Caribbean sprinters made a powerful statement in Thursday’s opening round of the women’s 100m at the NCAA East First Round in Jacksonville, Florida, as Leah Bertrand, Shenese Walker, and Joella Lloyd all secured top-ten qualifying spots to move on to Saturday’s quarterfinals.

Bertrand, the senior from Trinidad and Tobago representing Ohio State, was particularly impressive, powering to a lifetime best 10.92 seconds with a +1.8 m/s tailwind to win Heat 2. Her time was the second-fastest of the day, trailing only LSU sophomore Tima Godbless, who laid down a meet-leading 10.91 seconds in Heat 1, also a personal best and a new facility record.

Florida State junior Shenese Walker, competing for Jamaica, also looked sharp as she won Heat 5 in 11.02 seconds, the fourth-fastest time overall. Her FSU teammate, Joella Lloyd, a senior from Antigua and Barbuda, clocked 11.10 seconds to finish second behind Godbless in Heat 1, advancing comfortably with the seventh-best time of the day.

Another Caribbean athlete, Anthaya Charlton of The Bahamas, competing for the University of Florida, produced a lifetime best 11.05 seconds to win Heat 4, placing her sixth among the 24 advancing athletes. Charlton, better known for her exploits in the horizontal jumps, continues to prove her versatility as a sprinter.

Also advancing with top-10 marks were Kaila Jackson of Georgia, who ran 11.00 seconds to win Heat 6, Cynteria James of South Carolina with 11.05 seconds, Aniyah Kitt of Clemson and Kelly Ufodiama of East Carolina, who both clocked 11.18 seconds, and Elo Blessing Okpah of Tennessee with a personal best 11.19 seconds.

The 24 qualifiers will return to the track on Saturday, May 25, with eyes set on a top-12 finish that would earn them a coveted spot at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon. With four Caribbean athletes already stamping their authority in the opening round, the sprint rivalry is heating up on the road to nationals.