Hayward Field hummed with late-season drama on Friday as a cadre of Jamaican student-athletes wrote fresh lines in their collegiate résumés during the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Middle-distance ace Rivaldo Marshall (Arkansas) saved his fiercest drive for the bell lap, weaving through traffic before lunging home for third in a tactical 800 metres, stopping the clock at 1:46.71. The performance caps a university career that began with an indoor title for Iowa and ends with yet another medal—this time draped in Razorback red.
Arkansas teammate Tyrice Taylor added insurance points, grinding to eighth in 1:47.44 after a ragged opening circuit that left the field tightly bunched.
In the horizontal pits, Luke Brown (Kentucky) launched a season-best 16.18 metres for fourth place in the triple jump, while home-stadium favourite Safin Wills (Oregon) shook off a trio of long-jump fouls from earlier in the week, rebounding to seventh with 16.07 metres.
Sprint hurdles brought another Jamaican double act: Demario Prince (Baylor) skimmed the barriers to a personal-best 13.44 for fifth, and Jaheim Stern (LSU) clocked 13.57 to secure seventh.
From two-lap tactics to sand-pit theatrics, Jamaica’s NCAA representatives demonstrated range, resilience, and a hint of what Paris-season watchlists may soon confirm: their passports are ready, and bigger stages beckon.
