LAWRENCE, Kansas (CMC):
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY athletes Decosma Wright, Carla Thomas and Davita Prendegast were among a quartet of Jamaican winners at the 78th Kansas Relays on Saturday.
Competing in the collegiate category, Wright captured the men's 110-metre hurdles in 13.89 seconds, Thomas landed the women's 400-hurdles in 58.10 seconds, and Prendegast won the 400 metres in 52.62 seconds.
Nickesha Anderson registered the fourth Jamaican win when she captured the women's College 100 metres in 11.37 seconds.
The meet was highlighted by world-leading performances by Americans Allyson Felix and Christian Cantwell - the 20-year-old Felix registering a personal best 11.04 to win the Invitational women's 100 metres, and Cantwell landing the men's spot put at 21.43 metres.
Wright, a former CARIFTA Games heptathlon bronze medallist, easily topped Courtney Jones (14.10) in negative wind of 1.4 metres per second for his sprint hurdles triumph.
Thomas was also a clear winner in her one-lap hurdles outing, dismissing Nikki Pauli (59.16), with Trinidadian Nikita McCree fourth in 1:00.17 seconds.
Thomas also got third in the 100-hurdles in 13.73, chasing American Rebecca Williams (13.53) and Tracy Partain (13.72). And Prendegast was also unchallenged in her 400-metre win over Virginie Michanol (53.65).
Anderson, representing Missouri Baptist, defeated Simone Facey (11.47) as Jamaicans swept the top two spots in the College 100 metres. Barbadian Danielle Norville was fifth in 11.88.
Facey also raced in the Invitational 200 and placed third in 23.47 seconds behind Americans Crystal Cox (22.85) and Torrie Edwards (22.89). Laverne Jones, of the US Virgin Islands, placed fifth in 23.70.
There were several other top three results for Caribbean athletes at the meet. Mary Danner won the Invitational 400 in 51.66 seconds, defeating Jamaican Michelle Burgher (53.17).
In the women's Collegiate 800 metres, Jamaica's former CARIFTA champion Kayann Thompson placed third in 2:11.20, behind Morgan Bonds (2:09.81) and Venessa Lee (2:10.63).
There were second-place finishes for Shernelle Nicholls, Wilbert Walker and Charisse Bacchus in field events.
Barbadian ex-CARIFTA champion Nicholls threw 49.26 metres in the women's discus won by Dace Ruskule (56.97), Jamaican Wilbert Walker (7.63m) finished close to Trevor Barry (7.69m) in the men's long jump, and Trinidad and Tobago's Bacchus (6.11m) was runner-up to Lela Nelson (6.33m) in the women's long jump.
In the men's Invitational 4X100-metre sprint, Olympic champion Justin Gatlin - after his teammates Dwight Thomas, of Jamaica, Rodney Martin and Shawn Crawford built a solid lead - powered the Sprint Capitol outfit, coached by Jamaican Trevor Graham, to a quick win in 38.16.
HSI, with former Olympic champion Maurice Greene on the anchor leg, crossed the line in 39.02 for second spot.
