THOUGH attending Ivy League school Princeton University where the focus is in the classroom, 20-year-old Damon McLean, a past student of Campion College, intends to graduate with honours on the field and fulfil an ambition of representing his country.

The 2010 triple jump champion at the ISSA Boys and Girls Championships, McLean also hopes to make the grade in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

“In the Ivy League, academics take the forefront. After my previous success in high school I was faced with the decision of whether a school with a greater emphasis on athletics would suit me better,” McLean told the Sunday Observer.

“However, I eventually decided to enter the Ivy League, especially Princeton, because I found the coach to be a great one… that is capable of helping me better myself,” McLean said.

“I really want to establish myself on the national scene. I know this will take time, but with the experience of the coaching staff and my work ethics, I know I will continue the strong tradition of Jamaican jumpers in the NCAA,” he added.

Born in Trelawny, McLean attended a “small school” in Kinloss until 12. There, he played cricket, before going to Ascot Primary in Portmore.

At Campion College, apart from athletics, he was the goalkeeper for the Manning Cup football team and was captain in his final year.

He has excelled both on and off the field.

“Moving from Ascot to Campion was a huge academic achievement for me. For CSEC I did nine subjects, got eight ones and a two.

“For CAPE, I did eight units. Overall I got four ones and four twos. And of course being here at Princeton has proven to be the greatest academic achievement so far,” McLean declared.

In addition to the Champs triple jump gold, he clinched a bronze medal in the long jump and earned a silver medal in the triple jump at the 2010 Penn Relays.

McLean won the triple at the Princeton at Navy indoor meet in Annapolis, Maryland on January 7 with a personal best 15.49 metres and was named Ivy League rookie of the week.

He described Princeton as a school “with great diversity”.

“The students are incredible and I saw Princeton as the next step from my high school… as I wanted to grow both intellectually and athletically,” he explained.

“Right now I’m planning on majoring in Chemistry with aims to go in research or pharmaceutical fields,” he added.

McLean admitted it took him a while to settle into a new environment and culture.

“I had some good principles instilled in me from home and I was forced to hold firm to them and be true myself from early on. Princeton is very challenging, but I knew what I was getting into, so I was up for the job.

“As an athlete, I was really happy with the improved facilities and the learning of new things. The guys on the team were really helpful in making me feel comfortable,” he said.

While Jamaicans have performed well in the jumps, it is usually in the long jump — and mainly the women. The men have excelled indoors in recent years, however, with Alain Bailey winning the long jump in 2010 and Nicholas Gordon the same event in 2009.

Lennox Burgher is the only Jamaican man to win the triple jump at the NCAA Division One Indoor Championships, which he did in 1969 when he leaped 15.86 metres.

Burgher is also the lone Jamaican man to win the triple at NCAA Division One Outdoor Championships, which he accomplished in 1968.

“There are so many opportunities available and I try my best to get out there and experience all that I can to ensure that I stay well rounded… in and outside the classroom,” McLean stated.

“With that said, I hope to make both the NCAA indoors and outdoors finals for my first year. I’m always trying to grow as an athlete as track is a learning experience.

“I’m sure if I keep learning and progressing in a timely manner, I will achieve my goals,” McLean pointed out.

“My aim is to represent Jamaica one day. I’ve never done it before, so I’m working extremely hard to make that a possibility in the near future,” he emphasised.