Shantal Rouse makes mark on US junior college athletics

Vincentian Shantal Rouse continues to impress on the track in her first year at the Kingsborough Community College in New York.

After setting a new mark for the school in the 60m indoor in January, Rouse returned a time of 7.71 seconds over the distance at Boston University recently.

In January, her 7.78 seconds erased the previous best mark of 7.99 seconds, set in 2009.

At the same Boston University track, Rouse, along with Tatyana Mills, Thea General and Ajani Bethel-Nurse, established a new mark in the 4 x 400m. They ran a new school record of 3 minutes 49.49 seconds, causing the 3 minutes 54.84 seconds, set in January, to go by the wayside.

Last weekend, Rouse was at it again, as she ran 24.9 seconds in the 200m at the Colgate Championships. This time turned out to be her personal best.

In January, Rouse had done 25.42 seconds in the same event.

Rouse is among a crop of Vincentian athletes enrolled at Kingsborough Community College. Others are Rojike Thorpe, Kailon Kirby and Consolo Adams, who is a basketballer.

The opportunities for the Vincentian athletes to attend the junior college have been in the making for some time, but were realized in February 2016.

The partnership with the college was hatched at the Penn Relays in 2015, and was crytallized when director of athletics at the Kingsborough Community College Damani Thomas made a visit to his homeland later that year.

Also pivotal in the process is Sarah Blundred, who reports say has been a “mother-figure” to the Vincentian athletes, thus making their transition to the USA easier.

SEARCHLIGHT understands other athletes are in the call room, ready for their summons, to join those already seasoned at Kingsborough Community College.(RT)