Jamaica’s Demario Prince and Jaheim Stern booked their spots in the final of the men’s 110m hurdles at the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Wednesday, as the four-day competition got underway at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

Prince, a freshman at Baylor University, produced an impressive run of 13.27 seconds (+0.8 m/s) to win his semi-final heat, comfortably securing automatic qualification for Friday’s final. It was a smooth and composed performance from the young Jamaican, who has been one of the standout newcomers on the collegiate circuit this season.

LSU junior Jaheim Stern joined Prince in the final with a personal best performance of 13.29 (+1.1 m/s) to finish second in his semi-final heat. Stern’s effort was his most polished race of the season, peaking at the right time to ensure his place among the top eight hurdlers in the NCAA.

However, there was disappointment for another Jamaican, Jerome Campbell, who narrowly missed advancing to the final. The Northern Colorado junior, who finished second at the NCAA Indoor Championships earlier this year, clocked 13.50 seconds (+1.1 m/s) to place fifth in the same semi-final as Stern. His time placed him 11th overall, just outside the nine-man cutoff for the final.

Top qualifier Ja’Kobe Tharp of Auburn led all competitors with a time of 13.15 seconds, followed by Texas’ Kendrick Smallwood (13.26) and Prince.

The men’s 110m hurdles final is scheduled for Friday evening, where Prince and Stern will look to claim podium finishes and cap off a strong season for Jamaican sprint hurdlers at the collegiate level.