FOUR WESTERN track and field athletes led by IAAF World Junior Championships (WJC) medallist Nickesha Anderson, are due to leave the island early next week to take up track and field scholarships at various universities across the United States.
Anderson, who has been a part of the national junior teams for the past three seasons, will attend Missouri Baptist University; former Mt. Alvernia High and St. Jago long and triple jumper, Andrea Linton, will go to Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rogue, Louisiana while middle-distance runners Nandi Levy formerly of Herbert Morrison and St. Elizabeth Technical and Daniel Absalom of Cornwall College. will attend the University of New Orleans.
The 19 year-old Anderson who won the bronze in the 200m at this year’s WJC and was a part of the 4x100m relay team that was second to the United States, is part of a freshman group that will include several other Jamaican athletes including Melesia Green of St. Thomas, Jamika Martell, Mereisa Pencil formerly of Edwin Allen High, Sherine Shepherd formerly of Vere Technical and Peta Gaye Williams.
NEVER LOST
Anderson has never lost 
in the 100 or 200m races at Western Champs in five years while attending Herbert Morison High School and has only lost once in the 400m, to national team member Davita Prendergast, who has also won four medals at Champs.
Twenty-year-old Andrea Linton the 2004 Penn Relays gold medal winner in the triple jump she has personal bests of 12.49m in the triple and 5.85m in the long jump has also taken part in the 4x100 and 4x400m for St. Jago High School.
She will join a long list of outstanding Jamaicans to attend LSU including Olympians Peta-Gaye Dowdie, Astia Waller and Commonwealth decathlon gold medallist, Claston Bernard, as well as several former Munro College athletes including Paul Thompson and Pete Coley who are currently at school there.
Levy, who completed her high school education at St. Elizabeth Technical High School last year after five years at Herbert Morrison High School, has 10 passes in the CXC and could be New Orleans’ top 800m runner, while Absalom who had offers from other schools including Chicago State, will run everything from the 400m to the 5,000m.
Absalom won two medals at Champs in 2002, finishing behind Lewisville’s Orette Remekie in the 800 and 1500m races.