The University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) Buccaneer men’s and women's track and field teams head into the 2024 season with a clean slate as they will make their initial appearance in the NAIA’s Gulf Coast Athletic Conference. Both teams will return to competition after being inactive for the last three years.
Head coach Dale Joseph returns at the helm of the teams as he attempts to revive the program he led years ago. His previous stint with the Buccaneers was from 2007-2020.
“We have a team of young athletes, most of whom are in their first year of competition at this level,” said Joseph. However, it is a good group to begin to rebuild the track and field programs here at the University.”
Men’s Team
The men's roster is made up of four runners. Senior Nijai Nisbett, sophomore V’Andre
Rochester, and freshmen Cecil Hector and Rayhan Sabur. Sprinters Hector and Sabur
will be running the 100m and 200m events this season for the Buccaneers, while Rochester
will only run the 200m. Nesbitt, who also competed on the UVI cross country team will
run in middle-distance events as he competes in the 1500m.
Women’s Team
The Women’s roster consists of just two athletes, sophomore runners Ariana Renault
and Aisha Sabur. Sabur will enter the short-distance races for the Lady Buccaneers,
as she runs the 100m and 200m events. Renault, a three-sport athlete for the Buccaneers
(cross country, basketball, track and field) will run the 1500m, a middle-distance
event.
The Buccaneers will compete in two track meets this season at highly recognized universities before heading to their conference championships in April. First up on the schedule is the University of Central Florida’s “Knight Invite” which is set for March 22-23 in Orlando, Florida. Two weeks later, on April 5 and 6, the teams will return to Florida to compete again, this time at the University of South Florida’s “South Florida Invitational” in Tampa, Florida. The team will close out their season at the GCAC 2024 Track and Field Championships on April 19 and 20 in Shreveport, Louisiana.
About UVI Athletics
The University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and, as of July 1, 2023, competes in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC). Entering the 2023-24 season, the Buccaneers will begin their 17th season of athletic competition. As the only Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the Caribbean, UVI currently sponsors six sports, including men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s basketball, and men’s and women’s outdoor track and field. For more information on UVI Athletics, visit UVIAthletics.com.