Virgin Islands National Track and Field Team members Allison Peter and Eddie Lovett had impressive performances at the North America, Central America and Caribbean (NACAC) Under 23 Track and Field Championships in Kamloops, Canada, this past weekend.
Peter ran a personal record in the 400m to win the gold medal in the event in 51.9; her previous best was 53.3. To get the win she had to beat out Taylor Ellis-Watson (52.05) and Brianna Nelson (52.95) of the U.S.A. The win in the 400m is particularly impressive because her progression as a sprinter basically has not included the distance. Only at the youth level has she won a championship at that distance, having done so at the Leeward Islands Youth Championships in Nevis a number of years ago. It is only this year that she has shown her real potential at 400m having run 53.08 in Antigua a couple of weeks ago and then a breakthrough performance in Canada this weekend. Looking back, Peter last ran the 400m in 55.42 as a high school runner in a meet in Tortola, British Virgin Islands (BVI). This year, she had dropped the time in her 400m from 55.19 in May in Austin, Texas, to 51.9, which moves her up substantially in the world and regional rankings. She came back Sunday to take silver in the 200m with a time of 23.47; Cierra White of the USA took first place in 23.05 and Ashton Purvis of the U.S.A. took third in 23.86. She now has a total of three NACAC Under 23 medals, a gold and two silvers.
Eddie Lovett, no stranger to championships performances, took a few weeks break after a rugged four-year career as NCAA Champion at the University of Florida and used the Canada meet to get back on track. He won the gold medal in the 110m hurdles with a personal best of 13.39 as he went on to best Vincent Wyatt of the U.S.A. for second in 13.55 and Gregory McNeil of Canada 13.83 for third. The time was his personal best although it was .01 seconds beyond the allowable 2.0. The win in Canada adds to his resume of championships, which include: The gold medal at the World University Games in Russia in 2013; multiple NCAA Indoor Championships and two NCAA Championships as a member of the University of Florida Track and Field team where he also ran the 4 x 100m relay.
Alexshandro Rodriquez found the going a bit tougher in the championship competition, which included teams from the NACAC including Canada, the U.S.A., the Caribbean and Central America, as he finished tenth in his 800m preliminary round and did not advance.
Notes:
1] The two medals at NACAC for Allison Peter brings her total to three (she won a silver previously in the 200m). Her 400m gold medal is her first medal in a championship in an event longer than 200m since she won one in the Leeward Islands Youth Championships.
2] Eddie Lovett improved on his performance at NACAC where he last ran as a member of the U.S.A. team.
3] He and Allison will compete in the Pan Am Sports Festival next weekend in Mexico City and will be joined by Leslie Murray, 400m hurdles bronze medalist in the IAAF World Junior Championships in 2010.
4] The funding for the NACAC Under 23 team was provided by the V.I. Olympic Committee and the V.I. Track and Field Federation (VITFF).
5] The national coach/team leader for this team was Adrian Durant, a V.I. Olympian and current track and field coach at Cornell University.
For information e-mail VITFF: [email protected] or call: 643-2557 or logon to: http://virginislandstrackandfield.org