Former Jamaican junior representatives Rivaldo Marshall of the University of Iowa and Tyrice Taylor of Indian Hills Community College in Iowa were this week recognised for their outstanding performances over 800m at indoor track meets last weekend.

Marshall, the former Calabar High runner, ran a collegiate indoor best and NCAA Division 1 leading 1:47.83 minutes to win the event at the Jimmy Grant Invitational, his first home meet with Iowa since he transferred from Indian Hills Community College.

The meet is named in honour of the former Kingston College and Jamaican representative James “Jimmy” Grant, who was the head coach at Iowa for a long time.

Marshall’s time beat his previous best 1:48.86 minutes that he set while attending Indian Hills Community College and is the ninth best time ever for a Jamaican man over the indoor 800m.

Marshall, who is the first male athlete from Iowa to be named Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season, won two The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) 800m while at Indian Hills including the 2023 indoor crown and this was his fourth national award in the past two years with the other three coming during his two seasons at Indian Hills.

Taylor, who attended Enid Bennett High and Vere Technical, won the event at the Iowa State Holiday Invitational in 1:48.49 minutes, the fastest time so far in the National Junior College rankings, and while the performance occurred on an oversized track, it moved him to number four on the all-time, all-conditions NJCAA list in that event.

His previous best in the indoor 800m was 1:49.80, which he ran last year and a week earlier at the Washburn Alumni Invite, he ran 1:09.34 seconds in the 600 yards, another NJCAA leading mark and fifth best all time.