TORTOLA - Former St. Croix Educational Complex distance ace Ninfa Barnard helped the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions upset defending champions Alabama State to win the South West Athletic Conference cross country title in Highland Park, La.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff had 25 points to Alabama State's 39, with Grambling State finishing third after scoring 81. Freshman Barnard had a seventh-place finish in 20 minutes, 15.74 seconds to earn second team All Conference honors, as the Golden Lions had five top-10 finishers.

"I'm happy with my performance and I'm glad my team won," Barnard said. "But, I feel that my times could have been better if I was healthier."

A non-running related injury in which she bruised her tibia has affected Barnard's performances, limiting her to two 5K and two 6K races. Both of her 5K races have been run under 20 minutes.

"Running in college is a lot different than running in the Virgin Islands. For one, there's a lot of competition," she said. "There's a lot more I have to work on - like staying with people during a race - and just becoming a better competitor."

Barnard - who was the SWAC athlete of the week in September after finishing 24th of 187 participants in a personal best 19 minutes, 30.64 seconds - will compete in the NCAA Cross Country Regional on Nov. 14 and hopes to help her team earn a spot to the Nov. 23 NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Ind. She said she's looking for an improved performance in the 6K race and breaking 25 minutes, after running 25:17.89 in the Arkansas Women's Chile Pepper Invitational.

"I think I'm going to have a good indoor and outdoor track and field season," Barnard said, based on her cross country training. "I think I'll have a lot more endurance and be a lot stronger. I'll be focusing on the 800 and mile indoors and the 800 and 1,500 outdoors."

BVI hoopster signs to play with SMU

Of seven offers on the table, Leslee Smith - a BVI hoopster who left the territory two years ago to pursue his dream of playing collegiate basketball by honing his skills at Humble Christian Life Center in Texas - has chosen to play for Southern Methodist University.

Smith, a 6-foot-7, 245-pounder, was considered by some recruiting sources as one of the top 100 players in the country. Last season, he made the All-Greater Houston team.

Among Smith's suitors was USC, which headlined the list that also included SMU, Western Kentucky, Colorado State and others. Just over two weeks ago Smith narrowed his choices down SMU and Western Kentucky before taking his first official visit to both schools.

Young sailors to compete in third Open Challenge

Several young BVI sailors are set to compete in the Third Open Challenge - a circumnavigation of Tortola - on Saturday. Part of the proceeds raised from the event, will go toward the Tortola Humane Society and the 2010 sailing calendar.

In the past, Open Bics were used but this year organizers are allowing competitors to use Lasers. Sailors will depart Road Town at around 7 a.m. and sail counter-clockwise around Tortola. The trickiest part will be getting under the Beef Island Bridge. From there, it will be a straight run down the north shore before heading back up the sound side of Tortola to finish in town. The circumnavigation of the island is approximately 25 miles and organizers expect sailors to take about 10 hours to complete the course.

So far, the event has attracted Sam and Josh Morrell, Molly Donovan and Robert Poole.

- Dean Greenaway is a Daily News correspondent based on Tortola.