By Anthony Foster, Freelance WriterFORMER BOYS Championships double sprint champion, Steve Mullings, will attend Mississippi State University (MSU) this year.
Mullings, who had a wind-assisted 9.96 seconds in the 100m and 19.90 in the 200m last weekend, is a spring signed to Mississippi State's track and field set-up.
The former Vere Technical student, in an interview with World College Track and Field website, explained why he chose MSU over other top universities.
"When I was a freshman at Barton, I watched the NCAA (track and field) tape. I watched (former MSU sprinters) Pierre Browne and Marquis Davis and became interested in the school. I had my sponsor contact the school. They called me back and from then on we talked to each other," the former Boys Champs star was quoted as saying.
The athlete from Perth Town, an agricultural community in southern Trelawny from where Usain Bolt also hails, is the 2004 National Junior College Athletics Association Indoor Champion in the 60-metre dash (6.59) and the 200m (21.04).
INTERVIEWS
The 5ft' 10" sprinter, who will be a contender for a place on Jamaica's Olympic team, said he visited other universities such as Texax Christian University, Arkansas and Tennessee Mississippi State for interviews.
In choosing Mississippi, Mullings, who broke the NCAA Championship 60m meet record, set by his former teammate Tyson Gay in 2002, and tied the meet record in the 200m said he was swayed by the warm weather and the exceptional improvement showed by Browne who got down to 9.98 for 100m after entering the college with a personal best of 10.6.
Mullings said he also spent time looking at the schools' academics.
"It's very important. I think they are ranked second or third in the SEC overall in graduation levels. That really caught my interest," said the athlete, who is planning on majoring in marketing.
