Danielle Williams (center) finished first in the prelims of the 60m hurdles, followed by teammate Samantha Elliott (right) in second
Winston-Salem, NC – The Johnson C. Smith University men's and women's track and field programs had a pair of strong performances on day one of the 2014 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field National Championships held Friday, March 14th at the JDL Fast Track. The second and final day of the championships will take place on Saturday, March 15th beginning at 2:00 p.m.
Senior
Rolando Berch (St. Andrew, Jamaica) represented the JCSU men's team in the 400m dash preliminaries. Berch finished fifth in 48.23 seconds. He qualified for the event finals, which will take place at 4:20 p.m. on day two.
In the preliminaries of the women's 60m hurdles, senior
Danielle Williams (St. Andrew, Jamaica) and junior
Samantha Elliott (Kingston, Jamaica) finished first and second, respectively. Williams clocked a time of 8.21 seconds and Elliott closely followed with a time of 8.31. The finals for the event will take place at 5:35 p.m.
Williams and Elliott also competed in the women's 60m dash preliminaries. Williams finished first with a time of 7.42. Elliott timed in at 7.53 seconds. Both qualified to compete in the event finals. Sophomore
Trudy-Ann Richards (St. Thomas, Jamaica) finished with a time of 7.75. Williams and Elliott will run in the finals at 4:50 p.m. on day two.
The trio of Williams, Elliott, and Richards also participated in the 200m dash preliminaries. Williams finished first (24.24) in her heat, Elliott also placed first (24.54) in her heat, and Richards just missed qualifying (25.52). Both Williams and Elliott qualified to compete in the event finals; scheduled for 5:55 p.m. on day two.
Sophomore
Tovea Jenkins (St. James, Jamaica) was the lone Golden Bull in the women's 400m dash preliminaries. Jenkins had the third overall fastest time of 55.90 seconds. Quanera Hayes of Livingstone placed second (54.82). Both CIAA representatives will compete in the finals, slated for 4:30 p.m. on day two.
The JCSU women's team will have a solid opportunity to win the national title on the final day. The Golden Bulls have multiple competitors in multiple events, which is essential for earning team points. The final day of events will begin at 2:00 p.m. at the JDL Fast Track.
