ST. LUCIA’S most decorated track and field athlete and multiple “Sportswoman of the Year Levern Spencer made light work of her two other opponents MakebaAlcide and JeannelleScheper to capture the St. Lucia Athletes Association “Athlete of the year,” award while sprinter Corneil Lionel captured his first SLAA award at that level on Saturday evening.
The 30 year old Spencer is no stranger to titles based on her performances in 2014 she is more than likely to capture the senior “Sportswoman for the Year” again award on Friday February 13.
For 2014 she secured a total of nine medals: gold at the Pan Am Athletics Festival after clearing a height of 1.88m; gold at the CASCO Games in Mexico after clearing a height of 1.89m; gold at the Athens Spec Town Relays in Athens, Georgia after clearing a height of 1.96m; gold at the BaieMahautMeeting in Guadeloupe after clearing a height of 1. 91m; silver at the National Championships with a leap of 1.89m in the high jump, silver medal at the OECS Senior Championship with a height of 1.82m, silver the Sinn Hoch Sprung Meet in Germany with a leap of 1. m in the high jump, bronze at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in Scotland after clearing 1.92m and bronze at the Drake relays in Iowa after clearing.
Meanwhile, Spencer’s performance at the Pan Am Sports Festival qualified her for the Pam Am Games by virtue of winning the gold medal.
She was the only athlete to qualify from St. Lucia for the IAAF World Indoor Championship where she came in 7th after clearing 1.94m, the best ever by a St. Lucian in the field of World Events.
Her consistent performance for the year under review resulted in her being the only female from the OECS to be selected on the NACAC’s team to the IAAF Continental Cup where she place 5th with a height of 1.87m.
She is also ranked – No.1 in the OECS, No.1 in the Central American and Caribbean region and No. 14 in the world for 2014.
It was a thrilling year for sprinter Corneil Lionel as he captured 17 gold, 1 silver, and 4 bronze and 1 silver medals, and his performance for the year saw him winning his first SLAA athlete for the year award.
Lionel captured 18 medals for the Iowa Western State Christian College which he attended, At the Ward Haylett Invitational he was a gold medalist in 4 x 400m in 3:45.29 seconds and gold medalist in 200m in 21.86 seconds, At the Holiday Inn Invitational, he was gold medalist in 60 m clocking 6.80 seconds and silver medalist in 200m, clocking 21.49 seconds.
The 200m gold performances qualified he was him for the Indoor National Championships in March. At the Jack Jennett Invite he was the gold medalist in 60m in 6.76 seconds and gold medalist in 200m in 21.68 seconds,
The 60m performance of 6.76 seconds, placed him first in USA for junior colleges and was also recorded as the College’s best performance.
At the 2014 NJCAA Region X1 Indoor Championships Lionel captured gold in the 60m in 6.77 seconds, gold in the 200m in 21.79 seconds and gold in the 4x400m in a time of 3:20:77 seconds.
At the NJCAA Region X1 Indoor Championships he won bronze in 60m in 6.77 seconds. matched the school record and earned him an All American Honours.
His good run of form continued at the Drake Relays, where he won gold in the 4x100m- 40.45 seconds, gold in the 4 x 400m in 3:09:03 seconds and gold in the Sprint Relay in 3:24:67 seconds (New School Record).
In Region X1 Championships: he won gold in 100m in 10.81 seconds, and gold in 200m in 21.36 seconds. At the Concordia Twilight he picked up gold in 100m-10.72 seconds, and gold in 200m in 21.46 seconds
In NJCAA Division 1 National Track and Field Championships he won a bronze medal in 4 x 100m- in 40.08 seconds.
His outstanding performance was not only limited to his school because at the National Individual Championship he captured gold in the 200m with a time of 21.05 seconds. This performance qualified him to represent St. Lucia at the OECS Championship in St.Kitts.
Lionel captured a bronze medal in the 100m in a time of 10.05 seconds , bronze in the 200m in a time of 21.15 seconds and went on to a set a new national record in the 4 x 400 m relay in a time of 4:10:45 at the OECS track and field championships. Then at the Commonwealth Games he competed in both the 100m and 200m placing fourth in both, but failed to make it past the preliminary rounds.