Last weekend marked a groundbreaking milestone for Jamaican men’s javelin throw, as two student-athletes from U.S. collegiate programs etched their names into the record books. Brandon Falconer of Mount St Mary’s University and Jemar Ferguson of the University of Louisiana became the first Jamaican men ever to secure spots at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, capping off impressive performances at the East Regional qualifying meet hosted by the University of Kentucky.
Falconer, an alumnus of Jamaica’s renowned St Elizabeth Technical High School, delivered a clutch throw of 67.28 meters to claim ninth place at the regional event, enough to punch his ticket to the national championships. A seasoned competitor who has already claimed two Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) javelin titles, Falconer holds a personal best throw of 69.02 meters — the second-longest mark in Mount St Mary’s program history. He is also the first athlete from the university, known for its team nickname the Mountaineers, to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships since javelin thrower Brian Sagendorf in 2021. That same year, Sagendorf set the current school record of 71.26 meters that still stands today.
For Ferguson, a product of another top Jamaican track program, Jamaica College, his qualification run came with an extra personal win. He not only finished 10th overall at the East Regional to secure his championship spot, but also notched a new personal best of 66.29 meters, shaving 0.14 meters off his previous top mark set at the Florida Relays earlier this 2024 season. This new personal best also ranks as the third-longest javelin throw in University of Louisiana program history, cementing Ferguson’s place among the top throwers in the school’s track and field legacy. The regional result continues a steady upward trajectory for Ferguson: just earlier this month, he took home second place at the Sunbelt Championships, a notable improvement from his ninth-place finish at the same event a year prior.
The historic qualification of both athletes not only highlights the growing depth of javelin throw talent emerging from Jamaican track and field programs, but also showcases the success of Jamaican student-athletes competing at the highest level of U.S. collegiate sports.