Another throwing record for Barnes

By Cayman Sports Buzz
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Updated: 19 March 2018

Image by: Jeff Huehn Photography

University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) freshman Lacee Barnes set a new Cayman Islands national record in the women’s discus during her first outdoor collegiate meet on 17 March, exceeding her own expectations on the day.

The 18-year-old had a best throw of 48.31 metres at the 2018 UTSA Invitational, bettering her former national mark of 47.63 metres that she set at the Flow CARIFTA Games in Curacao last year.

“It’s a relief to be outdoor compared to indoor because I’m used to throwing outside,” Barnes told CaymanSportsBuzz.com hours after the meet.

After a tough time in the shot put a day earlier in which she fouled four times after an opening throw of 13.36 metres, the former St Ignatius Catholic School student turned things around.

“I came out with a great attitude,” Barnes said. “My goal was to throw 45 metres, and on my first throw, that’s what I accomplished. On my second throw, I did a personal best of 48.31 metres. From then on, I didn’t break the PR again but it was pretty consistent with nothing below 46 metres for the rest of the meet.” Her subsequent legal throws were 47.44m, 45.66m and 46.30m.

She was seventh best on the day, and with a lifetime best and a national record for her efforts, Barnes explained why that mark may not stand for very long.

“I definitely credit the development to my coach, Chris Adams. My discus has come a long way. Recently, we drastically tweaked my technique, so that’s why the expectations for today were not so high. We haven’t been working on power or being aggressive yet, it’s just the fine-tuning and definitely it paid off today.”

It’s been a solid start for Barnes at UTSA. During her NCAA indoor debut in January, Barnes also set a new national mark in the shot put with a throw of 14.20 metres.

Her goals for the rest of the season include making it onto the podium for the Conference USA Championships, as well as qualifying for the NCAA West Regionals. Mixed in with her collegiate schedule, Barnes is looking to add to her CARIFTA medal collection when she joins her Cayman Islands teammates in the Bahamas over the Easter Weekend.

Barnes and her UTSA teammates are back in competition on 23-24 March, when they host the Roadrunner Invitational.