Fri | Mar 29, 2024

Goule wins 800 metres at NCAA Indoor Champs

Published:Monday | March 11, 2013 | 12:00 AM
Goule ... clocked 2:02.06 indoors. - file

Raymond Graham, Gleaner Writer

FORMER Manchester High and two-time World Junior Championships representative, Natoya Goule won the women's 800 metres on Saturday's final day of the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Randall Tyson Sports Complex in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Competing for Louisiana State University (LSU), Goule upstaged a strong field to capture the event in 2:02.06.

Goule, who has been battling all season with teammate Charlene Lipsey, and who was beaten by Lipsey a few weeks ago at the South East Conference Championships, turned the tables on her teammate to bag her first major title in just her first season for her new school. Lipsey was third in 2:02.47 after losing second to Laura Roesier of the University of Oregon, 2:02.32.

Two other Jamaican females, former Vere Technical jumper Shanieka Thomas and former Edwin Allen jumper Francene Simpson, had top-three finishes at the meet. Competing for San Diego State University, Thomas placed second in the women's triple jump with 13.82m behind winner, Andrea Gubelle of the University of Kansas with 14.18m.

Simpson, competing for the University of Kansas, was third in the women's long jump with 6.41 metres as her teammate, Gubelle, took the jumping double by winning the event with 6.55m.

STRONG MESSAGE

Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas, the 2010 400 metres World Junior champion, sent out a very strong message to her rivals ahead of this month's Carifta Games to be held in her homeland with an impressive showing. In her first season for the University of Georgia, Miller destroyed the field to win the event in 50.88 as Regina George (51.05) of the University of Arkansas, and Ashley Spencer (51.27) from the University of Illinois, had to settle for second and third.

It was also a good showing for Jamaican males at the championships as four of them finished in the top three with Olympian Errol Nolan leading the way after capturing the 400-metre event. A senior at the University of Houston, Nolan clocked 45.75 to get the better of Mike Berry of the University of Oregon, 45.83, and Hugh Graham of the University of Florida, who was third in 46.01.

There were second-place finishes for Kemoy Campbell and Demar Forbes, while Tarik Batchelor had a third-place finish.

Competing for the University of Arkansas, Campbell clocked 7:46.95 for the runner-up spot in the men's 3000 metres as Arizona State University's Lawi Lalang won in 7:45.94.

Representing LSU, Forbes was third in the men's long jump with 7.93m as Marquis Denby of University of Florida won with 8.28m. Batchelor, now in his final season for the University of Arkansas, was third in the men's triple jump with a mark of 16.44m as Bruce Lamb of Texas Technical won with 16.96m.