Jamaican Field Athletes Dunn, Lawrence and Turner Qualify for NCAA Outdoor Championships

KINGSTON, Jamaica - Jamaican field event athletes Shaiquan Dunn, Kobe Lawrence and Jordan Turner secured places at the NCAA National Outdoor Championships following Wednesday's opening day of regional competition.

Dunn, representing the University of Texas, produced a personal-best 18.81 metres to finish ninth in the shot put. University of Oregon's Lawrence reached the championships from the West Regional at the University of Arkansas with 18.69m, a mark among his shorter efforts this season, but still enough to claim the last qualifying spot.

At the East Regional, hosted by the University of Kentucky, Louisiana State long jumper Turner registered 7.91m with a -0.9m/s wind reading, the third-best distance of the day. Nathan Wade of the University of Louisiana-Monroe came close to progressing, but his 7.53m effort, helped by a -0.8m/s wind, left him four centimetres short of qualification.

On the track at the West Regional, Texas A&M University's Kimar Farquharson topped the first-round men's 400m standings, while University of Arkansas athlete Rivaldo Marshall led the men's 800m qualifiers. Farquharson lowered his personal best to 45.18 seconds to move into Friday's second round. Marshall, the SEC Outdoor champion, clocked 1:46.92, with Arkansas teammate Tyrice Taylor also advancing in 1:47.80.

Baylor University's Demario Prince moved on in the 110m hurdles after running 13.38 seconds with a 1.3m/s wind. He will be joined in the next round by University of Arkansas hurdler Jerome Campbell, who ran 13.55 seconds in the same wind conditions, and Northern Colorado's Daniel Beckford, who posted 13.84 seconds.

Texas Tech's Shaemar Uter advanced in the men's 200m after recording 20.79 seconds with a 0.3m/s wind reading.

At the East Regional, Virginia Tech's Dylan Decambre ran a lifetime-best 1:46.79 to qualify for the second round of the men's 800m. South Carolina's Jasauna Dennis improved his 400m personal best to 45.61 seconds, while Southern Missouri's Javel Fullerton progressed in the men's 400m hurdles with a season-best 50.48 seconds.