Champs stars moving on

Gabrielle McDonald, Carey McLeod and Tissana Hickling all won two individual gold medals each at their last chance at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls Athletics Championships in March.

Now, like a number of others who have used up their high-school eligibility, they are moving on. The first two are headed for scholarships to American universities, with Hickling all set to study and train in Jamaica.

McDonald, a dominant hurdler this year for Edwin Allen Comprehensive High, is reportedly headed for Texas A&M while McLeod, the boys' Class One long and triple jump champion, is going from Kingston College to Arkansas University. This pair is both set to start school in January.

Hickling, who did the same double as McLeod for the St Jago High girls' team, will be at the G.C. Foster College for Physical Education and Sport.

Hickling isn't the only 2017 Championships winner to stay home as her St Jago teammate Aneka Brissett, who won the Class One 100m; and Ronesha McGregor, upset winner of the 200m for Hydel High, have both joined the Racers Track Club. 2016 Class One 100m queen Patrice Moody, is now at South Plains College in Texas.

Timor Barrett, St Jago's 2016 Carifta 400m hurdles winner, is off to Johnson C. Smith University, while former Class Three 400m champion Aykeeme Francis of Calabar heads to St Augustine University in January.

The other notable mover is consistent sprinter/hurdler Renee Shaw of Excelsior High School, who is now at Auburn University. At Champs, she was third behind Brissett and Moody, and she also reached the Class One 100m hurdles final, won by Mcdonald in the record time of 13.12 seconds.