Courtesy: Saint Augustine Athletics
RALEIGH, N.C. (May 13) — Shannon Kalawan (Jr./Westmoreland, Jamaica) of Saint Augustine’s University posted the fastest Division II time in the women’s 400 meters this season at the Mount Olive Final Qualifier track and field meet on Sunday, May 12.
Kalawan blazed to victory in an NCAA automatic qualifying time of 52.97 seconds at the meet, held at the McDonald Sr. Sports Complex in Mount Olive, N.C. The time vaulted her to No. 1 in the nation in the Division II 400 meter women’s rankings.
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The SAU standout ranks first in three events heading into the NCAA DII Outdoor Championships in Kingsville, Texas, next weekend. Kalawan is also the nation’s leader in the 400 hurdles and anchors the top-ranked 4×400 relay squad. She is the defending national champion in the 400 dash and 400 hurdles, and is part of a Lady Falcons unit that is the defending national champion in the 4×400 relay. Last season, Kalawan was named NCAA Division II Women’s Track Athlete of the Year for her accomplishments in the championship meet.
On Sunday, Kalawan was among several SAU sprinters who fared well at the Mount Olive meet. Among the women, the unit of Kalawan, Danielle Scantlebury (Fr./St. George, Barbados), Tashoy Blake (Jr./Clarendon, Jamaica) and Amanda Crawford (Jr./Brooklyn, NY) won the women’s 4×100 relay in a provisional time of 45.61 to move into a sixth-place tie in the 4×100 national rankings.
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Scantlebury was second in the 400 hurdles in a provisional time of 1:00.45, and Davia Smith (Jr./Manchester, Jamaica) placed third in the 400 dash in a provisional time of 54.84. The foursome of Kalawan, Crawford, Smith and Blake finished second in the 4×400 relay in a provisional time of 3:42.76.
For the men, Christian Smith (Jr./Atlanta, GA) placed fifth in the 400 hurdles in a provisional time of 52.35 and Alazae Hester-Taylor (Jr./Homewood, AL) finished seventh in the same event in a provisional time of 52.37. Damere Gilbert (Jr./Sharon Hill, PA) was fifth in the 100 dash finals after running a provisional time of 10.52 in the preliminaries.
The team of Nathan Fergusson (Fr./St. Thomas, Barbados), Brandon Parris (Sr./Sion Hill, St. Vincent), Gilbert and Darren Alfred (Fr./Bethel, Trinidad & Tobago) finished third in the 4×100 relay. The foursome ran a provisional time of 40.83.
After Sunday’s meet, the Falcons and Lady Falcons will now prepare for the NCAA DII Outdoor Championships, hosted by Texas A&M University-Kingsville. The championship meet is scheduled for May 23-25.
Below is a list of Falcons and Lady Falcons who placed in the top 10 of their respective events at the Mount Olive Final Qualifier. A plus represents an automatic time and an asterisk represents a provisional time.
WOMEN
400 Dash
1. Shannon Kalawan (52.97)+
3. Davia Smith (54.84)*
7. Jaria Hoyte (56.02)
400 Hurdles
2. Danielle Scantlebury (1:00.45)*
4×100 Relay
1. Shannon Kalawan, Danielle Scantlebury, Tashoy Blake, Amanda Crawford (45.61)*
4X400 Relay
2. Shannon Kalawan, Amanda Crawford, Davia Smith, Tashoy Blake (3:42.76)*
MEN
100 Dash
5. Damere Gilbert (10.61 – finals/10.52 — prelims*)
110 Hurdles
9. Alazae Hester-Taylor (14.74)
400 Hurdles
5. Christian Smith (52.35)*
7. Alazae Hester-Taylor (52.37)*
4×100 Relay
3. Nathan Fergusson, Brandon Parris, Damere Gilbert, Darren Alfred (40.83)*
– Robert Walker placed 12th in the 400 hurdles in a provisional time of 53.14.