FOLLOWING a challenging but rewarding season at Cloud County Community College, former Petersfield High athlete Daniel Cope is ready for the big boys in the NCAA Division 1, after recently accepting a scholarship offer from Clemson University in South Carolina.

Cope — who was named team captain of the Jamaica team to the World Athletics Under-18 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2017 — will be at Clemson for three years, after completing one outdoor season at Cloud due to the cancellation of his freshman year, 2020, as a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

There was no shortage of top-quality offers for the former CARIFTA Games Under-17 double champion, but he told the Jamaica Observer West that he chose Clemson because “[in comparison to] all the rest of the schools, I feel more comfortable with the atmosphere. To me it feels more ‘family wise’ than the others schools I went to, and I feel like I would fit well in this programme”.

There will be a distinct Jamaican feel at Clemson as in addition to Head Coach Mark Elliot and Coach Lennox Graham, there are at least 13 other Jamaicans on the roster, including his former Petersfield teammate Okera Myrie, and a number of throwers.

It was not an easy decision for him, however, he shared with the Observer West, noting that all the schools he had shortlisted were “very good in both academic and sports, but I had to narrow it down to where I feel more comfortable and happy”.

Cope, who will be studying coaching /sports management, had his targets for the next few years lined up, noting that “my short-term goal at Clemson is to make the Division 1 National Championships in my first year and my long-term goal is to leave with my degree”.

In his only outdoor season at Cloud County, Cope left his mark with school records in the discus and hammer throws. He stressed however, that it was not easy.

“I would say my past season was very rough. Despite the good results, it was a very hard task but I managed to push through and be successful,” he told the Observer West.

Of all the achievements he had last season, he said “to hit a personal best in discus outdoor [56.56m] and also hit a PR [personal record] in weight throw indoor and a school record [20.01m] are standouts.

Cope had established himself as a talent while at Petersfield High at both the County of Cornwall Athletics Association (COCAA) Western Champs and the ISSA Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships.

“My first year at the ISSA Champs was 2015 when I won a silver medal in the Class 2 discus and the following year I won double gold at both Western Champs and ISSA Boys’ Champs, and set the Class 2 discus record that year.

“In 2017, my first in Class 1, I was fourth and then went to CARIFTA Games and won both shot put and discus, both with championship records of 18.17m and 61.25m, respectively,” he said. “Later the same year, I went to World Under-18 in Kenya but I did not perform as expected. I was the team captain for that team, which was important for me.”

He shifted his focus to the discus in 2018 when he won the Class 1 discus at Western Champs and was third at the ISSA Championships. He also ran the 100m and was fourth in 11.12 seconds.

He joked that “I could have run faster if I was doing some track training.”

In 2019, his final year in high school, it was a repeat of his results from the previous year for the native of Watercress District in Westmoreland.

On his journey so far, Cope said his parents Daniel Sr and Loreine Cope, as well as former Petersfield High Coach Machell Woolery and Team Jamaica Bickle CEO Irwine Claire, have had a tremendous impact on his life.