As of Friday, May 20, 2022

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SAMSON Colebrooke

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#AS he prepares for his professional stint, Exuma native Samson Colebrooke is trying to blaze his own destiny among the world’s elite male sprinters.

#Colebrooke, who ran a season’s best of 10.01 seconds in the 100 metres on April 9 at the Cheney Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, came back on Wednesday night and clocked 10.28 for fourth place at the Emory Final Qualifier at the Emory University Track in Atlanta.

#Representing the Atlanta Track Club, Colebrooke trailed Chris Royster of Altis, who won in his season’s best of 10.07; Atlanta Track Club’s Mario Heslop, second in 10.15 and Ojie Dayo Edoburun of Adidas, who got third in 10.28.

#“I was happy with my time,” Colebrook said. “Other than my opener, all season long, my body hasn’t been working with me. I had some minor glitches here and there.

#“Over the past few weeks, I wasn’t able to run at top speed without feeling pain in my leg. In this race, I actually ran without feeling anything. I got off to a bad start. I was actually in seventh place, but I am able to move and catch the pack.”

#Colebrooke, a graduate of Purdue University, is now training with the Atlanta Track Club with coach Oneil White. He said while he’s making the adjustment from the collegiate to the pro ranks, he is just trying to get his body in sync with the vigorous training he’s getting.

#“This was just a race to see where I’m at after not racing in four weeks,” Colebrooke said. “This was just to see if we need to accelerate our speed or we need to slow it down.

#“I actually messed up at the start of the race. So there’s a lot of room for improvement, but I’m happy about where I’m at and what I need to do to prepare for the rest of the season.”

#This weekend, Colebrooke is expected to be back in Jacksonville, Florida in an American Track League meet at the North Florida University where he considers them to have the best “track facility” and where he “loves competing there”.

#So far this year, Colebrooke has run the fastest of any Bahamian male sprinters and was followed closely by Grand Bahamian Terrance Jones, a freshman at Texas Tech, who posted his season’s best of 10.09 on April 16 at the Percy Beard Track in Gainsville, Florida.

#At the same meet that Colebrooke ran 10.01, Ian Kerr clocked his seasons best of 10.14 to set the stage for what could be an exciting showdown at the Bahamas Associations of Athletic Association’s National Championships next month.

#Colebrooke, having qualified for the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon in July, said he hopes to chase after his first major international medal on the global stage, but he also wants to pursue the Bahamian national record of 9.91 that Dixie State University women’s track and field head coach Derrick Atkins established as a silver medalist at the World Championships in Osaka, Japan in 2007.

#“There are a lot of guys chasing that record, so we will see who will get it first,” said the 25-year-old Colebrooke, who encouraged everybody to stay healthy and get their bodies in the right gear to compete.

#“It’s going to be a dog fight. You have Ian and Terrance both running well and with me in the mix, the competition is growing in the Bahamas with the male sprint, so I believe the record will fall quickly.”

#And, between the three and any other male competitors, Colebrooke said the Bahamas should be able to field another 4 x 100m relay team that could contend for a medal as well.

PHOENIX Suns centre Deandre Ayton (22) looks away after being fouled during the first half of Game 7 of an NBA basketball Western Conference playoff semifinal against the Dallas Mavericks. The Suns were eliminated. (AP Photo/Matt York)

As of Friday, May 20, 2022

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#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#Deandre Ayton’s contract situation and status with the Phoenix Suns next season was one of the main talking points as the franchise’s staff conducted exit interviews for the 2021-22 season.

#Suns general manager James Jones and head coach Monty Williams both addressed the upcoming offseason for the franchise, highlighted by Ayton’s impending restricted free agency.

#“Deandre had an amazing season and he’s progressed every year and improved every year. He’s been here and so he’s a big part of what we do. His future with us is something we will address at the proper time which is in the future,” Jones said in appearance on Arizona Sports 98.7 show “Burns and Gambo” on Wednesday, “He’s a free agent and I’ve said all along, he’s about the same things we’re about which is winning. We’ll address it at the proper time.”

#In his fourth season, the 23-year-old centre averaged 17.2 points on a career high 63 percent from the field and 10.2 rebounds per game in 58 appearances.

#As an restricted free agent, Ayton is free to sign an offer sheet with another franchise but the Suns would still have the ability to match the deal and retain his rights if they choose to do so.

#“Deandre had a great season, a really productive season. I think across the board, when you look at what he did, he improved. That’s a testament to him and the hard work. That’s what you expect from a player of his caliber,” Jones said in his exit interview. “As far as free agency and those things, we’ll address them at the proper time. That happens in July, end of June, but we want to continue to keep our consistency and continuity and keep the guys that we have and continue to help those guys improve upon the things that we did this year.”

#Contract negotiations between Ayton and the Suns reached an impasse last April after both sides failed to reach an agreement on a rookie contract extension.

#He was eligible for a five-year, $172.5 million extension that could have reached as much as $207 million if he reached benchmarks and incentives.

#“The Deandre situation is something that we’ll deal with this summer,” Williams said, “I don’t want to say anything in regards to that. [General manager] James [Jones] and I are going to have conversations about the team in general.”

#Ayton appeared in only 17 minutes of the Suns’ 123-90 elimination loss to the Dallas Mavericks in game seven of the Western Conference semifinals last Sunday night at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

#He finished with just five points, four rebounds and two assists. Williams told reporters postgame that Ayton’s limited playing time was the result of an “internal” decision and did not expand on the matter.

#Days later at his exit interview, Williams said the two have yet to speak about the incident.

#“I’ll keep the internal stuff internal but it was just a decision that I made,” he said, “No, we haven’t talked. I’ve talked to the team [today] but I have not talked to DA personally.”

#Several players in Ayton’s 2018 NBA draft class have received max contract extensions including Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks, Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Jaren Jackson Jr of the Memphis Grizzlies, Kevin Huerter of the Atlanta Hawks, Michael Porter Jr of the Denver Nuggets.

AWARDS will be presented to all divisional winners and runners-up, most outstanding awards to the winners in all age groups and all master winners will get trophies and medals will be presented to the first three finishers in each category.

As of Friday, May 20, 2022

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SONJA Knowles

WILLIAM ‘Knucklehead’ Johnson

TITO Moss

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#ALL systems are set for what organiser Tito Moss has predicted will be the biggest track and field meet held in the Bahamas this year: The Oaktree Sonja Knowles Track Classic this weekend.

#The meet, designed for athletes from ages under-7 to the masters, will get started on Saturday at 1pm and Sunday from 2pm.

#This year’s honouree will be William ‘Knucklehead’ Johnson, the Bahamas men’s national 1,500m record holder and a coach of the St Augustine’s College Big Red Machine’s track and field team.

#“It’s a pleasant surprise anytime you are selected to be honoured and remembered for something that you would have done in the past,” Johnson said. “When you set out, you don’t think this far in terms of recognition and what comes down the road.

#“You just go out and perform to the best of your ability as you represent the country. So it’s a pleasant surprise and very nice of coach Moss and the Red- Line Athletics Track Club to recognise me for what I’ve done.”

#Johnson, however, said that after 40 years, he’s more surprised that no one has broken his national record of three minutes and 45.72 seconds that he established on May 17, 1983 in Austin, Texas where he competed for the Texas Christian University (TCU), graduating in 1983.

#“I’ve seen middle distance runners who were far more talented than myself, people like David Bell, who is really talented,” he said. “But in order to perform the way I did, you have to be persistent and consistent. Success doesn’t come overnight in distance running.

#“It’s not like the sprinters where you can hear them out there setting records. Distance running takes a little longer because it takes a lot of perserverance. Success doesn’t come overnight.”

#Moss said Red-Line Athletics is excited about hosting their second version of the Track Classic, being named in honour of Sonja Knowles, the past long-time principal of St Augustine’s College.

#With over 700 athletes and more than 45 clubs from New Providence, Grand Bahama and Andros registered, Moss said they are looking forward to some keen competition.

#“We will have heats and finals in the 100, 200 and 400m and so we are looking forward to some keen competition,” Moss said. “We will have competitors of all ages competing in all events on the track and the field.”

#Awards will be presented to all divisional winners and runners-up, most outstanding awards to the winners in all age groups and all master winners will get trophies and medals will be presented to the first three finishers in each category.

#With all of those awards being presented, Moss said Red-Athletics will go beyond the budget of any normal meet by presenting the overall male and female athletes as well as the club winners of the meet.

#“It’s expensive, but we just want the clubs who prepare these athletes to go home with something tangible that they can add to their mantle,” he said. “They can have bragging rights until the next meet next year.”

#This year, however, Moss said they are delighted to continue to recognise Knowles for her contribution to the club since its formation out of Club Monica Track Club and St Augustine’s College.

#And he added they are excited to be able to pay tribute to William Johnson, the manager of the Physical Plant at St Augustine’s College.

#“We feel proud and very excited to be able to honour him for his contribution to track and field,” Moss said. “I had an opportunity to coach under him when he served as the head coach for SAC and I got to learn a lot from him.”

#To the athletes competing in the meet, Johnson encouraged them to embrace the opportunity that is being afforded to them.

#“Not everyone will go on and become an Olympic champion, but if you are talented enough, you can go on and get an athletic scholarship,” he said.

#“I know the school that I attended, TCU, you’re talking about over a quarter of a million dollars for a college education at the bachelor’s level. So if you are able to save your parents that big chunk of change, it would be worth it.”

#Johnson gave thanks to God for blessing him with his talent and people like the late Winston ‘Gus’ Cooper and Bernard Nottage as well as his coach Frank ‘Pancho’ Rahming for preparing him to compete.

#While the coronavirus pandemic is still in high gear, Moss said they are encouraging both athletes and spectators to wear their masts, sanititise and ensure they adhere to the social distance protocols that will be in place this weekend.

#For those spectators coming in, there is a two-day pass for $16 for adults and $8 for children under 11. But for those who only intend to come for one day, there is an entry fee of $9 for adults and $5 for children.

#“We want to see everybody come out for the two days because it’s going to be action-packed each day,” Moss said. “So we expect to see the stadium rammed packed as we support the athletes as they compete.”

MIAMI Marlins’ Jazz Chisholm Jr. scores on a sacrifice fly hit by Jesus Aguilar during the first inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Wednesday, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

As of Friday, May 20, 2022

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#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#JAZZ CHISHOLM JR continues his transition to breakout star for the Miami Marlins and is not only a team leader, but among the league leaders in several offensive categories.

#Chisholm overcame an undisclosed illness to go 2-2 with a walk, a triple, a home run, two runs scored and two RBI in Wednesday’s 5-4 extra-inning loss to the Nationals at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida.

#Wednesday night’s gutsy performance began with a leadoff triple, but also included a game tying solo home run in the fifth inning, and a sac fly that sent the game into extra innings in the ninth inning.

#‘I could get out there and play anytime you need me, I’ll push through it,’” Chisholm told reporters, “I went out there and I did it. I just had to stay focused when it was time to get focused – turn the switch on when it was time to.”

#The 24-year-old infielder leads the Marlins with seven home runs, six stolen bases, 27 RBIs and a .963 OPS. He also already has seven doubles and four triples.

#He currently leads the leagues in triples, ranks fifth with a .617 slugging percentage, seventh with a .964 OPS, tied for ninth in RBI with former MVPs Bryce Harper (Washington Nationals) and Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Angels) and is one of just 24 players in the league batting over .300.

#His numbers this season are well ahead of his 2021 pace when he hit .248 with a .728 OPS, slugged .425 with 115 hits, 70 runs scored, 20 doubles, four triples, 18 home runs, 53 RBI and a team leading 23 stolen bases.

#“I haven’t been swinging as hard as I was last year. I’m trying to be more controlled at the plate instead of just trying to launch everything, even though that’s what’s still happening,” he told Christina DeNicola of MLB.com “But I’m trying to be more controlled and consistent.”

#Chisholm was named to MLB Pipeline’s All- Rookie Second team in 2021 and credited his early improvement with improved pitch selection.

#“I know a lot of guys can’t beat me with their fastballs.The hardest pitches to hit in baseball are sliders, curveballs, offspeed. I’d rather be on for [breaking and offspeed pitches] than a fastball because I can always react to a fastball,” Chisholm said,” I’m going to be prepared to hit everyone’s offspeed pitches because I know I can hit their fastball.”

#The Marlins open a three game series at home against the Atlanta Braves tonight.

As of Friday, May 20, 2022

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#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#BAHAMAS Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation executive Nardo Dean continues to advocate for a nationwide youth wellness programme.

#Dean – who has represented The Bahamas as an athlete in bodybuilding and fitness, as a coach, and as a team manager for various bodybuilding and fitness teams – said placing benchmarks in place for each demographic is the first step toward a more fit Bahamas.

#“In a lot of our systems, school, military, society at large, we don’t know what the standards are we can’t really assess whether we are a fit nation,” he said. “We look at the obvious signs whether a kid may look overweight or be slower than the other kids in terms of their physical ability but we need to actually implement programmes to test our school kids across the board to see if they are meeting the standard for their demographic.

#“Kids at a younger age right now in our society, especially the ones that are not athletes, they do not know what their standard should be in terms of fitness. For example, the average 10 year old, male or female, should be able to run a half-mile in a certain time, do a certain amount of pushups and complete agility drills is a certain time based on their age and sex. So there are benchmarks and a table that we should be testing our kids against in terms of resting blood pressure, BMI and other health factors.”

#Dean added that fitness assessments can also be vital in helping student-athletes build their recruitment profiles and athletic resumés for collegiate recruitment.

#“The beautiful thing about this is now how things are going in terms of scholarships,” he said. “Right now along with sending your transcript and resume of your academic qualifications, you can send a sporting or athletic resume. For example – if you’re a basketball player, instead of waiting on the scouts to come here to watch you play, you can send an athletic resumé based on those measurables. No matter what the sport is we can taper a particular resumé that encapsulates everything a coach would want to see to get an athlete in for a scholarship.

#“It can be implemented right away. In partnership with an entity in the United States – Microfit – that actually has a full assessment lab that can be set up in either the government ministries or in independent settings, NSA or a location of our choice where we can invite kids to come in and be assessed on their fitness levels such as BMI, range of motion, agility standards, vertical leaps and more.”

#The BBFF will host a Family Fun, Run hosted on June 11 which serves as a fundraising and community outreach project to further projects outside of its traditional competitions.

#“We want to expand our fitness programmes to obstacle courses, fitness assessments and programmes throughout the schools and really reach out because no matter what sport you are in you are going to be in the gym. Maybe not for bodybuilding but for fitness, wellness and of course overall athletic ability,” he said.

#“This should also be done for the military forces, first responders, all of our uniform services. I have reached out to the Ministry of Education, the Police Force, Urban Renewal and others letting them all know that we are interested in instituting these programmes in their communities.”

Sports

The Nassau GuardianSend an emailMay 20, 2022 117 1 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Renegades Football Club (FC) won the men’s division and the United Women FC (WFC) won the women’s division at the inaugural Hummel Cup on Sunday, May 15 at Roscow A.L. Davies Soccer Field.

The weather was not the best this past weekend but it did not dampen the spirits of the competitors in both the men’s and women’s divisions. The Renegades FC prevailed over the Seventeen FC in penalty kicks, 4-2. The score at the end of extra time was 0-0.

The United WFC prevailed over the Dynamos WFC 3-0 to cart off the women’s title.

In the third-place game in the men’s division, United FC 

defeated the Warriors team 3-1. 

Capturing the third-place medal in the women’s division was Cavalier WFC, winning over the Western Warriors WFC.

“We would like to thank all coaches, players, referees, security and our sanitation crew who kept us safe and enabled us to host a successful tournament,” said one of the tournament organizers.

The Bahamas Football Association (BFA)-sanctioned event is expected to grow in popularity as it progresses from year to year.

Simba FrenchSend an emailMay 20, 2022 82 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Bahamas Football Association (BFA) has named a 22-member senior men’s national soccer team to kick off its 2022 CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) Nations League campaign on Friday, June 3, with a home match against St. Vincent and the Grenadines. That match will be played at Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium here in Nassau, Bahamas.

Suiting up for The Bahamas on the defensive line are Lesly St. Fleur, Jean Francois, Troy Pinder, Evelt Julmis, Kenaz Swain, Derrick Ferguson and Quinton Carey. Playing the midfield positions are Alexiou Cartwright, Roen Davis, Michael Massey, Nathan Wells, Christopher Rahming, William Bayles, Marcel Joseph, Logan Russell and Nicolas Lopez. Looking to put the ball in the back of the net in the forward positions are Wood Julmis, Jordin Wilson and Omari Bain.

The custodians between the goal posts are Julio Jemison, Ian Lowe, and Vance Wheaton.

Nesly Jean is the head coach. He will be assisted by Kevin Davies and Avery Kemp, and Larry Minns is team manager.

The Bahamas was promoted to League B by virtue of winning Group B in League C back in the 2019 edition of the Nations League. They won the group by going undefeated in a group that included Bonaire and the British Virgin Islands (BVI). The Bahamas won three games and drew once.

For this Nations League competition, they were drawn into Group C along with Trinidad and Tobago, Nicaragua and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

It will be a busy June for the senior men’s national soccer team. After playing St. Vincent and the Grenadines on June 3, they will fly to Trinidad and Tobago to play that nation on Monday, June 6. The Bahamas ended the Trinidad and Tobago Soca Warriors’ chances of qualifying for the world cup with a 0-0 stalemate at Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium last June.

Trinidad and Tobago will be looking to avenge that setback, coming in as the highest ranked team in the group. However, The Bahamas is looking to record another upset, this time on Trinidad and Tobago soil.

Later that week, The Bahamas will play host to Nicaragua at Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium – on Friday, June 10. It will be the first time these two nations play each other in senior men’s soccer. Both will then head to Nicaragua to play each other for a second time in less than a week on Monday, June 13.

Those matches will wrap up the first window of play for The Bahamas. The other window will be in March 2023. The group stage will serve as a qualifier for the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

CONCACAF announced the creation of the Nations League competition in 2018, with an aim of ensuring that all member associations have an opportunity to compete in more official matches, driving the development of the game in the region, and providing a compelling tournament for fans in all parts of the CONCACAF area.

Chisholm having a breakout year with the Marlins; looking to continue to produce

Simba FrenchSend an emailMay 20, 2022 147 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Jasrado ‘Jazz’ Chisholm Jr. had a superb ending to his three-game series for the Miami Marlins (17-20) against the Washington Nationals (13-26) at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, on Wednesday, as he hit his seventh home run of the season and added a triple, albeit, in a 5-4 loss for his team in the series finale.

The Marlins won two out of the three games but dropped the finale. They won 8-2 on Monday and 5-1 on Tuesday. Chisholm finished the series 5-for-11 at the plate.

On Wednesday, the Bahamian professional baseball player for the Marlins went a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate and scored two runs while driving in two. His seventh home run of the season came on a 94.2 miles per hour (mph) four-seam fastball in the bottom of the fifth inning and went to center field. That shot tied the game 3-3 at that point.

After the Nationals went ahead 4-3, Chisholm’s sacrifice fly to right field sent Jesús Sánchez home with the game-tying run in the bottom of the ninth, tying the game 4-4.

The Nationals scored in the top of the 10th inning to go up 5-4, and the Marlins went down in order in the bottom of the 10th, to end the game in the Nationals’ favor.

On Monday, Chisholm went 3-for-5 with a run batted in (RBI) and a run scored. On Tuesday, the leadoff hitter went hitless in four at-bats.

It has been a good month for the electrifying player as he has a batting average of .310 that is above his season average of .304. He has 18 hits so far this month in 58 at-bats. He hit the ball out the park three times for the month already.

Chisholm is leading the Marlins with seven home runs, six stolen bases, 27 RBIs and a .963 on-base percentage plus slugging percentage (OPS). He also has seven doubles and four triples.

With his four triples, Chisholm is leading the league in that category. His seven home runs has him tied at number 25 in the league. He is tied at number nine in RBIs, and the .963 OPS has him ranked at number seven in the league. His chances are looking good to be an all-star this season.

“I haven’t been swinging as hard as I was last year,” Chisholm told MLB.com Marlins beat reporter Christina DeNicola. “I’m trying to be more controlled at the plate instead of just trying to launch everything, even though that’s what’s still happening. But I’m trying to be more controlled and consistent.”

Chisholm said being more controlled is something that he has been working on for the past two to three years and it is coming out at the right time.

It looks like he is exactly what the Marlins need as they look to return to the playoffs after a dismal season last year.

Chisholm and the Marlins return to action tonight when they remain at LoanDepot Park to play the reigning World Series Champions Atlanta Braves. The game gets underway at 6:45 p.m. and the three-game series wraps up on Sunday.

ports

Over 60 children enrolled in the initial stage of the program

Simba FrenchSend an emailMay 18, 2022 695 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

In an effort to ensure that more persons in The Bahamas know how to swim, the Atlantis Resort got its school swim program officially underway for their employees’ children at the Beach Towers pool on the resort property yesterday.

In a six-week program, a little over 60 children learnt to do what only about 10 percent of Bahamians know how to do, according to surveys – swim. This is the first stage of the program and Atlantis will look to offer lessons to the larger community at some point.

Vice President of Public Affairs and Special Projects at the resort, Viana Gardiner, assisted in getting this initiative off the ground.

“Atlantis has taken a decision that it wanted to give back to the community in light of the fact that, statistics say that only 10 percent of Bahamians know how to swim, and then every summer you hear a very sad story of someone passing away, a child or an adult passing away because of drowning. So, what we wanted to do was to use our skills which are all things aquatic and provide swim lessons,” Gardiner said.

The children will be learning to swim on Tuesdays and Thursdays for six weeks. The combined classes have 63 children enrolled.

President of the Bahamas Aquatic Federation Algernon Cargill was at the pool and commended the resort for taking up such an initiative.

“Bahamas Aquatics is the sole governing body for all aquatic sports in The Bahamas, and we are happy that Atlantis reached out to us to advise that they were starting this ‘Learn to Swim’ program for their employees’ children. Seeing that roughly 10 percent of all Bahamians can swim, we thought it was a great opportunity not only to teach someone a life skill, but to build some strong entrants for our swimming program in The Bahamas,” Cargill said.

Gardiner added that they will be teaching the children basic life saving lessons in case they have a need to use it such as if they fall into a pool accidentally, they will know to remain calm and save themselves.

“We decided to run the program for the children of our staff members,” Gardiner said. “There was a lot of discussions about going into the wider community, but we have an extremely large staff base and their children need it as well so we decided to start at home with our children. Once this pilot program proves successful, then what we’re going to do is run the program again later in the year or in other years, and just see how many children we’re able to assist.”

Cargill is hoping that once the children learn to swim they can join one of the numerous clubs that are a part of the federation.

“What we are excited about is this program and similar programs being feeder programs for the federation,” Cargill said. “We have several clubs here, while they have their own learn to swim programs, while on property, the Atlantis is teaching their employees’ children to swim. The next step obviously is learn their survival skills and be able to get into a swim club and that is why we are here today to support the swim program because it is part of our mandate. Secondly, we want to ensure that these swimmers, once they learn how to swim, they continue their career and hopefully they can be at the CARIFTA level and other competitive levels.”

One of the instructors of the swim program is Jerome Wright. He said he is happy to be giving back.

“What we are basically doing is starting off with the infancy stage of teaching persons how to swim. Some of the kids are a little more advanced than we thought and that is a plus. We work with them and they follow instructions really well so this is a good bunch of children to work with,” Wright said.

Former national team swimmer Laura Morley was happy to be at the pool supporting the program. She saw the excitement of the children.

“I remember when I first started swimming and my excitement in the water, so, just to see these kids’ excitement to get in the water and learn how to swim and play around, it’s exciting. We need to teach kids how to swim from a younger age,” Morley said.

Also, there to show his support was national team swimmer Kohen Kerr.

“I think it’s a very good thing for us to start in The Bahamas,” Kerr said. “Swimming is known as a very high-class sport with which I disagree with. I feel that everyone should be more involved in the sport.”

Kerr spoke about how swimming has helped him travel to countries such as China, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Colombia. He also went off to college on a scholarship because of swimming. The program is expected to grow by leaps and bounds in the coming months.

Sheldon LongleySend an emailMay 19, 2022 273 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Bahamian collegiate hurdler Jahmaal Wilson had the performance of a lifetime on Sunday, and he is being rewarded with a trip to the 2022 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II Outdoor Championships, set for May 26-28, at Grand Valley State University Track & Field Stadium in Allendale, Michigan.

Wilson, 21, a sophomore for the West Texas A&M University Buffs, had a record-breaking performance on Sunday, breaking the school, conference, and national division two record in the men’s 110 meters (m) hurdles. Wilson ran a blazing 13.35 seconds in a positive 1.7 meters per second (mps) tailwind to win the men’s 110m hurdles title at the West Texas A&M Last Chance Meet 2022 at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas, on Sunday.

In setting his personal best, by more than four-tenths of a second, Wilson also went under the Bahamian national record of 13.38 seconds that was set by Shamar Sands at the Golden Spike Ostrava Meet in Ostrava, Czech Republic, in 2009.

Additionally, Wilson is now just three one-hundredths of a second off the qualifying standard for the World Athletics (WA) Championships, set for July 15-24, at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, 

Oregon, USA. If successful, he will join Sands as the only Bahamians to compete in the men’s 110m hurdles at the world championships.

Prior to this past weekend, Wilson’s previous personal best in the 110m hurdles was 13.76 seconds.

The run on Sunday broke Abilene Christian’s Brian Amos’ NCAA Division II record of 13.37, which was set back on May 12, 1994, and moves Wilson to number one in the NCAA Division II rankings. Amos also held the Lone Star Conference record prior to Sunday, and the West Texas A&M school record was 13.58 seconds, set by Tyrin Lewis last year.

Running unattached, Lewis finished second in 13.55 seconds on Sunday, and Cameron Macon, a sophomore at Texas A&M University-Commerce, was third in 14.05 seconds.

Wilson’s stunning run on Sunday tied him for 25th among all collegiate levels, and it led to him being named as the US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches 

Association (USTFCCCA) National Athlete of the Week.

He was one of 29 student-athletes of West Texas A&M University – 17 men and 12 women – who qualified for the 2022 NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships. Grand Valley State University and the West Michigan Sports Commission will co-host the championships which will be streamed live on NCAA.com.

A total of 754 participants – 377 men and 377 women – will compete in the championships.

In division one, the east preliminaries is set for May 25-28 at the Robert C. Haugh Track & Field Complex in Bloomington, Indiana, and the west preliminaries is set for that same time at the John McDonnell Field in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Indiana University at Bloomington will host the east preliminaries while the University of Arkansas will host the west preliminaries.

The 2022 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships is set for June 8-11 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.