The Virgin Islands Track and Field Federation reports on the recent accomplishments of Virgin Islands athletes.
Michelle Smith Congratulations to St. Croix Track Club athlete Michelle Smith, a high school sophomore at Montverde Academy, who competed in the district and regional championships in Florida on April 25 and May 5. In the District Championship, Smith won four gold medals in the 100m hurdles, 300m hurdles, 800m and 4*400m. With that performance, she qualified for the Regional Championship in all three of her individual events. Smith’s performance helped the team place first in the team standing.
At the Regional Championship on May 5, she won the 100m hurdles in a new VI National Junior Record of 14.19, bettering her old record of 14.31, which she ran at the Carifta Games in Jamaica. Smith ran the 300m hurdles in 41.90, winning the event with a time that was just 4 hundredths (.04) of a second of her VI National Junior Record of 41.86. Ten minutes after her performance in the 300m hurdles, Smith came back to run the 800m and placing first with a time of 2:18.81. Smith’s School Montverde Academy won the team standing in the Regional Championship for both the females and the males.
Michelle Smith qualified for the Florida High School State Championships in all three events, ranking second in the 100m hurdles, first in the 300m hurdles and ninth in the 800m.
The Florida High School State Championship will be held on May 12.
In April, Michelle Smith represented the Virgin Islands in the 49th Carifta Games in Kingston, Jamaica, where she won two gold medals: 400m hurdles and 800m as well as one silver medal: 100m hurdles. Posting a world leader time in the 400m hurdles for the U18 age group, shattering the Carifta record for the same event, and setting VI National Junior records in each of her three events.
Smith, with her Carifta performance, was the fourth Virgin Islands Track and Field athlete to win a gold medal at the Carifta Games, first to win 2 gold medals at the same games, and the first Virgin Islander to ever break a Carifta record.
Semi-Final 800m
CARIFTA49: 800m U-17 Girls Semi-Final 1 | Day 2 | SportsMax TV
Gold Medal – 400m Hurdles
CARIFTA49: 400m Hurdles U-17 Girls Final | Day 2 | SportsMax TV
Silver Medal – 100m Hurdles
CARIFTA49: 100m Hurdles U-17 Girls Final | Day 3 | SportsMax TV
Gold Medal – 800m
CARIFTA49: 800m U-17 Girls Final | Day 3 | SportsMax TV
Rachel Conhoff
Jolly Rogers Track Club and Ursinus College Junior Rachel Conhoff competed in the Centennial Conference Championships held from May 6 – 8. Conhoff finished second in her conference in the 3000m steeplechase, on May 7, breaking her own VI National Record by posting a time of 11:21.78. She also anchored her team’s 4 * 800m relay finishing in third place with a time of 9:45.00. On May 8, Rachel Conhoff placed first in the 1500m with a new VI National record of 4:35.43, breaking Ninfa Barnard’s old record of 4:37.41, which was set in 2014.
Rachel Conhoff will compete next at the Last Chance Meet at Widener University in Pennsylvania.
Mikaela Smith
St. Croix Track Club athlete Mikaela Smith, a senior at Austin Peay State University, Tennessee, competed at the Outdoor Music City Challenge in Nashville, Tenn. She competed in the 800m where she placed fifth overall, with a time of 2:08.59, missing the VI National Record, which has been held by Ninfa Barnard since 2008, by 16 hundredths (.16) of a second. The Female VI National record for the 800m is currently 2:08.43. Smith’s time is the 2nd fastest 800m time in V.I. history.
Smith’s next competition will be the Ohio Valley Conference Championship on May 11 – 13 in Murray, Ky.
Mikaela Smith, Bachelor of Science Computer Science Mikaela Smith a Student Athlete at Austin Peay State University in Tennessee, graduated on May 6th Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science IT, with concentrations in website development and data administration, and a minor in graphic design.
Sofia Swindell, a freshman at the Lawrenceville School, competed in the Lawrenceville School JV Invite on May 4. Swindell finished first in the 100m in a time of 12.85 seconds. Swindell also ran a personal record in the 100m Hurdles in a time of 15.39
Nicola Peters, a sophomore at Sparkman High School, competed in the regional and state championships in Alabama on April 29-30 and May 5-7. On April 29, Peters ran the 100m in a personal record of 12.58 finishing fourth overall and advancing to the final. She also advanced to the final in the 200m by running a 25.44 and placing third, On April 30, Peters ran a personal record of 12.57 in the 100m placing fourth and 25.29 in the 200m final placing fifth. With her performance, she qualified for the Alabama High School State Championships in both the 100m and 200m.
At the Alabama High School State Championship on May 5, Nicola Peters ran a personal record of 12.44 in the 100m placing sixth in her heat and 18th overall. On May 6, Peters ran the 200m 25.61 placing fifth in her heat and 11th overall in the State of Alabama.
Hannah Compton, a freshman at Cypress Bay H.S., competed in the Sam Burley Hall of Fame Invitational on May 4-5. Compton ran the 100m in 13.68, finishing fourth in her heat.
