Raymond Graham, Freelance Reporter

DESPITE a delay due to heavy rain and lightning, several Jamaicans ad-vanced to the next round of their events on the opening day of the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, United States, yesterday.

All three males advanced to today's long jump final while competing with a heavy tailwind. Former Wolmer's Boys' past student and Texas A&M 'fresh-man', Julian Reid, was the best of the Jamaicans as his 7.97 metres in a positive 4.9 metres per second (mps) wind placed him second overall.

Former Calabar jumper Nicholas Gordon, competing for Nebraska University with a positive 4.9 metres, registered a leap of 7.75m for ninth overall, while former Kingston College graduate, Alain Bailey out of Arkansas - aided by a plus 6.1 mps push - had a mark of 7.67m for 11th.

Heavy headwind

Yesterday also saw the opening round of the women's 100m in which the athletes had to negotiate a heavy headwind. Competing for Texas A& M, Simone Facey won heat three in 11.68 seconds ahead of another Jamaican, Nickeisha Anderson of Kansas University in 11.76 seconds, as they advanced to the semis, which took place last night. The athletes were competing in a negative wind of 3.8 mps.

Samantha Henry of Louisiana States University (LSU) also advanced to last night's semi-finals as running against a negative 3.2 mps wind, she finished fourth in heat four in 11.80 seconds.

There was no luck for Jamaicans in the women's 800m as former Edwin Allen athlete Kayann Thompson, out of LSU, finished seventh in her heat and failed to advance. The other Jamaican, Merrissa James, competing for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, also failed to finish in her heat.

Other Jamaicans slated to compete last night were LSU Nickeisha Wilson in the women's 400 metre hurdles, Tanisha Wisdom of UMES in the women's 400m and Louisiana Technical's Phelecia Reynolds in the women's Discus.