FORMER County of Cornwall Athletics Association (COCAA) champions Lamara Distin and Kobe Jordan Rhooms were off to a good start, setting personal bests and NCAA leading marks in their respective meet as the NCAA indoor season got underway last weekend.

Distin, who started her high school career at Rusea’s High, set a new personal best when she cleared 1.86m to win the women’s high jump at the Wooo Pig Classic at Randal Tyson Indoor Center, Fayetteville, Arkansas — the joint second-best height ever at Texas A&M.

Rhooms, the former Cornwall College jumper had a big jump of 15.91m to win the men’s triple jump at the Navy Invitational in Annapolis, Maryland, setting a new Morgan State University school record.

Both marks were the best in the NCAA in their respective event.

Distin surpassed her own previous best of 1.82m set at the same venue in February and equalled the height set by Caroline Wolf in 2006.

Rhooms, who is a fifth-year senior, overtook Dylan LaNoue of Mount St Mary’s with his jump which came in the fifth round of the competition.

It beat his previous best of 15.64m set while winning the MEAC indoor championships in February 2020 and also established a new Wesley Brown field house record.

He was also second in the high jump, clearing 2.03m in that event as another former Cornwall College athlete, Tarique Gooden, led off the Morgan State men’s 4x400m team that was second in 3 minutes 20.43 seconds, losing to University of Maryland-Baltimore County.

Another former Cornwall College sprinter, Mikhail Watson had two personal best marks while representing Chicago State University at the Windy City Classic in Chicago.

Watson finished third in the men’s 60m in 7.14 seconds in the 60m final and clocked 23.74 seconds in the 200m.