SPORTS SECTION E
Monday, March 16, 2026
HERSCHEL WALKER - E3
Wanya McCoy returns What a difference a year has made for senior sprinter By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
SENIOR sprinter Wanya McCoy gets ready for a race.
A YEAR ago, Wanya McCoy had to watch the National Collegiate Athletic Association Indoor Track and Field Championships from the sidelines as he sat out on crutches with torn quads in two pieces. Over the weekend, he walked away from the competition in Fayetteville, Arkansas, with a personal best performance - second place - in the men's 200 metres. What a difference a year has made for the senior sprinter competing for the University of Florida Gators, who had transferred from Clemson University in 2024. McCoy, one of three Bahamians contesting an individual event at the three-day meet, posted a lifetime best of 20.17
seconds in winning the first of two segments of the final of the one-lap race on the 200m track on Saturday. However, University of South Carolina's Garrett Kaalund came behind after watching his performance and ran a faster personal best time of 19.95 to erase Wallace Spearmon's facility record of 20.10 set in 2005 and both of Elijah Hall's meet and collegiate records of 20.02 from 2018. Although he won his heat in the preliminaries as well in 20.40 on Friday, McCoy admitted that he could have ran a little faster to secure a spot in the faster section of the final and challenge Kaalund for the top spot. "But I know, no matter what, I had to try and establish a good time to beat to at least make the other section run faster to beat me," McCoy said. "I'm satisfied with the run because last year this
time I was on crutches and couldn't walk so it's a testament of how great God is and His plans for me." Yet, despite where he came from since last year, McCoy said he never doubted that he would not come back better than before. "Today was probably the first time in a while I haven't had any nerves since I started running again," he said. I trusted what I've been doing in practice and honestly I could run sub 20 indoors but I don’t know if I'll ever run another indoor race, lol. "But today I woke up telling myself that I haven't run a personal best all year nor have I placed where I want to or capable of placing at the NCAA meets. I just needed to prove to myself that I have what it takes and that I am one of the best in the college field, if not the best."
The Berry Islands native, who switched from playing basketball to running track for Dame Doris Johnson and Queen's College, pointed out that to be able to walk away with second place shows that the Lord isn't done with him just yet. "A lot more is to come outdoors," said McCoy, who will celebrate his 23rd birthday on March 29. "I will make sure of it. I hate losing." Also at the meet over the weekend, Tennessee's senior Javonya Valcourt needed to run faster than her lifetime best of 51.73 to get into the final of the women's 400m. The 21-year-old 2024 Olympian and 2025 World Championship competitor did 52.35 for third place in her heat of the two-lap race on Friday for 15th overall.
SPRINTER - SEE Page E4
‘VJ’ grabs career-high 12 rebounds for his third double-double this season PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Quentin Grimes scored 14 of his season-high 31 points in the fourth quarter as the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers beat the Portland Trail Blazers 109103 Sunday night. Rising Stars MVP Valdez “VJ” Edgecombe scored 18 points with three assists and two blocks to help in the win. The rookie grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds for his third double-double this season. Justin Edwards contributed 21 points.
Scores 18 points with three assists and two blocks to help short-handed 76ers to 109-103 win over Trail Blazers
The Sixers were playing without Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre Jr. due to injuries. Deni Avdija led Portland with 25 points, and Jerami Grant added 20. But the Trail Blazers shot just 17 for 53 from 3-point range (32.7%). Donovan Clingan added 11 points and 15 rebounds.
Portland led by one point at halftime, 54-53, before the Sixers stretched the lead to as many as 10 points in the third quarter, helped by nine points from Edwards in the period. The Sixers took their largest lead of the game at 101-87 with 5:34 left, but Portland answered with a 10-0 run.
An Edgecombe jumper with 1:53 to play and a steal and slam by Edwards with 1:20 left helped Philadelphia seal the win. Up next 76ers: Open a three-game trip in Denver on Tuesday. Trail Blazers: Continue a five-game trip in Brooklyn tonight.
DRIVING IN THE PAINT: 76ers’ Valdez “VJ” Edgecombe Jr in action during on Saturday in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Rhema Collins and FIU Panthers fall short By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net RHEMA Collins gave it her best but it wasn't enough as the Florida International University Panthers women's basketball team fell short in the semifinals of the 2026 Conference USA Basketball Championships. Collins, the 21-year-old newly minted CUSA Player of the Year and the number two seed Panthers suffered a 74-69 loss to the sixthseeded Missouri State Bears at the Propst Arena at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Collins, the 6-foot, twoinch transfer guard from the University of Mississippi Rebels this season, played 38 minutes as she led the Panthers with 26 points, 20 of them coming in the second half. The daughter of Angela and Steve Collins who graduated from Webb School added seven rebounds and four steals. Senior Parris Atkins ignited FIU with 20 of her 24 points in the second half to go along with seven rebounds, five assists and as many steals. The Panthers, who dropped to
20-11 and 12-6, saw their offence come alive in the second quarter as they outCOLLINS scored the Bears 20-18, but headed into the half down 36-28. Missouri State kept their foot on the gas in the third, scoring 18 points to FIU's 16, heading into the fourth quarter at 54-44. Collins put up 11 of FIU's 16 third-quarter points. But down 15 with 6:42 to go in the fourth quarter, FIU clawed its way back, going on a 19-6 run to cut the Missouri State lead to just one with 36 seconds left. After a foul and subsequent free throws to give the Bears a three-point lead, Atkins had a chance to tie the game with just 15 seconds left, but was unable to convert the triple, sending the Panthers home in the semifinals of the tournament. Missouri State, by the way, went on to win the title as they stunned the No.1 seed LA Tech 43-38 in the championship game that was played on Saturday.