Ja duo mine gold

Dowdie ... mines gold in 200 metres

DURHAM, CANA: JAMAICANS Peta-Gaye Dowdie and Keisha Spencer and Avard Moncur of the Bahamas captured gold medals for the Caribbean as the US National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division One track and field championship ended at the Duke University on Saturday night.

Dowdie won the women's 200 metres in a quick 22.51 seconds, the second fastest time in the world this year, Spencer landed the women's triple jump, and Moncur posted a 44.72 clocking to win the men's 400 metres.

Dowdie also claimed the 100-metre silver medal to help Lousiana State University (LSU) regain the women's title.

The Caribbean also secured final day silver medals through Jamaicans Claston Bernard (decathlon), and Korine Hinds in the women's 3,000 metres.

Dowdie, a Pan-Am Games sprint relay gold medallist for Jamaica in Winnipeg last year, sped to her best time of the year in winning the 200 metres over Kinshasa Davis (22.79) and Shaunta Pelham (23.09). Only Australian Melinda Gainsford-Taylor (22.43) has gone faster than Dowdie's 22.51 so far this year.

Dowdie was unable to stop defending champion Angela Williams of the United States in the 100 metres, and took second in 11.23 seconds.

Williams, representing Southern California, won in a 2000 collegiate-best 11.12 seconds. Tonya Carter was third in 11.30.

In the men's 400 metres, Moncur, the 1997 CARIFTA champion in Barbados, charged into the lead coming off the final turn and went on to a four-metre victory, matching the third fastest time in the world this year and setting an Auburn school record.

Moncur finished ahead of Florida's Geno White (45.02), while race favourite Michael Blackwood of Jamaica, the world leader at 44.69 seconds, never seriously threatened and finished fifth in 45.11.

LSU, who had an 11-year winning streak as team champions snapped in 1997, claimed another win Saturday when Spencer completed the NCAA Indoor/Outdoor triple jump double with an easy win.

Spencer, who won the indoor title in Arkansas in March, had her winning jump measured at 13.97 metres, well clear of Brandi Prieto (13.48).

Hinds, competing for Kansas State, posted nine minutes 10.10 seconds for second spot in the women's 3,000 metres, which American Kara Wheeler won easily in 9:02.15.

Bernard (LSU) amassed 7,806 points for second spot in the decathlon, which went to Bevan Hart at 8,002.

American Pan Am Games champion Bernard Williams won the men's 100 metres in 10.03 seconds, over Coby Miller (10.14), with Jamaican Lindel Frater fourth in 10.20.

Americans dominated several other finals on Saturday - Shawn Crawford took the men's 200 in 20.09 seconds, Mikele Barber won the women's 400 metres in 51.14 seconds, and Joyce Bates won the women's 100-metre hurdles in 12.85 after Jamaica's NCAA Indoor champion Vonette Dixon failed to make the final with a fifth place finish (13.10) in Thursday's semi-final.

LSU won the women's crown with 59 points, three ahead of Southern California, and Stanford (72) won the men's title by 13 points, ending Arkansas' eight-year reign a champions.

The Caribbean claimed a total of nine medals at the championship, following a silver for Jamaican Tanya Jarrett (400-hurdles) and bronze for Petagay Gayle (400-hurdles) and Trinidadian Rhonda Hackett (shot put) on Thursday.

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