MIRAMAR, Fla. – The Ansin Sports Complex played host to the North American, Central American and Caribbean Under-23 Championships this past weekend, and the LSU track and field program was on display as athletes representing three countries took home 10 medals in three days of competition.
Senior Samantha Henry (Jamaica) and junior Kenyanna Wilson (United States) each won a pair of medals for their respective countries in the 100-meter dash and 4×100-meter relay.
In the 100-meter final on Friday afternoon, Henry edged Wilson for the silver medal after clocking a wind aided time of 11.25 seconds in the final. Wilson took home the bronze medal with a windy time of 11.32.
But it was Wilson who had the last laugh as she anchored the United States to a gold medal for the 4×100-meter relay with a winning time of 43.07 on Saturday afternoon. Henry ran the second leg on Jamaica’s sprint relay team that finished in a distant second place with a silver-medal winning time of 44.20.
Junior Walter Henning – the reigning NCAA hammer throw champion – wrapped up the meet by winning a silver medal for the United States on Sunday afternoon after recording a mark of 227 feet, 5 inches on his fifth attempt. Henning is one of 10 collegiate athletes being considered for The Bowerman Award that will be trimmed to a list of three finalists sometime this week.
Junior Melissa Ogbourne (Jamaica), sophomore Ade Alleyne-Forte (Trinidad & Tobago) and sophomore Rachel Laurent (United States) also won bronze medals for their respective countries during the weekend.
Ogbourne led the LSU jumpers with a third-place finish in the women’s triple jump after posting a windy mark of 43-1 ½ inches. Laurent took third place in the women’s pole vault (12-9 ½), while Alleyne-Forte led Trinidad & Tobago’s 4×400-meter relay team to a third-place finish in the meet’s final event.
The future of the Lady Tiger program was also on display during the competition as Class of 2010 signee Nikita Tracey took home a pair of medals for the Jamaican contingent.
After setting a new personal-best time of 56.89 to win a bronze medal in the 400-meter hurdles on Sunday afternoon, Tracey wrapped up the meet by running the second leg on Jamaica’s 4×400-meter relay team that took home the silver medal with a time of 3:38.05. Her time of 56.89 in the 400 hurdles is a new best by more than half a second ranks No. 2 in the world this season by an athlete under the age of 20.