AMERICA | J’Voughnn Blake, a 19-year-old student-athlete from Jamaica, has secured a scholarship to Dartmouth College, a prestigious Ivy League university in New Hampshire, United States.
Blake, the captain of the track and field team at Jamaica College, plans to study microbiology, inspired by his fascination with life and the “small things that make it happen.”
Blake boasts an exceptional academic record, having earned 19 CXC subjects, including 13 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and six Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) subjects. Alongside his academic achievements, Blake has an illustrious career in athletics.
In 2022, he won the boys’ Class One 800-meter/1500-meter combination at the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Championships and the Carifta Games Under-20 double.
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Notably, Blake set a personal best time of 1:47.62 in the 800 meters at the Carifta trials, a performance he considers his most outstanding achievement. He also anchored the Jamaica College team in his final school race during the 4×800 meters at the Penn Relays.
Choosing a university was no easy feat for Blake, who received multiple scholarship offers from top colleges across the United States.
He described the process as his “most frustrating decision” and credits his coach, Duayne Johnson, for helping him make the final call. Together, they selected Dartmouth for its strong combination of academics and athletics, as well as its technical staff.
Blake’s bond with his coach is particularly special. Neil Harrison, head coach at Jamaica College, described their relationship as “more than coach and athlete, but more like father and son.”
Dartmouth College’s track team officially welcomed Blake with an Instagram post, saying, “Welcome to the Big Green family, J’Voughnn.”
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