Collegiate athletes kick off outdoor season

Collegiate athletes kick off outdoor season
Texas A&M’s Serena Brown competes in the women’s discus Saturday at the Texas Relays. Brown won the event with a throw of 198 feet, 1 inch. (Photo credit: Texas A&M athletic department/Errol Anderson)

Coinciding with a breakthrough performance by the country’s premier junior track and field athletes in the capital, several elite Bahamian collegiate athletes also kicked off their respective outdoor seasons on a high-note over the Easter holiday weekend.

On the field, Texas A&M sophomore Serena Brown, had a career best discus throw of 198’ 1” to earn her a second victory at the 91st Texas Relays, following a win in the ‘B’ section of the event a year ago.

In the fourth round of the discus on Sunday, Brown’s career-best heave, moved her from third to first place.

Along with setting a personal best, Brown also bettered her own Bahamian national record.

“I’ve been waiting to throw over 60 meters (m) for so long,” Brown said following the meet.

“We’ve been working on it in practice. The main thing was a switch in confidence. After I hit that big one, I know I have to stay calm in order to continue with my competition and improve.”

Also on the field, Miguel Roach from the University of Central Oklahoma, took top honors in the women’s javelin throw at the Oklahoma Baptist Invitational, hitting a 39.66m mark. And Alfredo Smith, from Indiana Tech, finished second in the men’s long jump in 7.24m at the 2018 Raleigh Relays in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Finally on the track, Pedrya Seymour, from the University of Texas finished third in the women’s 100m hurdles in 12.85 seconds at the Texas Relays.

Longhorn sophomore Rushelle Burton won the race in a personal best of 12.64 seconds, while Samson Colebrooke from Barton Community College, also clocked a personal best of 10.41 seconds, to finish 10th overall in the men’s 100m dash at the Texas Bobcat Invitational held in San Marcos, Texas.

About Randy Smith

Randy Smith is the producer of the widely-watched local television show “Beyond The Headlines” and the web content manager of Eyewitness News. He joined Eyewitness News as a sportscaster in 2018, a role he still performs, and has previously covered a slew of international sporting events, including the 2015 Pan American Games, the Nike EYBL Showcase, several IAAF World Relays, the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, the Commonwealth Youth Games, the Bahamas Bowl and multiple CARIFTA Swimming and Track & Field Championships. Randy has been recognized by the Bahamas Press Club with awards for “Best Sports Broadcast” as a sportscaster and “Best TV Talk Show” as a producer.