Jaiden Reid and Shemar Chambers were among several Caribbean athletes producing standout performances on Wednesday to advance from the first round on the opening day of the NCAA East First Round in Jacksonville, Florida.

Reid of the Cayman Islands, a sophomore at LSU, advanced in the men’s 100m with a commanding run of 10.19 seconds (-0.4 m/s) to win heat five. His time ranked him fourth overall among the 24 qualifiers. Fellow Caymanian Davonte Howell, a sophomore at Tennessee, also earned his place at nationals, finishing fourth in the same heat in 10.37 seconds to claim the 16th fastest time overall and secure one of the six non-automatic qualifying spots. Jamaica’s Jehlani Gordon, a sophomore at Georgia, won heat 3 in 10.23 seconds (-0.3 m/s), ranking him sixth among the qualifiers.

Reid later returned in the 200m and completed a successful sprint double, winning heat 3 in 20.81 seconds (-0.9 m/s), which placed him 11th among the 24 advancing athletes.

Shemar Chambers

The Jamaican contingent made a strong statement in the 400m. Shemar Chambers, a senior at Georgia, clocked a personal best 45.29 seconds to win heat six and finish as the fastest qualifier overall. Florida senior Reheem Hayles was fifth fastest overall, winning heat three in 45.71 seconds. Jasauna Dennis, a sophomore at South Carolina, ran a lifetime best of 45.92 to place second in heat six and finished 12th on the overall list. Malik Ricketts of Pittsburgh rounded out the Jamaican qualifiers, his 46.09-second clocking in heat five securing 18th place among all qualifiers.