Shaquka Tyrell cops NJCAA Athlete-of-the-year award

Mar 06, 2023 Sports

By Rawle Toney

Kaieteur News – Former Christianburg Wismar Secondary School standout student-athlete, Shaquka Tyrell, is having an amazing collegiate season with Monroe College.

Guyana’s Shaquka Tyrell displaying her NJCAA Women’s Athlete-of-the-Year (Atlantic Region) award.

For her brilliance, this season Tyrell was named the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Indoor Track and Field Women’s Athlete-of-the-Year (Atlantic Region).

At the national Indoor Championships, Tyrell would fail to qualify for the finals of the women’s 1000m as her time of three minutes, 09.27s (3:09.27s) was not fast enough to advance.

However, the Guyanese Freshman would return in the Women’s Distance Medley with Kayla Johnson, Kahliyah Smith and Zothile Mbhamali to finish third.

Tyrell ran the third leg of the race where they stopped the clock at 12:35.98, shaving nearly 17 seconds off their seed time in their bronze medal run.

The two-time CARIFTA Games 1500m bronze medallist who hails from Linden, is continuing a rich tradition of Guyanese women excelling in track and field at Monroe College, with many using the Junior College as a launch pad to having exceptional NCAA D1 careers.

National Basketball player Kevon Wiggins, now competing for Division one university, Morgan State, also attended Monroe College.

Representing Linden, Tyrell dominated the mid-distance races at the National Schools Championship, even owning a few national records of her own.