BY RAYMOND GRAHAM, Freelance Writer
Kerron Stewart - FILE
THE 2006 DIVISION 1 men's and women's outdoor National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championships will come to a climax this week in Sacramento, California.
The four-day championships starts tomorrow and will see some 21 Jamaicans, 15 females and six males, vying for top individual honours.
Nine of the 15 female athletes are former St. Jago High School standouts. They include Kerron Stewart, Jovanee Jarrett, Tamara Thomas and Michelle Williamson from Auburn University, Clora Williams and Tresha Henry from Texas A & M University, Althea Chambers (Texas Technical University), Melaine Walker (Texas University) and Andrea Linton (LSU).
Twin sisters Camille and Carlene Robinson who now attend Illinois University are past students from Manchester High. Former Vere Techical athlete, Patricia Hall (Ten-nessee University), Monique Morgan, the former Immaculate athlete now at Villanova University, Shaunette Davidson (LSU) formerly of Holmwood Technical, along with former Alpha Academy student Peaches Roach, who now attends Iowa, round off the female list of participants.
MALE ATHLETES
Among the males are former Jamaica College star Sekou Clarke (Florida University), Orlando Reid of Holmwood Technical who now competes for Middle Tennessee State, former Ardenne High athlete Richard Phillips of George Mason, former St. Andrew Techical athlete Isa Phillips who now competes for LSU, along with former Christiana students Ricardo Chambers (Florida State University), and Shaun Smith of Oral Roberts University.
Stewart, Walker and Hall are among the favourites to top their respective events and join the long list of Jamaicans who have crowned themselves champions at these meets.
Stewart, a World Youth 100 metres silver medallist and World Junior relay gold medallist, is in spanking form and her 11.03 seconds clocking a few weeks ago in the 100-metres makes her the top-ranked female athlete going into the championships. Stewart's time is also the second fastest in the world this year just behind Veronica Campbell's 10.99.
Stewart who also qualified for the 200m with the eighth best time of 22.84 will have her hands full as former World Junior 200m champion, Shalonda Solomon of South Carolina with a 11.07 clocking is ranked second with Trinidad Kelly Ann Baptiste (LSU) just behind with 11.08. Solomon with a 22.30 clocking is joint number one in the 200m with Carol Rodriques of South California.
Hall has been very consistent in the 400m and her 51.52 puts her at second behind Penn State's Shauna Cox who has a best time of 51.30. The field includes the NCAA Indoor champion Kineka Alexander of St. Kitts who competes for Iowa University.
Clora Williams with a time of 51.95 is ranked number seven.
STRONGLY PLACED
Melaine Walker is strongly placed in two events as her 54.87 in the intermediate hurdles sees her at number two just behind Auburn's Markita James who leads with 54.54. Walker, the former World Junior 400 metres hurdles silver medallist, is ranked number three in the sprint hurdles with a time of 12.77, behind number one Priscilla Lopez (12.63) of Nebraska University and Virginia Powell (12.64) of Southern California.
It will be difficult for the other Jamaican women to be among the medals. Camille Robinson (57.01) is number eight in the 400m hurdles while her sister Carlene with a time of 57.90 is ranked number 13; Peaches Roach (1.85m) is ranked eighth in the high jump while Williamson (1.80m) and Davidson (1.78m) are ranked eighth and 23rd respectively.
Monique Morgan (13.06) is ranked number 10 in the 100m hurdles Althea Chambers (2:06.74), is ranked 22 in the 800m, while Jovanee Jarrett (6.51m) and Andrea Linton (6.36m) are ranked 10th and 19th in the long jump.
Smith and Isa Phillips will be the main hopes among the males as they are ranked in the top three in their events. Smith who ran well in Oral Roberts' victory at Penn Relays in the 4x800m has improved leaps and bounds and his time of 1:46.36 see him as the number -one ranked athlete in the 800m. He is the only male college athlete to do sub-1:47 this year and his biggest challenge will come from his teammate Prince Mumba who is ranked second with 1:47.02.
Phillips who ran a personal best of 49.49 seconds recently over the intermediate hurdles is ranked number three, which sees him in second spot, just behind Jackson State's Michael Tinsley (48.63) and Rueben McCoy (49.47) of Auburn.
Reid who was plagued with injuries while attending GC Foster College is at number four in the 100m with 10.07 and number eight in the 200 metres in 20.54 .
Ricardo Chambers (45.52) is ranked number five and Sekou Clarke (45.82) at number nine in the 400m while Richard Phillips is ranked number 13 in the 110m hurdles with a best time of 13.71.
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