Jamaicans Zachery Dillon and Johnelle Johnson won the men’s and women’s shot put events, respectively, and Kobe-Jordan Rhooms won three medals in the men’s jump at the Mid-Eastern American Conference (MEAC) indoors track and field championships at the Virginia Beach Sports in Virginia Beach, Virginia, earlier this week.

The three athletes, all of Morgan State University, helped their school to place third in both male and female sections at the three-day championships that ended on Wednesday.

Dillon, formerly of Calabar High, produced a personal best and MEAC-leading 17.07m to beat teammate John Purvis-16.94m in what turned out to be a two-man race.

Dillon beat his previous indoor best of 16.84m set two weeks ago and was ninth in the weight throw with another personal best 14.01m.

Johnson, the former Edwin Allen student and the MEAC leader coming into the championships, won the women’s shot put, throwing 13.35m while her teammate Terine Lambert, formerly of Hydel High, was fourth with 12.63m.

Johnson was also fourth in the women’s weight throw with a best mark of 16.01m.

Rhooms, formerly of Cornwall College and in his fifth year at Morgan State, had his best indoor championships, despite losing his triple jump crown.

He was second in the high jump, losing on the countback while equalling his indoors personal best 2.10m.

Marvin Jones of North Carolina Central won on a tie-breaker after also clearing 2.10m, clearing the final height on his first try while it took Rhooms three tries.

Another Morgan State athlete, Omari McKenzie, formerly of Cornwall College, was sixth in the high jump with a mark of 1.89m, in his first high jump contest since starting school in January.

Rhooms started the championships on Wednesday third in the long jump with an indoor personal best 7.43m and was also third in the triple jump with 15.18m.

Former Edwin Allen middle-distance runner Kara Grant of Norfolk State was third in the women’s 800m, running 2:15.98 seconds.

— Paul Reid