Penn Relays, Personal Best for BVI Track Athletes

By BVI Athletics Association

Ashley Kelly, Karene King, Tahesia Harrigan-Scott and Chantel Malone at the Penn Relays. Photo: Provided

Ashley Kelly, Karene King, Tahesia Harrigan-Scott and Chantel Malone at the Penn Relays. Photo: Provided

The British Virgin Islands quartet of Ashley Kelly, Tahesia Harrigan-Scott, Chantel Malone and Karene King, competed at the prestigious Penn Relays in the USA vs the World 4x100m relay on Saturday, April 30. They finished sixth in 44.97 seconds.

At the NTC/Pure Athletics Spring invitational in Clermont, FL, Lakeisha ‘Mimi” Warner was second after chopping her 400m personal best from 55.88 seconds earlier this year to 54.96, becoming the seventh BVI female athlete under 55.00 seconds in the process. Judine Lacey was fourth in the same heat in 57.46.

Tarika ‘Tinker Bell’ Moses won section 4 of her 200m heat in a personal best of 24.14 seconds, while Jonel Lacey lowered her three-year old best from 24.68 to 24.20, to finish fourth in section three. Warner and Moses qualified for the July 19-24, IAAF World Jr. Championships in a second event, with their respective marks. Warner’s 58.14 seconds at the Carifta Games qualified her in the 400m Hurdles, while Moses’ 53.72 in the 400m, also came at Carifta. Both of their Carifta marks were personal bests.

At the Sunshine Invitational Sprint meet in Miami’s Tropical Park on May 2, Moses followed up her 200m personal record by shaving .06 off her 400m best in winning the event in 53.66 seconds. Jonel Lacey became the eighth BVI female under 55.00, when she obliterated her 55.78 personal best from earlier this season with 54.76.

Harrigan-Scott used a windy 11.28 to win the 100m final, after advancing with 11.55. King who did not contest the 100m final after a seasons best 11.64, won the 200m in 23.61.

Warner ran 2 minutes 13.27 seconds to win the 800m.

Adaejah Hodge qualified for the Georgia State Championships after excellent showing in the Smyrna District Championships. After stumbling out the blocks, she won the 100m in 14.03 seconds, then placed second in the 200m in 28.32 seconds and leapt 12’11” a mark good for second in the Long Jump. The state championships will be held on May 14.

Twins and Central Arizona sophomores Trevia and Tynelle Gumbs, are competing in the Region One Championships, May 3 – 5.

BVI Quartet Improves 4x100m Relay National Record

By BVI Athletics Association

Karene King, left, Chantel Malone,Tahesia Harrigan-Scott and Ashley Kelly. Photo: Annabelle Skelton-Malone

Karene King, left, Chantel Malone,Tahesia Harrigan-Scott and Ashley Kelly. Photo: Annabelle Skelton-Malone

Running together for the first time since 2013, the BVI’s quartet of Ashley Kelly, Tahesia Harrigan-Scott, Chantel Malone and Karene King, broke their six year old 4 x 100m Relay National Record at the Tom Jones Memorial Classic in Gainesville, Fla., on Friday.

In placing second, the quartet had a time of 44.05 seconds, to erase the 44.34 mark they established in 2010 on home soil, in beating St, Kitts-Nevis, the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) record holders. Their mark is the third best ever recorded by an OECS squad behind St. Kitts-Nevis’ 43.52 and 43.98 from 2009.

They will line up at the Penn Relays on Saturday in the USA vs Rest of the World.

In individual competition, Malone won the Long Jump with a leap of 6.43m, while Harrigan-Scott had a season’s best of 11.34 seconds in the 100m. Kelly lowered her five-year old 100m best from 11.61 seconds to 11.58, and moved from No. 5 to No. 3 on the territory’s All Time List. King ran her 200m in 23.97.

St. Augustine’s Jr. Khari Herbert, was second in the CIAA Conference Championships 400m with a season’s best 46.95 seconds, after advancing with 47.17. He anchored the 4x400m Relay to a second place finish in 3 minutes, 12.39 seconds in helping retain the conference title with 203 points.

At the Triton Invitational in San Diego, twin sisters and Central Arizona sophomores Tynelle and Trevia Gumbs, had marks of 50.18m and 47.58m respectively in the Hammer Throw on Friday. Tynelle then threw the Discus 39.83m and Trevia, 39.69m. In Saturday’s action, Tynelle had a disappointing mark of 34.05m in the Javelin while Trevia recorded a season’s best of 13.48m in the Open Shot Put.

Taylor Hill joins BVI Track and Field record setters

By BVIAA

Taylor Hill, right, while competing at the Carifta Games. Hill moved to #6 on the BVI’s All Time List with her 23.84 seconds 200m run and became the fastest U20 female. Photo: Provided

Taylor Hill, right, while competing at the Carifta Games. Hill moved to #6 on the BVI’s All Time List with her 23.84 seconds 200m run and became the fastest U20 female. Photo: Provided

Sprinter Taylor Hill established her first British Virgin Islands National Jr. Track and Field Record while twin sisters Trevia and Tynelle Gumbs improved their own, during respective competitions in Texas and California over the weekend.

Competing for the Houston based Elite Performance Track Club, Hill became the fastest U20 female over 200m when she claimed her first Jr. National Record. Hill took down Nelda Huggins’ year old 200m mark of 23.91 seconds when she stopped the clock at 23.84 seconds in the Texas State Bobcats Classic in San Marcos. She placed fourth in her heat and eight overall while improving her best from 24.24 at the Carifta Games earlier this month in St. Kitts. Her mark—the sixth best ever by a BVI female—came after running into a -1.2 meters per second wind in the 100m where she ran 11.88 seconds to finish third in her heat and tied for seventh overall.

At the Trinton Invitational in San Diego on Friday night, Trevia Gumbs used her first 40m throw to demolish her Hammer Throw personal best. Trevia carried her mark from 31.85m with a heave of 42.30m on her third attempt, destroying Alicia Leonard’s 18-year old mark of 35.06 for the new national standard. Twin sister Tynelle improved her best from 30.39 to 36.82 on her second try. After several fouls on Saturday, Trevia settled for a best measurement of 13.96m in the Shot Put and finished eight in the Open Division.

Tynelle then rebounded from a series of poor Discus Throw performances to add three meters on to her personal best with a throw of 44.59m, to eclipse last month’s 42.16m mark. Trevia—who had beaten Tynelle in their last two matchups—also improved her best by three meters from 40.18m to 43.64.

At the same meet, Eldred Henry best legal throw was 18.46m in the Shot Put as he finished ninth overall. After fouling his opening throws, he then settled for 48.02m mark in the Discus Throw.

Running in the Penn Relays, Jonel Lacey helped Jamaica’s Holmwood Technical High School to a fourth place finish in the 4x400m Relay. Lacey produced the fastest split of 55.01 seconds on a third leg carry, as Holmwood ran 3 minutes, 43.53 seconds.

Montverde Academy Sr. Tahj Malone was second in the Florida Class 2A Regional High Jump with a leap of 1.93m. The self coached athlete was coming off a personal best of 1.98m in winning his District Championships.

Cary High School Sr. Lakeisha “Mimi” Warner won a North Carolina SWAC Conference 300m Hurdles/400m double, with times of 45.91 seconds and 57.74.