MIRAMAR, Fla. - Rising seniors Antillio Bastian and Pedro Carela of the University of South Florida track and field team competed at the North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC Under-23) Track and Field Championships Sunday.

Taking part in the 5,000 meters for the Dominican Republic, Carela took sixth overall after running a time of 15:38.72 at the Ansin Sports Complex.

Competing for his home country of the Bahamas, Bastian placed fourth overall with a leap of 48-11.5 in the triple jump on his sixth and final attempt.

Carela earned a spot at the Championships after placing first at the 25th annual Dominican Republic Track and Field National Championships in early May.

Throughout the 2009-10 track season Carela competed unattached, which followed his junior season in cross country last fall. He finished first or second among USF runners at four meets.

Bastian also took fourth last month at the BTC National Open Track and Field Championships in the Bahamas after jumping 50-9.5, six inches off his all-time personal best.

A 29th-place showing at the NCAA East Prelim in late May wrapped up Bastian's junior season at USF. The school record holder in the triple jump, Bastian is a former NAIA All-American who graduated from St. John's College in the Bahamas.

Bastian was one of 18 men to compete at the Championships for the Bahamas. Under the auspices of the I.A.A.F. (International Amateur Athletics Federation) and the USATF (USA Track & Field), nearly 500 athletes from 32 countries competed at the Championships.

Participating countries include Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, St Kitts/ Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent, The Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turk and Caicos Islands, United States Virgin Islands, and the US.