Raymond Graham, Freelance Writer

Nickeisha Wilson

CARIBBEAN athletes stole the spotlight on Friday night at the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division One Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, as Jamaica's Nickeisha Wilson and the Trinidad and Tobago pair of Kelly-Ann Baptiste and Richard Thompson all struck gold, while Jamaica's Simone Facey won a silver.

Louisiana State University's (LSU) Wilson who grabbed fourth in the 400 metres hurdles at last year's World Championships in Osaka, found her best form as she produced a season best 54.45 seconds to win the gold medal in the event. She turned the tables on defending champion Nicola Leach of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) who was second in 54.62.

Wilson's time put her at number two in Jamaica, behind Melaine Walker, and number four on the world list. Wilson could add another medal as she was slated to run in the 100 metres hurdles final late yesterday. She did 13.00 seconds to win her semi-final just before the 400 metres final. Oklahoma University's Latoya Greaves also advanced to the final after posting 13.23 seconds for third place in her semi-final.

fastest male, female

The Trinidad and Tobago duo, Baptiste and Thompson, who are both seniors at LSU, became the fastest female and male among all college athletes this year as they captured the 100m titles.Baptiste, who won the NCAA 60m indoor title in March, finished strongly to overcome Facey in the latter part of the race to win in 11.20 as Facey of Texas A&M University had to settle for silver in 11.27. Another Jamaican, Nickeisha Anderson, competing for Kansas University ended fourth in 11.37, while Samantha Henry of LSU was seventh in 11.63.

There was a gold medal for Facey in the women's 4x100 metres final as Texas A&M successfully defended their title to win in 42.59 ahead of LSU, 42.85. Henry was a member of the LSU quartet.

Thompson, who took the NCAA indoors 60m in March, won the 100 metres final in a quick 10.12 to turn back the challenges of Clemson's Travis Padgett (10.16) and his teammate Trindon Holiday who was third in 10.18. Defending champion Walter Dix of Florida State University could only manage fourth in 10.22 seconds.

Julian Reid's bronze medal in the long jump, with a leap of 7.90 metres on Thursday, will be the only medal for a Jamaican male at the meet as Oklahoma University's Sheldon Leith failed to advance in the men's 110 metre hurdles as he could only manage sixth in his semi-final in 13.81.