Source: trinidadexpress.com

By Kwame Laurence

Trinidad and Tobago's Afiya Walker produced a national record run at the Mountain West Conference (MWC) Indoor Track and Field Championships, in New Mexico, USA, on the weekend. The University of Wyoming senior won the women's 400 metres title in 53.10 seconds, three-tenths of a second faster than the 53.40 T&T indoor standard she had established at the 2010 edition of the MWC Championships.

Tonya Nero struck gold in the women's mile, at the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Championships, in Iowa. The Wichita State University student got home in four minutes, 54.92 seconds. Another T&T/Wichita State athlete, Samantha Shukla finished 13th in 5:13.27.

Nero also secured two second-place finishes at the MVC meet. She was runner-up in the 3,000m in 9:39.88 and in the 5,000m in 16:56.47. Her sister and teammate, Scarla Nero was eighth in the 5,000m (17:26.24) and ninth in the 3,000m (10:09.61). Shukla clocked 2:20.01 to finish 14th overall in the women's 800m.

At the Horizon League Championships, in Ohio, Durell Busby outclassed his rivals in the men's 60m hurdles final. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee sophomore got to the line in 7.96 seconds for a huge cushion on the runner-up.

Semoy Hackett was in record-breaking mood at the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championships, in Arkansas.

In Saturday's preliminary round of the women's 200m, the Louisiana State University (LSU) sprinter clocked 22.86 seconds, bettering the 22.90 T&T record set by Kelly-Ann Baptiste in 2007. Hackett's clocking earned her the top spot on the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) 2011 indoor performance list.

In the final, on Sunday, Hackett improved the record to 22.84. However, she had to settle for silver, behind her LSU teammate, American Kimberlyn Duncan. With her winning time of 22.78, Duncan moved to the top of the IAAF list, nudging Hackett down to second. Another T&T athlete, Auburn University's Kai Selvon finished seventh in the final in 23.72 seconds.

Hackett also seized silver in the 60m dash. She clocked 7.25 seconds. Selvon was 10th overall in 7.49.

University of Georgia student Hilenn James finished fourth in the women's shot put with a 15.60 metres throw. LSU's Kyron Blaise produced a 16.36m effort for fifth spot in the men's triple jump. University of Kentucky sprinter Kyron Joseph finished 10th in the men's 60m in 6.79 seconds and 15th in the 200m (21.56). And University of Florida's Jovon Toppin was 13th in the men's 400m in 47.82.

Robert Collingwood secured silver in the men's shot put, at the Conference USA Championships, in Houston. The University of Southern Mississippi student threw the iron ball 17.46m. His twin brother and teammate, Richard Collingwood finished eighth with a 16.15m effort.

At the Big 12 Championships, in Nebraska, Baylor University's Gavyn Nero seized silver in the men's 1,000m in 2:24.69. Texas Tech University athlete Dellon Williams finished ninth in the men's triple jump with a 15.04m effort. And Baylor's Zwede Hewitt was 13th in the men's 600 yards in 1:11.98.

Alena Brooks bagged bronze in the women's 400m, at the Big Ten Championships, in Indiana. The University of Minnesota student got home in 55.04 seconds. In the 600m, Brooks clocked 1:34.52 to finish eighth. In the qualifying round, she had produced a 1:32.91 run. Another T&T/Minnesota athlete, Nyoka Giles was 14th in both the women's 60m and 200m events. She clocked 7.74 seconds in the 60 and 25.12 in the longer sprint.

At the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championships, in Virginia, Florida State University's Britney St Louis finished fourth in the women's 400m in 53.83 seconds. University of Maryland sprinter Heidi Paul was 22nd in the women's 60m (7.79) and 28th in the 200m (25.42).

Kendall Bacchus copped seventh spot in the men's 55m final, at the Sun Belt Conference Championships, in Arkansas. The Middle Tennessee State University sophomore got to the line in 6.49 seconds. In the qualifying round he had clocked 6.48. Bacchus also competed in the 200m, finishing eighth in the final in 22.16, 24-hundredths of a second slower than the 21.92 run he had produced in the preliminaries.

At the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championships, in Ohio, Central Michigan University junior Kirlene Roberts finished ninth in the women's 60m in 7.59 seconds and 21st in the 200m in 25.90.

McNeese State University sophomore Ashlee Smith was ninth in the women's weight throw (15.36m) and 11th in the shot put (13.13m), at the Southland Conference Championships, in Oklahoma.

And at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Championships, in Washington, Washington State University's Shawna Fermin finished 21st overall in the women's 400m in 57.66 seconds.