Olympic hopefuls, Janiel Belille and Sparkle Mc Knight, were awarded athletic scholarships to leading track and field universities following impressive two-year stint on the Junior college circuit for the two South Plains College students. Bellille will attend Texas A&M in the new semester while Mc Knight will compete for the University of Arkansas. Bellille, the 2008 World Junior silver medallist, had a stellar career at South Plains where she set a National Junior College 400m hurdles record of 55.80 (Olympic B standard) in 2011, and copped silver in the 55m hurdles at the last year’s Indoor Championships.
Bellille is the top ranked junior college 400m hurdler for 2012 with another Olympic qualifying clocking of 55.90 which she set at the Texas Relays in March. The 2008 double Carifta champion is the national junior recorder after racing to 56.84 to take silver at the 2008 World Junior Championships in Poland. The 23-year-old also struck silver at the 2007 Pan American Junior Champs in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Knight took third in the 400m at last year’s National Junior Colleges finals and has the fastest time among junior college athletes in the 400m flat of 53.29 (pb). The former Carapichaima student is second in the 400m hurdles with 57.42, behind Bellille.
Both are members of the Neon Trackers Athletic Club.
Source: www.guardian.co.tt