THE Queen/Grace Jackson meet attracts many fans and college coaches each year.

Drake University’s assistant track and field coach LaRon Bennett will be in attendance to observe Jamaican athletes in action with the intention of identifying student-athletes capable of competing at the NCAA Division I level.

More than a year ago, US Army Major Trevor Nelson, a civilian attorney with the US Department of Defence, and a member of the Drake Alumni, contacted Drake track and field head coach Natasha Kaiser-Brown, a two-time Olympian and silver medallist, to suggest that she consider a visit to Jamaica.

Drake has typically not recruited student-athletes from the Caribbean and other tropical locations due to the adjustment with Midwest winters, according to Kaiser-Brown.

“Jamaica has some of the greatest athletes in the world, but attracting them to the Midwest has been difficult,” Kaiser-Brown added.

“I have often been reluctant to recruit warm-climate athletes because our winters can be challenging to those who have not experienced cold weather.”

However, Nelson, a 1986 Kingston College graduate and KC track team captain and later, a graduate of Drake (1991) who earned an athletic scholarship in 1987, assured coach Kaiser-Brown that many Jamaican high school student-athletes simply want the opportunity to experience college and Division I athletics in the United States regardless of the weather. Regardless of climate, these young students are looking for a world-class educational experience combined with a knowledgeable coaching staff.