The third day of the 2025 CARIFTA Games in Trinidad and Tobago proved golden for the U.S. Virgin Islands, as veteran track star Michelle Smith ended her CARIFTA career with a dominant win, while 13-year-old swimmer Reagan Uszenski continued to rewrite the record books.
Smith, competing in her final CARIFTA Games, powered through the under-20 girls’ 800-meter final to take gold in 2:07.23 — her second title of the meet and eighth career CARIFTA gold overall. With three previous wins in the 400-meter hurdles and a defending title in the 800, the Crucian native capped her Games legacy in style, leaving the track as one of the most decorated athletes in USVI history.
For St. Thomas’ Reagan Uszenski, the moment was more about momentum. In her third CARIFTA appearance, the 13-year-old has already emerged as a force in the pool, claiming four gold medals and one silver heading into Monday’s final day of competition — and she’s not done yet.
Uszenski’s gold in the 1500-meter freestyle was especially electric. Swimming in the 13-14 girls division, she not only topped the field but broke the CARIFTA Games record with a time of 18:03.37. That performance also set new USVI Open and 13-14 age group records, as did her wins in the 800-meter, 200-meter, and 100-meter freestyle events. Her 59.35 finish in the 100-meter was her fourth gold of the meet. She also earned silver in the 50-meter butterfly with a time of 29.11.
It’s not just medals Uszenski is collecting — it’s territory-wide records. She’s now the USVI 13-14 record holder in the 100, 200, 800, and 1500 freestyle, as well as the 50 backstroke, 50 fly, and 100 fly. Her times in the 800 and 1500 are the fastest ever recorded by a female Virgin Islander, regardless of age.
And with the 400-meter and 50-meter freestyle still ahead of her on Tuesday, she could add even more hardware before heading home.
On the track, USVI’s Sofia Swindell also competed in two tough under-20 events, placing fifth in the 100-meter hurdles and seventh in the 200-meter dash.
Meanwhile, the British Virgin Islands celebrated several strong finishes of their own. Tiondre Frett sprinted to a silver medal in the under-17 boys 200-meter dash with a time of 21.52 seconds. Jah’Kayla Morton added bronze in the under-20 high jump, clearing 1.70 meters. Kijana Callwood took sixth in the under-20 discus throw with a toss of 40.37 meters, while Mkenzil Crabbe placed sixth in the under-17 girls’ 200-meter dash in 24.20 seconds. A’sia McMaster finished fifth overall in the girls’ under-17 heptathlon with 423 points after two days of events.
