Erickson takes down 9-year-old hurdles record

For the ninth consecutive week, Virgin Islands athletes have set national records either at home or abroad.

 

Deya Erickson was the most recent VI athlete to establish a national record after beating Ariana Forbes’ 9-year-old 100-metre hurdles national record of 14.27 seconds, with a time of 14.09 seconds to place second in the Spring Break Classic in Carolina, Puerto Rico.

Ms. Erickson, who moved to the under-20 division this season, improved her best from 14.38 seconds two weeks ago. She was fifth in last year’s Carifta Games under-18 girls final and ran at the Youth Olympic Games.

At the same competition, Ronique Todman was second in the 400 metres in 50.26 seconds, while Kyron McMaster recorded the his worst 400 metre intermediate hurdles race of his career, when he cleared the barriers in 57.08 seconds.

Aided by a +3.2 miles-per-second wind, K’Cei Moses won the 100 metres in 11.01 seconds.

Shaquoy Stephens returned to competition with a sixth place finish in the 100 metres, clocking 10.94 seconds. Mr. Moses also had a wind aided (+2.8) third-place finish in his 200-metres heat, with a time of 22.48 seconds.

Competing at the Willie Williams Classic in Tucson, Arizona at the University of Arizona, Central Arizona College freshman Trevia Gumbs bested her twin sister Tynelle in the discus throw for the first time with a personal best of 38.71 metres. The throw put her at second on the all time list to Tynelle’s 36.59 metres. Trevia finished fifth with Tynelle placing eighth.

Trevia had a throw of 13.96 metres in the shot put to finish second, while Tynelle was third with a mark of 12.33 metres.

Tynelle opened her 2015 javelin season with a heave of 36.92 metres to finish second.

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In his first discus throw of the outdoor season, Eldred Henry finished third with a throw of 56.27 metres, before winning the shot put with a throw of 18.95 metres.

St. Augustine’s Khari Herbert opened his outdoor season with a third-place finish in the 400 metres at the Wake Forest Open in North Carolina. His time was 47.78 seconds.

Cary High School senior Lakeisha “Mimi” Warner ran a personal best of 44.95 seconds to win the 300-metre hurdles at the Phoenix Invitational in North Carolina on Saturday, after running 45.24 seconds in a duel meet against Apex on Wednesday. She ranked first in the event in North Carolina.

Despite wet weather at the 64th annual Texas Southern Relays, sprinter Taylor Hill had a personal best. Ms. Hill finished in 24.58 seconds to place fourth in her first outdoor race of 2015 in the 200 metres. However, because of the weather and teams pulling out of the competition, officials cancelled the meet and she did not run in her 100-metres debut.

In her first 400 metres in four years, 200-metre sprinter Karene King ran a personal best of 56.17 seconds to place fourth at the Miami Hurricanes Invitational. She is ranked eighth on the VI’s all-time list.

At the same meet, Tahesia Harrigan-Scott teamed up with Veronica Campbell-Brown, Porcha Lucas and Lanece Clarke to win the 4 x 100-metre relay in 43.66 seconds and the 4 x 400-metre relay in 3:38.01 minutes.