Sports

CARIFTA Trials Produce Multiple Qualifiers

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Three days of intense competition between the country’s top junior track and field athletes have set the stage for Team Bahamas as they head into the 2025 CARIFTA Championships.

Published

6 days ago

April 7, 2025

10th Year Seniors

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Three days of intense competition between the country’s top junior track and field athletes have set the stage for Team Bahamas as they head into the 2025 CARIFTA Championships.

The splice and connect BAAA’s CARIFTA Trials concluded Sunday night at the Thomas A. Robinson Stadium, leaving stakeholders, fans and athletes optimistic about the prospects of Team Bahamas.

A record number of pre-qualifiers entered this year’s event.and to follow through, the action on the track and in the field lived up to or in some cases, exceeded those lofty expectations.

Eagan Neely has to be on everyone’s watch list after his series of outstanding performances in the u-17 boys.

In the 400m, Neely dominated the field to finish first in a 47.45 secs and has his eyes set on the CARIFTA record of 47.27 secs.

He also finished first in the 200m, in a time of 21.00 secs, that would have taken first place in the u20 boys race.

Keyezra Thomas was just as dominant in the u17 girls.

Already a multiple event pre qualifier, she took first place and reached the standard three events – the 400m In 56.31 secs, 200m in 23.99 secs, and the high jump at 1.63m

The u17 boys triple jump had four qualifiers but Ainsworth Ferguson at 13.84m and Lyndavion Storr at 13.81m Took the top two confirmed spots.

In the u17 girls – Jazae Johnson won both the triple jump at 11.88m and the long jump at 5.88m.

In the always the competitive u20 women’s javelin – defending CARIFTA Champion Taysha Stubbs took first place at 47.76m and Dior-Rae Scott was second at 47.09m

Jehcario Wilson finished more than two seconds ahead of the CARIFTA standard in the 400m hurdles at 53.22 Secs, and more than a second ahead in the 100m hurdles, at 13.44 secs.

Meanwhile, the focus at CARIFTA Trials may have been on the athletes vying for spots on Team Bahamas, but Carlos Brown Jr stole the show on night one.

In the Olympic development 100m, Brown turned in one of the fastest times in the early outdoor season with A personal best, 10.04 secs.

A finalist in the 200m at the World Athletics u-20 championships last year in Peru, he also won the 200m over the weekend at the Thomas A. Robinson Stadium in 20.92 secs.

Coming into this season, the 19-year-old had a previous personal best of 10.30 secs.

In February, he turned in a 10.12 secs – which was ruled illegal by World Athletics, and in March he also ran 10.26 secs.

NCAA Basketball

The Houston Cougars continue to survive and advance.

After Houston’s thrilling finish in the national semifinal, a 70-67 win over the Duke Blue Devils, the Cougars will face the Florida Gators tonight with an opportunity to win the first national title in program history.

Assistant strength coach Bryan Clarke said his team’s approach remains unfazed despite the rising stakes during their run in the tournament.

NBA

The NBA regular season is winding down and every game from here on out is pivotal for Buddy Hield and the Golden State Warriors.

Hield scored a team high 20 points, but it was a tough shooting night in general for much of the Warriors lineup in their 106-96 loss to the Houston Rockets Sunday night at the Chase Center in San Francisco.

He shot 7-14 from the field, including 6-11 from three point range and also added five rebounds in 25 Minutes.

The loss to the second seeded Rockets snapped the Warriors’ five-game winning streak.

At 46-32 Golden State is now in a four-way tie for fifth place with the Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota T’wolves, and Memphis Grizzlies.

Four games left on the regular season schedule can decide the postseason fate for Hield and the Warriors.