March 10, 2004–The Virgin Islands Track and Field Federation recently announced that Adrian Durant qualified for the NCAA Division I National Championships in Track and Field to be held next weekend. Durant, a sophomore at the University of South Carolina, is consistently progressing towards qualifying for the Athens Olympics. He ran a 6.23 in the 55 meters on Saturday at the University of Florida Last Chance Meet — the equivalent of 6.70, the qualifying time for the championships. Durant, a former student at St. Mary’s School in St. Croix, will represent USC in the 60 meters and perhaps the 4 x 4 relays.
All-America sprinter Lavern Jones, a senior at the University of Oklahoma and a graduate of the St. Croix Educational Complex High School, qualified for the championships previously in the 60 meters and the 200 meters. She ran a 7.24 and 23.46, respectively, in those events at the Big 12 Conference Championship meet last month.
Evilese Gomez, a graduate of the St.Croix Educational Complex and a freshman at Cowley Community College in Kansas, had the fastest 60 meters in the country in junior colleges, 7.44, earlier in the season. Gomez may miss the NJCAA Championships due to injury.
Valma Bass, a graduate of Louisana State University and Charlotte Amalie High School, represented the Virgin Islands this past weekend in the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Bass ran 7.53 in the 60 meters in her first time in that championship and personal best in the event.
Rodney Pitts ran 6.99 for the 60 meters at the Razorback-Tyson Indoor Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas last week, his best time for the year.
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