MONTEGO BAY, St James — After a lot of hiccups and setbacks over the last two years, former Cornwall College jumper Omari McKenzie is impatient for the next chapter of his journey to get started.

The former County of Cornwall Athletics Association (COCAA) multiple champion will leave the island within the next two weeks to take up a full scholarship at Morgan State University (MSU) in Maryland, USA.

McKenzie graduated from Cornwall College earlier this year and was expecting to have started college in August, but a series of incidents conspired to delay his departure.

The student/athlete, who will be studying construction management, told the Jamaica Observer West that getting the scholarship means a lot to him and his family.

“This means a lot to me knowing how far I’ve come in track and field after starting out as a hurdler and finally coming to terms with what I truly love the most, which is jumps. And as for my family they are beyond grateful that I’ve overcome so many obstacles and have achieved my dream,” he said.

The triple/high jumper, who has won medals at every age group level at Western Champs and won the Western Relays high jump title while still in Class 2, said, “these last two seasons have been difficult but it showed many ways in which I can build myself like putting in the extra work from home due to such strict COVID protocols.”

Like most of his peers, the novel coronavirus pandemic affected his preparation, but he argued that there were rewards and setbacks just the same.

“My high within these last two seasons was making an improvement on my triple jump mark and a low for me was missing out on qualification in high jump for the 2021 ISSA Boys’ and Girls’ Championships,” he said.

He failed to compete in any individual event at what was his final ‘Champs’ after he aggravated a leg injury while leading off the Cornwall College Class 1 4x100m relay team. The injury kept him out of the triple jump where he was expected to at least make the top eight.

McKenzie will be the third former Cornwall College athlete on the MSU roster, joining fellow jumper Kobe-Jordan Rhooms and hurdler Tarique Gooden.

He said while the Maryland-based institution was not his only option, he thought it was the best fit for him.

“MSU wasn’t my only option but after doing extensive research into Morgan State University it seemed to be a perfect fit for me personally, seeing that it is a historically black college or university (HBCU) I would feel more at home compared to the other options,” he told the Observer West.

HBCUs are American tertiary institutions that were established prior to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, with the intention of primarily serving the African-Americans community.

Janice Smythe, associate head coach at MSU, said the university is eagerly awaiting McKenzie’s arrival.

“Omari was recruited by Morgan State because of the potential we saw in him and how he can contribute to our program in the jumps. He is a very versatile athlete and we expect him to make an immediate impact within our program,” said Smythe.

Smythe, a former hurdler at St Elizabeth Technical and at Morgan State, expressed confidence that McKenzie will take advantage of the opportunity to obtain his degree in higher education while competing for the ‘Bears’ at the NCAA division 1 level.

“His high school coaches spoke highly of him and I’m looking forward to working with him so he can realise his full potential,” he stressed.

McKenzie, who attained eight Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects — mathematics, English language, technical drawing, physics, information technology, industrial technology mechanical, industrial technology electrical and chemistry — as well as four Unit 1 passes and two Unit 2 passes in Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), also has a SAT score of 1,010 points.

In a few weeks he would have swapped the sunshine of Jamaica for the freezing cold of the American north-east and with the indoor season set to start next month, McKenzie said he hopes to take all of that in stride.

“I expect it to be difficult, but nonetheless I plan on going in with a mindset to overcome any and every task that lies ahead of me. Also, I look forward to improving on my marks going into the upcoming season,” he told the Observer West.

To get off to a good start at MSU, he said, he has been working hard. “There’s a lot of work and dedication that I put in outside of my daily training in order to physically prepare myself for the season to come. I’m excited to say the least, as I hope to put my best foot forward going into my first indoor season,” said McKenzie.