Rising Saint Lucian track and field star Destinee Cenac is set to take the next big step in her athletic and academic journey, after confirming she will join the University of Kansas (KU) track and field program on a full athletic scholarship for the upcoming season. The 17-year-old high jump standout will begin her dual pursuits of higher education and elite training in Lawrence, Kansas this coming August.
A current student at St Joseph’s Convent and a member of the local Morne Stars Athletics Club, Cenac has already built an impressive competitive resume across regional youth athletics. At this year’s national secondary school track and field championships, she delivered a dominant performance, claiming gold medals in three events: her signature high jump, as well as the 100-meter and 200-meter sprints in her age division.
Her road to the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) Games was paved with consistent standout results: Cenac cleared the 1.70-meter mark multiple times in qualifying rounds, including a winning performance at February’s Independence Games that secured her spot at the regional junior championship. Under the guidance of her coaches, brothers Len and Lenyn Leonce, Cenac went on to claim the Under-17 high jump gold medal at this year’s CARIFTA Games, hosted at Grenada’s Kirani James Stadium over the Easter weekend. It was at this competition that she set a new personal best, clearing 1.72 meters to take home the top prize.
After weighing multiple athletic scholarship offers from programs across the United States, Cenac — alongside her mother Junita — made the decision to commit to KU’s Jayhawks program. The young athlete had the opportunity to connect with Jayhawks head coach Stanley Redwine and assistant coach Brian Wellman in person, before holding a virtual meeting with Tom Hays, KU’s associate head coach who specializes in vertical jump training and will oversee Cenac’s development once she arrives on campus.
Hays, one of the most respected vertical jump coaches in collegiate track and field, has twice been named Midwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year, most recently in 2021 when he guided jumper Rylee Anderson to her second consecutive Big 12 conference title. Cenac will join a KU program with a proven track record of developing elite Caribbean talent: Saint Lucian 400-meter runner Michael Joseph, currently competing for the Jayhawks, has already set new national records for his home country and qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
For Cenac, the move to KU is also a chance to carry forward a long legacy of high jump excellence from her small Caribbean nation. She aims to follow in the footsteps of icons including Levern Spencer, the Commonwealth Games gold medal-winning high jumper, and her own Morne Stars teammate Jenneil Jacobie. Right now, the 17-year-old is wrapping up her final CXC secondary education examinations ahead of her departure for Kansas this summer.