By Dean “The Sportsman” Greenaway
Jaleel Croal wins an AAC sprint double
South Florida sprinter Jaleel Croal, capped off an American Athletics Conference Outdoor Championships sprint double on Saturday in Charlotte, North Carolina, with several 200m record breaking performances, including the 23-year-old BVI National Record. He became the fifth BVI athlete to win an outdoor Conference Championships double, since 2011.
Croal stormed to victory in the AAC Championships 200m, 45 minutes after winning the 100m in 10.26 seconds (+1.5) with several record breaking performances and leading a South Florida Bulls sweep, en route to winning the Conference title. Croal ran a personal best, meet record, facility record and BVI National Record, when he eclipsed Dion Crabbe’s 23-year old mark of 20.30 seconds, with 20.28, (+1.4) chopping his best from last year’s 20.38. He ran 20.77 to win his heat and 10.21 in his 100m semi. He also helped the 4x100m Relay to a 38.73 seconds victory.
“It means a lot honestly, but that wasn’t the goal,” Croal told Island Sun Sports as the team goal was to win the conference title. “We were under a lot of pressure. We entered the final day trailing Wichita State by 60 points. We had a meeting and spoked to each other about locking in. I didn’t have any plans in my head about winning this or that. I just went out there to score.”
Croal said he was trying to run fast in the 100m but stumbled out of the blocks. “I didn’t like the performance but a win is a win,” he said as he had to face the starter in the 200m 45 minutes later and said it seemed shorter. “I told my coach that my legs felt dead but he said it’s the last race, just go out there and run. I told him there was only one thing on my mind, Dion (Crabbe) his old teammate and we always talked about breaking his record. He told me that’s a good thought so just go for it.”
However, Croal had doubts about his 200m, after opening with 20.60 then running 20.89 into a headwind. He had been doing more 4x100m Relays than individual races and ran 20.77 in his heat on Thursday. “I was kinda worried thinking that the 200 wasn’t going well for me this season, but the 100 is,” he said. “I felt heavy and tired after the race. I didn’t like 20.77 and I was worried. After I saw that I ran 20.28, I said it came when it needed to come.
It felt surreal. It didn’t feel like I ran that fast, but seeing 20.28, I was like, finally, finally I got what I wanted. That was my main goal this year (breaking 20.30) and it felt amazing to come away with the national record. To sum it up, I’m impressed.”
Other Conferences
In the Atlantic Coast Conference, Florida State University’s Kaelyaah Liburd matched the 400m personal best of 51.73 seconds she ran in the semifinals, to finish third, while lowering her previous best of 51.95, to pull within a second of the nine year old 51.63 National Record.
Texas A&M’s Khybah Dawson had a leap of 7.60m (24’11¼”) with a 0.9 meters per second wind, to miss advancing to the South East Conference Championships Long Jump final.
Josh Hill ran 47.16 seconds to place eight in the Conference USA 400m, running for UTEP.
Jr. College Nationals
Running from Lane 1, Barton Sophomore Wanyaé Belle, ended his Jr. College career with a 4th place finish in the 200m, at the Jr. Colleges National Championships. The Minnesota bound sprinter ran 20.88 seconds (-1.6), after anchoring the 4x100m Relay to a 5th placed finish in 39.90 seconds. He ran 20.94 seconds to win his heat and advance. He rode a +4.0 meters per second wind to 10.30 seconds in the 100m semis, but missed the final by a spot.
Highland College’s DiaMonae Thomas chopped her 100m Hurdles personal best from 14.55 seconds to 14.26 (+1.7), the 10th best mark of the Jr. College Championships and moved to No 2 on the BVI All Time List.
It wasn’t a good meet for Cloud County’s Discus Thrower, Andre Smikle. The strongman fouled all three throws. “The ring was super slick so it made me close off in the front,” he said. “I couldn’t finish my throws as I needed.”
