4x100m relay.

John equalled his Grenadian national record in the 200m when he won his quarterfinal heat in 20.27 seconds with a legal wind reading of +0.9 metres per second. The performance secured automatic qualification for Eugene and reinforced his status as one of Grenada's premier sprint talents.

He will also return to Hayward Field as a member of Ohio State's 4x100m relay team, which successfully advanced through the regional qualifying round.

While three Grenadians secured places at the national championships, several others narrowly missed out on qualification despite producing noteworthy performances.

Jamara Patterson of Louisiana Tech continued her remarkable season in the Women's 400 metres. Although she fell short of advancing to Eugene, Patterson lowered her personal best during the regional competition, adding to a season that included a Conference USA title and a meet record performance.

Isaiah Patrick of the University of Alabama also missed qualification in the Men's 110m Hurdles, while Indiana University's D'Angelo Brown fell short in the Men's 800 metres despite enjoying a season highlighted by a Grenadian national record.

The 2026 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be held June 10-13 at the world-famous Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, where Grenada's trio will seek to conclude their collegiate seasons on the sport's biggest stage.

Jamora Alves smashes national record, advances to third NCAA Championship

by Michael Bascombe

LEXINGTON, Kentucky, May 30, 2026 - Grenadian thrower Jamora Alves continued her remarkable rise in collegiate athletics on Saturday, shattering her own national and school record in the Women's Discus Throw to qualify for the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

Competing at the NCAA East First Round in Lexington, Kentucky, Alves unleashed a personal best throw of 57.56 metres on her second attempt to finish third overall and secure one of the coveted qualifying spots for the national championships.

The performance marked the second consecutive meet in which the St John's University senior has rewritten both the Grenadian national record and the university record.

Just two weeks earlier at the BIG EAST Outdoor Championships in Connecticut, Alves won her ninth individual conference title and broke a 28-year-old St John's programme record with a throw of 55.89 metres. On Saturday, she improved that mark by almost two metres to continue what has become one of the finest seasons of her collegiate career.

For Alves, who attended Bishop's College on the sister isle of Carriacou before continuing her development at St Jago High School in Jamaica, the achievement represents another milestone in a journey that has taken her from the Caribbean to the highest levels of NCAA competition.

"This competition was all about staying composed and trusting my training," Alves said. "I knew I was capable of producing a big throw, but the main objective was to secure qualification for Eugene. Once I saw the distance, I was excited because it showed that all the hard work was paying off."

The reigning BIG EAST Most Outstanding Field Performer entered the competition ranked 14th in the East Region but rose to the top three with her record-breaking effort.

Florida's Alida Van Daalen dominated the competition with a winning throw of 69.31 metres, while Miami's Calea Jackson finished second with 58.26 metres. Alves edged competitors from Auburn and LSU to secure third place and automatic qualification. Ava Roberts of UMBC claimed the final qualifying position with a throw of 54.37 metres.

The qualification will send Alves to the NCAA Finals for the third time in her collegiate career. She previously earned USTFCCCA All-America Honourable Mention recognition in the discus in both 2023 and 2025 and now has another opportunity to compete against the nation's elite at historic Hayward Field.

"It means a lot to return to Nationals for a third time," Alves said. "Every time I compete there, I gain more experience and confidence. This is my final NCAA season, and I want to make it my best one yet. My goal is to compete at my highest level, execute my throws when it matters most, and finish my collegiate career on a high note."

She added, "Representing Grenada, St John's University, my family, and everyone who has supported me throughout this journey is something I never take for granted. I'm looking forward to the challenge ahead."

The 2026 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be held June 10-13 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

Photo: Aliann Pompey (Director of T&F/Cross Country), Jamora Alves, Lexia Robinson (Throws Coach)

Regional Olympic committees stepping up to revive Eastern Caribbean sport

by Michael Bascombe

CASTRIES, ST LUCIA, May 27, 2026 – Alfred Emmanuel says the Association of National Olympic Committees of the Eastern Caribbean States (ANOCES) was created to help fill a major gap in regional sports development following the decline and eventual disappearance of the OECS Sports Desk.

Speaking on Saturday’s TalkSports programme, Emmanuel, a founding member of ANOCES and President of the St Lucia Olympic Committee (SLOC) Inc., reflected on the original vision behind the organisation and its growing role in coordinating sporting opportunities for athletes across the Eastern Caribbean.

“Well, if you can recall, before ANOCES, we had what we call the OECS Sports Desk, which was responsible for trying to coordinate sporting activities in the region,” Emmanuel explained.

According to the veteran sports administrator, the gradual decline of the OECS Sports Desk led to a reduction in regional competitions that once provided valuable opportunities for athletes from the smaller islands.

“We slowly saw the death of the desk, and we saw the decline in the various sporting competitions that we, as small islands, would have benefited from,” he said.

Emmanuel noted that the region’s National Olympic Committees recognised the growing void and decided to collaborate through a more structured organisation supported by independent funding mechanisms.

“So it was with that in mind that we decided, as National Olympic Committees with an independent source of funding, if we come together in an organised manner, we would be of assistance to our members,” he stated.

He admitted that building ANOCES into an effective regional body has not been easy.

“That has been a really painstaking task for us. But I am saying, at the end of the day, I think we’re getting there,” Emmanuel added.

The SLOC President pointed to tangible progress in 2026, revealing that with support from Panam Sports, ANOCES is coordinating five regional sporting events this year.

Among them are the recently held Under-23 3x3 Basketball Tournament in the British Virgin Islands, the upcoming OECS Athletics Championships and Under-20 Beach Volleyball competition in St Kitts and Nevis in July, and table tennis and swimming events scheduled for Saint Lucia later this year.

The renewed programme is being viewed as an important step in rebuilding consistent regional competition pathways for athletes in the Eastern Caribbean.

During the discussion, Emmanuel was also asked whether ANOCES now effectively serves as a replacement for the former OECS Sports Desk.

“I think that’s exactly it,” he responded. “ANOCES now would have to fill that void because clearly the Heads of Government of the OECS… have placed their energies into other areas.”

He stressed that in the absence of a dedicated regional sports structure, organisations like ANOCES must now assume greater responsibility for sustaining sporting development across the sub-region.

“With the absence of a dedicated sports desk, somebody has to pick up the challenge. And if ANOCES had to do it, then so be it,” Emmanuel declared.

Caribbean countries face uphill battle for Olympic Cricket Qualification

by Michael Bascombe

CASTRIES, ST LUCIA, May 27, 2026 – Alfred Emmanuel believes Caribbean nations could face a major disadvantage when cricket returns to the Olympic Games at the 2028 Summer Olympics.

Speaking on Saturday’s TalkSports programme, the President of the St Lucia Olympic Committee (SLOC) Inc. cautioned that many Caribbean people may not fully understand the qualification challenges facing the region under the Olympic structure.

“There is a lot of misconception with cricket now being an Olympic sport, and cricket will be in LA in 2028,” Emmanuel explained.

Cricket is scheduled to make its Olympic return in Los Angeles after an absence of more than a century, with the Twenty20 format expected to be used during the Games.

However, Emmanuel pointed out that, unlike international cricket competitions where Caribbean territories compete collectively under the banner of the Cricket West Indies, Olympic competition rules require nations to participate separately as independent countries.

“We must recognise the fact that we from the Caribbean are coming in at a very big disadvantage, unlike the countries that are there as nations in their own right,” he said.

“Remember in the West Indies, we play as a united front - several countries coming together to play under the banner of Cricket West Indies. That will not be happening in Los Angeles.”

His comments highlight one of the major concerns already being discussed throughout Caribbean sporting circles since cricket’s inclusion was confirmed for LA 2028.

Under Olympic rules, countries such as Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Lucia, and Grenada would need to qualify independently rather than collectively as the West Indies.

Emmanuel suggested that qualification opportunities could also be extremely limited.

“When you follow the roadmap, I can safely say that it will be extremely, extremely, extremely difficult for us in the Caribbean - any of us in the Caribbean - fielding a team in LA,” he declared.

The veteran sports administrator noted that the United States, as host nation, is widely expected to secure automatic qualification, reducing the number of remaining available places.

“The United States, which is the host of LA, would get, I suspect, an automatic qualification for cricket,” Emmanuel said.

“That would now leave us, as I said, at a disadvantage because I think they’re only going with about eight nations for the cricket in LA.”

His remarks are likely to intensify ongoing regional discussions about whether Caribbean governments, cricket authorities, and Olympic committees should begin exploring long-term strategies for Olympic cricket participation.

Observers have already suggested that qualification structures could place smaller Caribbean nations at a severe competitive disadvantage against larger cricket-playing countries with deeper player pools and independent international rankings.

Saint Lucia’s main stadium set for major rehabilitation following years of disruption

by Michael Bascombe

CASTRIES, ST LUCIA, May 27, 2026 – Alfred Emmanuel says Saint Lucia is moving closer to restoring its main athletics facility to full operational capacity following years of disruption caused by the prolonged use of the stadium as a temporary medical facility.

Speaking during Saturday’s edition of the TalkSports programme, the President of the St Lucia Olympic Committee (SLOC) Inc. provided an encouraging update on the situation surrounding the George Odlum Stadium, which has been significantly affected since the aftermath of the fire at St Jude Hospital.

“Well, the good news is the St Jude Hospital has been recommissioned,” Emmanuel revealed.

The George Odlum Stadium, located in Vieux Fort, has served multiple roles over the years, including accommodating medical services following the devastating 2009 fire that severely damaged St Jude Hospital.

Its prolonged use outside of sport posed major challenges for the development of athletics and limited Saint Lucia’s ability to host large-scale regional competitions.

According to Emmanuel, the relocation process is now nearing completion.

“It’s just a matter of time for them to relocate themselves in the facility and vacate the stadium,” he explained.

The veteran sports administrator also disclosed that the Saint Lucian government has already taken steps to begin the next phase of the rehabilitation process.

“I know that the government has taken proactive steps in establishing a stadium rehabilitation committee,” Emmanuel stated.

“So very soon, work will be on its way to rehab the facility.”

The update is expected to bring optimism to athletes, coaches, and sporting federations in Saint Lucia, particularly those involved in track and field, football, and other sports that rely heavily on the stadium.

Emmanuel noted that rehabilitation work has become increasingly urgent because the current athletics track has already exceeded its certified lifespan.

“It will be very timely because the current track at the stadium would have outlived its certification lifespan,” he explained.

Internationally certified tracks require periodic resurfacing and recertification to maintain standards necessary for hosting recognised competitions and recording official performances.

For years, concerns have been raised locally about the condition of the facility and the limitations placed on athlete preparation and competition opportunities.

Saint Lucia previously hosted the CARIFTA Games in 2009 and has long been viewed as one of the Caribbean territories capable of staging major regional sporting events.

However, the stadium situation significantly impacted those ambitions in recent years.

Despite the prolonged challenges, Emmanuel expressed confidence that the country is now moving in the right direction.

“Everything is just falling into place,” he said. “But hopefully, in 2027, we should be able to have the stadium back to full capacity.”