Natasha Ruddock ... won two events. - File

TOP JUNIOR sprint hurdler Natasha Ruddock was in fine form at last Saturday's 26th Yale Intercollegiate Track Classic in New Haven, U.S.

Essex County College's Ruddock, a World Youth champion, celebrated her 19th birthday in style by winning the 60m and 60m hurdles events.

Ruddock, who is also a three-time Carifta Games Under-17 100m hurdles gold medallist, took the 60m hurdles in 8.41 seconds and returned minutes later to add the 60m crown in 7.62.

The Junior Pan Championships silver medallist defeated Seton Hall's Janeille Brathwaite (8.79) in the 60m hurdles and Phobay Kutu-Akoi of St. John's (7.70) in the 60m dash.

At the same meet, Ruddock's teammate, Dwight Mullings, won the men's 60m dash in 6.81 seconds, ahead of Anthony Burris of UConn (6.88).

Essex's Sasha-Kay Matthias, who like Ruddock and Mullings is a former St. Jago athlete, was second in the women's long jump with a leap of 5.72m behind Shakia Forbes of Seton Hall (5.86m).

Bailey leaps into second place

Meanwhile, at the Arkansas Invitational, former national junior champion and KC old boy Alain Bailey, who is now at Arkansas, was second in the men's high jump with a leap of 2.14m behind Scott Sellers of Kansas State (2.19m), both NCAA provisional marks.

Latoya Graves, the 2005 Pan Am Junior Championships 100m hurdles gold medallist, was second in the women's 60m hurdles, finishing in a NCAA provisional mark of 8.42 seconds, behind Arkansas' Makeatha Cooper (8.30).

Sheldon Leith, a teammate of Greaves at Oklahoma University, won the men's 60m hurdles in 7.93 seconds ahead of Jordan Pitts of Texas Christian (7.97). Nickesha Wilson, formerly of Herbert Morrison, secured second place for Kansas in the women's 200m with a provisional mark of 23.77, behind Virgill Hodge of Texas Christian (23.63).

At the Joe Hilton Tar Heel Invitational, Leford Green finished second and fourth in the men's 200m (22.05) and 400m (49.41), respectively, while his John C. Smith University teammate Shermaine Williams, the World Youth 100m hurdles silver medallist, made her indoor debut with a seventh-place finish in the women's 60m (7.84).

anthony.foster@gleanerjm.com