Jamaica College’s middle-distance maestro J’Voughnn Blake will attend the Ivy League institution Dartmouth College, it was announced on Wednesday, ending months of speculation about where the gifted student athlete would choose to continue his education.

Blake, who is ranked number four on the World Athletics Under-20 men’s 800m ratings, had told the Jamaica Observer two weeks ago that the decision on his college future would be announced as it was not his “news to share”.

Blake was one of the most-sought-after middle-distance runners after he swept all before him this year, winning the boys’ Class One 800m/1500m double at the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships in mid-April and the Carifta Games Under-20 double a week later.

He wrapped up his high school career at the recent Penn Relays in Philadelphia, leading the Jamaica College 4x800m team to victory in the High School Boys Championships of Americas final at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, running 7:28.38 minutes, the third fastest time ever at the Penn Relays.

Blake, who ran a personal best 1:47.62 minutes in the 800m at the Carifta trials at the National Stadium, also excelled in the classroom with 19 Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), 13 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), and six Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) subjects and hopes to study either molecular and cellular biology or astrophysics.

Dartmouth finished seventh in the men’s section of the eight-team Ivy League outdoors track and field conference championships at Yale, scoring 35 points, well behind winners Princeton with 231 points and failed to get any points in the men’s 800m or 1500m events.

Princeton’s Samuel Rodman won the 800m in 1:50.82 seconds, while the University of Pennsylvania’s Ray Sellaro won the 1500m in 3:59.94 seconds.

— Paul Reid