The opening weekend of the NCAA Indoor track and field season witnessed exceptional performances from Jamaican athletes competing for various universities across the United States. Multiple meets from Birmingham to Boston served as the competitive debut for the indoor campaign, with several former Jamaican high school stars making their mark in collegiate athletics.
At the Birmingham Indoor Icebreaker, Royan Walters, a William Carey University jumper and Petersfield High alumnus, captured the men’s long jump title with an impressive leap of 7.31 meters. Meanwhile, unattached competitor Chloe Palmer, formerly of St. Elizabeth Technical, dominated the women’s triple jump with a 12.24-meter effort while also securing third place in the long jump (5.85m).
The Clemson Opener in South Carolina saw strong showings from Clemson University’s Danielle Noble, who finished runner-up in the women’s high jump (1.71m), and teammate Shantae Foreman, who took second in the long jump (6.05m). The meet also featured Shanque Williams’ third-place finish in the 300m (37.67 seconds) and Brianna Campbell’s dual achievement of third in the 60m hurdles (8.31 seconds) and ninth in the 300m.
Elsewhere, the Boston University Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener featured Zachary Cox, a Cornwall College graduate, earning third in the men’s 300m with a time of 34.23 seconds. At the Penn Opener, KeSean-Jordan Rhooms of Morgan State University, another Cornwall College alumnus, demonstrated his versatility with third place in the high jump (1.96m) and fifth in the triple jump (14.29m).
The weekend competitions highlighted the successful transition of Jamaican track and field talent to the American collegiate system, with athletes achieving podium placements across multiple jumping, throwing, and running events.