Julien Alfred, Ackera Nugent and Lamara Distin are among ten women named to the watch list for the 2023 Bowerman Award after standout performances at the 2023 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico from March 10-11.

The Bowerman is an award given to the year’s best student-athlete in American collegiate track & field.

There was also a pre-NCAA Indoor Championships list revealed earlier in March that included Alfred and Distin.

St. Lucian Texas senior Alfred capped off a spectacular indoor season with a personal best and collegiate record 6.94 to defend her NCAA Indoor title. Her time made her the fastest Caribbean woman ever in the event and put her joint-second all-time behind Irina Privalova’s 6.92.

The 21-year-old also won gold in the 200m in 22.01, another collegiate record and the second fastest time ever behind Jamaican Merlene Ottey’s 21.87 done 30 years ago in Lille.

Arkansas sophomore Nugent, who was absent from the list released before the championships, earned her way on to the new one when she won gold in the 60m hurdles in 7.73.

On day one of the meet, Nugent, 20, set a new collegiate and Jamaican national record when she ran 7.72 in the prelims. That time puts her fourth on the all-time list for the event.

23-year-old Texas A&M senior Distin completed another unbeaten indoor season with a 1.91m clearance to win the high jump. In February, Distin cleared 1.97m to equal her own Jamaican record.

The other seven athletes on the watch list are Florida’s Jasmine Moore and Talitha Diggs, Kentucky’s Masai Russell, NC State’s Kaetlyn Tuohy, Oregon’s Jorinde Van Klinken, Stanford’s Roisin Willis and Arkansas’s Britton Wilson.

St. Lucian and Texas senior Julien Alfred produced another amazing performance to advance to the final of the Women’s 60m at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Friday.

The 21-year-old defending champion ran a new personal best and championship record 6.96, the joint-fourth fastest time ever, to win heat one and advance to Saturday’s final as the fastest qualifier.

The Commonwealth Games 100m silver-medallist entered the championships as a massive favorite to retain her title as she is unbeaten in the event this season with winning times of 7.05, 7.02, 7.05, 7.00, 7.03 and 6.97.

Alfred, now the joint-fastest Caribbean woman of all time in the event alongside Jamaican legend Merlene Ottey, will be joined in the final by Jamaican Clemson senior Kiara Grant who wan 7.14 for third in the first heat.

Later, Alfred also ran 22.38 to advance to the final of the 200m. LSU's Favor Ofili was the fastest qualifier with a spectacular 22.11, the third fastest time ever behind Merlene Ottey's 21.87 and Abby Steiner's 22.09.

Elsewhere, Jamaican Arkansas sophomore Joanne Reid ran 51.98 to advance to the final of the Women’s 400m.

In her first conference championships since she transferred from Baylor in the Big 12, Ackera Nugent set a pair of new personal bests in the 60m hurdles and 60m dash as Arkansas crowned themselves SEC champions on Saturday.

Nugent, who holds the U20 60m world record of 7.92, stormed to a personal best 7.81 to win the silver medal behind NCAA record holder Masai Russell, who took gold in 7.77s.

The winning time was just outside Russell’s collegiate record of 7.75 run earlier in the season.

Russell, a senior at Kentucky, broke the previous meet record of 7.89 set by LSU’s Tonea Marshall in 2020 and facilities record of 7.79 that had been held by Clemson’s Briana Rollins since 2013.

Nugent, who was also under the previous meet record, eclipsed her previous best of 7.88 set in January.

Tennessee’s Charisma Taylor ran 8.03 for the bronze medal.

Nugent would have gone into the hurdles final with a boost in confidence after winning the bronze medal in the 60m dash in a personal best of 7.20, finishing just behind silver-medallist Georgia’s Kaila Jackson who clocked 7.17.

Tennessee’s Jacious Sears ran a personal best 7.11 to win the gold medal.

Arkansas’ women topped the table with 130.5 points. Florida was second with 84 while Tennessee finished third with 56.33 points.

Alabama and Ole Miss shared fourth place with 54 points each.

Meanwhile, Arkansas' men also wrapped up the men's title scoring 102.25 points, some of which were contributed by Clemson's Roje Stona.

The former St Jago thrower hit a brand new personal best of 19.96m that won him the bronze medal in the men's shot put.

The top three men all produced personal bests as silver-medallist Jordan West of Arkansas hit his best throw ever of 20.29m. 

The winner, John Meyer of LSU, had the winning mark of 20.37m.

Florida finished second in the men's standings with 73 points while Alabama's 63 points put them third.

Georgia (59) and Tennessee (54) rounded out the top five.

Akeem Blake and Tina Clayton won the respective 60m titles at the Gibson/McCook Relays at the National Stadium in Kingston on Saturday.

Clayton, a two-time World Junior 100m champion and in her first professional season, ran a personal best 7.02 to win the Women’s section ahead of Sashalee Forbes (7.03) and Kerrica Hill (7.10).

Remona Burchell won a windy B final in 7.04 ahead of Tia Clayton (7.05) and Jodean Williams (7.16).

Blake, a semi-finalist in the 100m at the 2022 World Championships, ran a personal best 6.42 to win the Men’s section ahead of Oblique Seville (6.42) and Zharnel Hughes (6.45). 2011 World 100m Champion Yohan Blake was fourth in 6.45.

Trinidadian defending World Indoor 400m Champion Jereem Richards was the lone Caribbean winner at the 2023 World Indoor Tour Final at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham on Saturday.

Richards, who ran a personal best 45.00 to win the World title in Belgrade in 2022, ran a season’s best 45.74 for victory in the Men’s 400m ahead of the USA’s Vernon Norwood (45.92) and Ireland’s Jack Rafferty (46.66).

This was the Trinidadian’s second win in a row after. He ran 45.84 to win at the Millrose Games on February 11.

Elsewhere, 2019 World Champion Tajay Gayle jumped a season’s best 8.13m for second in the long jump, won by the USA’s Marquis Dendy with 8.28m. American William Williams was third with 8.03m.

2022 World 200m Champion Shericka Jackson ran 7.18 to finish fourth in the 60m behind the British pair of Dina Asher-Smith (7.05) and Darryl Neita (7.12). The USA’s Destiny Smith-Barnett finished third in 7.15. Asher-Smith’s time broke her own British record.

World Women’s 200m champion Shericka Jackson, keen to improve the first 30 metres of her 100m race, will line up against two of the year’s fastest women at the Birmingham World Indoor Final on Saturday.

Jackson, 28, boasts a personal best of 7.04, a time she ran in the final of the World Indoor Championships in Serbia in March 2022. However, she enters Saturday’s race having a pedestrian season-best 7.34 at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston on February 4.

Her time is significantly slower than the 7.04 run by Dina Asher Smith at the Init Indoor Meeting in Germany on January 27.

Asher-Smith’s compatriot Daryll Neita, the recently crowned British Indoor champion, has also run much faster this season having clocked 7.05 at the ISTAF Indoor Meeting in Berlin on February 10.

Jackson will be hoping for a much improved performance as she gears up for the outdoor season which involves another World Championships in Budapest in August.

Brianna Lyston and Rikkoi Brathwaite secured second place finishes in their respective 60m races at the Louisiana State University (LSU) Twilight at the Carl Maddox Fieldhouse on Friday.

Lyston, the 18-year-old Jamaican LSU freshman and 2022 World Under-20 200m Champion, followed up her personal best 7.29 performance at the Tyson Invitational on February 10 with a 7.30 effort for second.

The race was won by Lyston’s LSU teammate and Nigerian Commonwealth Games 200m silver medallist Favor Ofili who ran 7.18 while Symone Mason of Tiger Olympians was third in 7.39.

The British Virgin Islands’ Brathwaite, formerly of Indiana University and now representing the Garden State Track Club, ran 6.63 in the men’s equivalent. The race was won by LSU’s Godson Oghenebrume in 6.58 while his LSU teammate Da’Marcus Fleming was third in 6.70.

Brathwaite, 23, was a finalist at the NACAC Championships in Freeport last year, running 10.20 for fifth.

In the field, Bahamian Northwestern State sophomore Carnitra Mackey threw a personal best 14.06m to win the women’s shot out ahead of teammate Deanmonique Granville (13.15m) and McNeese State’s Jaslyn Russell (13.04m).

Brathwaite’s countryman, Northwestern State junior Djimon Gumbs, was second in the men’s equivalent with a best throw of 17.93m. LSU’s Chilean Olympian Claudio Romero threw 18.06m for the win while McNeese State’s Marcus Francis was well behind in third with 15.02m.

Briana Williams will race over 60m at the Camperdown Classic at the National Stadium on Saturday in what will be her first official competition since she joined Titans International in September 2022.

Williams, who turns 21, next month boasts a personal best of 7.04 while finishing fifth in the 60m final at the World Indoor Championships in Serbia in March, 2022.

It was a significant improvement on the 7.18 she ran at the Armory in New York in February 2020. Her outdoor 60m best of 7.15 was set at the National Stadium in Kingston in January that year.

The Tokyo Olympics gold medallist had trained with Coach Ato Boldon for a decade before making the move to Titans International last year citing a need for a change.

“I’m excited about this new chapter and happy to be training in Jamaica,” Williams said following the move to the club where she now trains under the guidance of coaches Gregory Little and Olympian Michael Frater.

After the Camperdown Classic, Williams is set to compete next at the Gibson Relays set to the final Saturday, February 25.

Jamaican World 200m champion Shericka Jackson says she feels no pressure to replicate her exploits from her phenomenal 2022 season, insisting that once she is healthy, the times and performances will come naturally.

Jackson’s comments came after opening her 2023 outdoor season with a 53.11 effort to win the 400m ahead of GC Foster College’s Odeisha Nation (55.37) and Christine Cheka (55.78) at the Queen's/Grace Jackson meet at the National Stadium in Kingston on Saturday.

“For me there’s no pressure. I believe my coach and I did a very good job last year and all we have to do now is stay focused, not on other people’s expectations but his and my expectations. Once I’m healthy, I will definitely go super-fast,” Jackson said.

Jackson is coming off a phenomenal 2022 season. At the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, she sped to a personal best of 21.45 to win gold in the 200m, becoming the fastest woman alive in the process.

In addition to her 200m crown, Jackson ran a personal best 10.73 to secure second in the 100m behind teammate Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce.

Prior to last season, Jackson said that one of her goals was to run 10.6 in the 100m, and, according to her, that has not changed.

“Last year I wanted to run 10.6 and I didn’t do that. To finish last year as the sixth-fastest ever and not run 10.6 is a great feeling. I think I have a lot more in the tank for the 100m so I just have to focus on execution and fast times will come,” she said.

Last season, Jackson also made waves on the indoor circuit, finishing sixth at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade in a personal best 7.04.

On February 4, she will compete in the event at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston.

“Last year the 60m helped me improve my start. I ran 7.04 and this year I’m hoping I can go faster,” she said.

The field will be a loaded one, including 400m hurdles World and Olympic Champion and world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, World Indoor 60m silver medalist Mikiah Briscoe and World Championship 100m finalist Aleia Hobbs.

“It’s a good field competing so my focus is executing a good 60m,” Jackson said.

Former Hydel standout Ashanti Moore opened her 2023 Indoor season with a second-placed finish in the 60m at the Houston Invitational in Texas on Friday.

Adidas’ Moore ran 7.37 to finish behind American Olympic 200m bronze medallist Gabby Thomas who ran 7.30. Sam Houston’s Rajer Gurode was third in 7.38. Moore had the fastest time going into the final after running 7.34 in the prelims earlier.

Elsewhere, B.B Coke alum and current Louisiana representative Javed Jones ran 48.12 to comfortably win the 400m ahead of teammate Nathan Ferguson (48.84) and Houston’s Joshua White 48.95.

Track and field superstars Shericka Jackson and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone are set for an exciting clash in the 60m at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix at the New Balance Track in Boston on February 4.

Jackson, who finished as runner-up in Jamaica’s National Sportswoman of the Year awards last week, had a magnificent 2022 season which saw her 21.45 to become the fastest woman alive in the 200m on her way to winning gold in the event at the World Championships in Eugene.

She also ran a new personal best of 10.71 to finish second in the 100m behind Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce. Jackson, 28, has a 60m personal best of 7.04 which she ran to finish sixth at the World Indoor Championships in Serbia last year.

The USA’s McLaughlin-Levrone, 23, is also coming off a spectacular year which was crowned with her being named as the World Athletics Female Athlete of the Year in December.

In July, she became the first woman in history to run a sub-51 second 400m hurdles when she ran a sensational 50.68 to win her maiden 400m world title. That was after she broke her own then-world record of 51.46, which she ran to win gold at the Tokyo Olympics, with a 51.41 effort at the US Championships in June. McLaughlin-Levrone has never run a 60m race.

World Championship 100m finalist Aleia Hobbs and World Indoor Championships 60m silver medallist Mikiah Briscoe will also be in the field in Boston. 

Clemson sprinter Kiara Grant started her 2023 collegiate season in ominous form with a personal best and world leading 7.09 seconds to win the 60m at the Red Raider Open at the Sports Performance Centre in Lubbock, Texas on Friday.

The 22-year-old former Alpha standout’s time was also a new ACC record, shattering Tonya Carter’s record of 7.15 seconds, which had stood for 23 years. She is also now the joint eighth-fastest Jamaican in the event.

American Marybeth Sant-Price, the World Indoor bronze medalist from last year, was second in 7.18 with Sedrickia Wynn of Texas State taking third place with a time of 7.35.

Elsewhere, Jamaican Texas Tech sprint hurdler Demisha Roswell produced a time of 7.98 seconds to finish second in the 60m hurdles.

The 25-year-old Vere Technical alum, who lowered her 100m hurdles personal best to 12.44 last season, was beaten by Kentucky’s Masai Russell who ran a collegiate record 7.75 for victory.

LSU’s Leah Phillips was third in 8.14.

Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambudji ran a massive lifetime best of 6.96 to win 60-metre gold at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Belgrade on Friday.

Shericka Jackson was third in the 60m dash at the Paris Indoor Meeting on Sunday.

Jamaica’s Olympic gold medallist Briana Williams will be made available to represent Jamaica at the 2022 World Indoor Championships in Belgrade from March 18-20.