Relay quartet post national women's record

by Michael Bascombe

BASSETERRE, St Kitts, June 10, 2012 - Track and Field officials in Grenada are encouraged by the performances of some of the athletes who represented Grenada at the OECS Invitational Championships in St Kitts on Sunday.

Eight (8) athletes represented Grenada at the second edition of the track and field meet held at the Silver Jubilee Athletic Stadium in Basseterre.

The highlight of the Grenadian performances was the Women’s 4x100m Relay team which set a new national record of 44.95 seconds. The team of Sherine Wells, Janelle Redhead, Lucy Fortune and Trish Bartholomew erased a five year-old national mark of 45.41 seconds set by Ann-Marie Francis, Rena Mitchell, Allison George and Sherry Fletcher at the 2005 CARIFTA Games in Tobago.

The national team finished behind St Kitts and Nevis (44.90).

Also on the commendable side were Emron Gibbs and Janelle Redhead. Gibbs produced his personal best of 66.45 metres in the Men’s Javelin but behind Albert Reynolds of St Lucia who won with 71.55m. Gibbs’ previous best was 63.57m.

Redhead picked up Grenada’s lone gold medal in the seven-medal haul. She won the Women’s 200m in 23.21 seconds ahead of Kamaria Durant of Trinidad and Tobago (23.54) and Vigil Hodge of St Kitts and Nevis (23.58). Sherine Wells (23.72) and Trish Bartholomew (23.93) were fourth and fifth respectively.

Redhead also took bronze in the 100m “A” race in 11.78 seconds while Wells was second in the 100m “B” in 11.74 seconds.

Joel Redhead finished second in the 200m “A” race in 21.28 while Andon Mitchell was fourth in 21.49. Mitchell was also fifth in the 100m “A” race in 10.46. Kittian Kim Collins won the race in 10.09 seconds.

Lucy Fortune took the third position in the Women’s 400m in 56.32. She suffered from stomach cramps but managed to compete in the relay event.

The other athlete, Tevin McMeo was fourth in the Men’s 400m in 51.68.

St Kitts finished with the most medals – a total of 17 including six gold medals. There were also athletes representing Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago.

Eight to represent Grenada at OECS Track Invitational

ST GEORGE’S, June 5, 2012 - Eight athletes will represent Grenada at the OECS Invitational Track & Field Meet at the Silver Jubilee Athletic Stadium in St Kitts on Sunday.

Top athletes from the Eastern Caribbean will be battling for athletic supremacy in the OECS as well as seek Olympic Qualifications for the London Olympics.

Competing in Basseterre on Sunday will be Andon Mitchell (100/200); Joel Redhead (200/400) Tevin McMeo (400); and Emron Gibbs (Javelin) among the men.

The female members include Janelle Redhead (100/200); Trish Bartholomew (200/400); Sherine Wells (100/200) and Lucy Fortune (400). The ladies will also compete in the 4x100m Relay.

Albert Joseph and Kerlon Peters will be accompanying the team to St Kitts.

Lucy Fortune in NJCAA 400m Women's Final

Grenadian athletes open outdoor season this weekend

by Michael Bascombe

NEW YORK, March 21, 2012 - Several Grenadian track and field athletes will open their outdoor season this weekend at various meets across the United States.

Joel Redhead opens his 2012 campaign at the Alabama Relays in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and will be competing in the 400 metres.

Redhead, who is based in Mississippi, has already secured the “B” qualification for the 200m.

Also expected to compete this weekend are Janelle Redhead (Wayland Baptist University), Sherine Wells (University of Oklahoma), Colleen Felix (University of Georgia), Kanika Beckles (Texas A&M University), Neisha Bernard-Smith (adidas), Andon Mitchell (unattached), Daryl Baptiste (University of Akron), Lucy Fortune (South Plains College), Melika Lewis (Monroe College), Jomo Bullen, and brothers Elston and Leston Alexis (Medgar Evers College).

Redhead (Janelle) and Wells will compete at the Bobby Lane Invitational at the Maverick Stadium in Arlington, Texas while Felix attempts the triple jump and javelin events at the Georgia Relays in Athens, Georgia.

Beckles, who last week posted a windy 23.73 seconds (4.2 wind) in the 200m at the Baldy Castillo Invitational in Tempe, Arizona, will again be trekking across the West to compete at the USC Trojan Invitational in Los Angeles, California.

The LSU (Louisiana State University) Relays in Baton Rouge, Louisiana will see three Grenadians in competition. Bernard-Smith (formerly Bernard-Thomas) competes in the women’s 1500m; Mitchell in the men’s 100m and Baptiste in the men’s 100m and long jump events.

Fortune makes her second outdoor appearance on the weekend at the UTEP (University of Texas El Paso) Invitational in El Paso, Texas. Earlier this month, Fortune won the 100m in 12.23 at the West Texas Invitational.

Also expected in competition this weekend are Melika Lewis in the 200 and 400m at the Monmouth Invitational in New Jersey and Jomo Bullen, Elston and Leston Alexis at the Queen’s College Invitational.

Lewis will compete in the 200 and 400m; Bullen in the 100, 200 and possibly 400m and the brothers in the shot put, discuss, javelin and possibly the hammer.

Meantime, Kurt Felix (Boise State University) competes in the Decathlon at the Texas Relays next Wednesday and Thursday.

Felix takes top honours at Indoor T&F Meet

by Michael Bascombe

BOISE, Idaho – Former Junior CARIFTA Games multi medallist Kurt Felix secured his first major recognition this season when he earned the men’s honour for Boise State University at the Mountain West Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week Honours.

The Grenadian athlete earned first-place honours in the men’s long jump and men’s high jump events respectively at the Bronco Classic last weekend.

He set a new personal-best mark in the long jump, recording a leap of 7.48 metres to win the event. Tha mark ranks fourth in Mountain West history and 27^th in the nation this season.

Felix also notched a season-best high jump of 2.09m, which is tied for first in the Mountain West and 6^th in the NCAA this year.

At the New Balance Collegiate Invitational in New York, Sherine Wells finished 20^th in the preliminaries of the 60-metre dash championship in 7.50 for Oklahoma University and ran 24.47 in the preliminaries of the 200-metre dash championship.

Over in Lubbock, Texas, Janelle Redhead established a new school record for Wayland Baptist University in the 400 metres with her winning time of 54.09 seconds at the Texas Tech Indoor Open.

Also competing in this meet was Lucy Fortune for South Plains College. She was 20^th overall in 59.71 seconds.
Compiled from reports