By Clayton Clarke, Trackalerts.Com Writer
Alena Brooks recorded the fastest time in the indoor women's 600m on the US Collegiate circuit when she sped to victory in the at the North West Open in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Saturday.
Brooks clocked 1:29.65 to break the meet record. The University of Minnesota student also anchored the Minnesota's women's 4x400m team to victory in 3:53.66.
The Diego Martin Government Secondary graduate was later named the Big Ten Conference women's track and field Track Athlete of the Week. The award is the second in Brooks’ career as she was also named athlete of the week in February 2013. The 22-year-old is a member of the Memphis Athletic Club and was member of T&T's women's 4x400m team which won the 2013 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Senior Championships title in Morelia, Mexico in a Trinidad and Tobago’s record and World Championships qualifying time of 3:30.64.
Brooks went on to be part of the country's World Championships team in Moscow, Russia as a member of the women's mile relay pool. The 2010 World Junior 800m semifinalist also captured silver medals (girls under 20 800m and 4x400m) at 2010 Carifta Games in the Cayman Islands. The final year Kinesiology student has personal best of 53.55 (400m) and 2:05.25 (800m).
Meanwhile, Kashef Daniel missed out on breaking the men's national high jump record of 2.15m (held by Kevin Huggins) when he leapt to 2.14m in winning the event at the Kentucky Track and Field Invitational on the weekend.
The Arkansas State student cleared the height on his first attempt to set a new personal record. The former Scarborough Secondary student took the top spot from Kyle Landon (Southern Illinois) who also cleared 2.14m, but Daniel got the victory as he cleared 2.11m on his second attempt with Landon doing so on his third.
The Zenith Athletic club member was also victorious at the ASU Kick Off Classic earlier in the season with a distance of 2.03m.
Samantha Shukla (Wichita State) missed out on a victory in the women's one mile event at the Herm Wilson Invitational. The former St. Joseph Convent, Port of Spain student clocked 5:03.18 but was beaten to the line by Hannah Helker (Oklahoma Baptist) who clocked 4:59.71. Shukla is a member of the Success and Excellence Athletic club and recently graduated with a bachelor's degree in Psychology.
