Pinnock, a freshman at the University of Tennessee won the long jump competition at the 2022 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships in June while McLeod, a senior at Tennessee, was fourth. Both have decided to transfer to represent the Razorbacks in the coming season.
The University of Arkansas announced on Friday that two Jamaicans will join their programme, Marcus Weaver, who transfers from Wisconsin, Grant Williams from Celina High School as well Wyatt Green from Katy Cinco Ranch High School.
McLeod is a three-time SEC champion and six-time NCAA All-American and was the first male athlete from Tennessee track & field to qualify for Jamaica at the Tokyo Summer Games. However, his participation was blocked after he tested positive for Covid-19.
The 2020 Indoor SEC Men's Field Athlete of the Year owns the school record in both categories with marks of 8.26 meters in the long jump and 17.17 meters in the triple jump.
The 21-year-old former Kingston College star won the silver medal in the long jump with a personal best of 8.25m on Friday night and followed up Saturday with his personal best jump to win the triple jump. His 17.17m, was more than a half-metre better than second-place Christian Edwards of Alabama (16.64m).
Each mark is the third-best in the world this year and McLeod believes things are shaping up nicely for what he believes will be his first Olympic campaign.
“All my preparation is for the upcoming Olympic Games so it’s going to be special as we gear up for trials and the Olympics,” he said. “I’m a lot more technical and I am faster which I need down the runway.”
His improvement at Tennessee has been significant but he credits his time at Kingston College for providing him with the platform from which he now excels.
“Having the right foundation from high school to now has played a huge part in my development over these years and, of course, being a student of the events is key,” he said, still undecided about which event he favours.
“I can’t say which one I prefer because I love both just the same; the triple is just a little more fun than the long jump,” he said.
His world-class performances aside, McLeod said he is encouraged by the number of emerging young Jamaican jumpers.
Fellow Jamaican Ryan Brown, a junior at Arkansas, jumped 8.12 for third at the SECs while Virginia’s Owayne Owens jumped a season-best 16.48m to win the triple jump at the ACC Championships on the weekend.
Adding eight-metre jumpers, 2019 World Champion Tajay Gayle and Tennessee’s Wayne Pinnock to the mix, McLeod believes Jamaica is poised to do great things in the jumps in the future.
“We all are the younger generation coming up in the sport. We have goals of representing our country, so this is a very good look for the country as we could have multiple people on the podium,” he said.
“I can happily say we are on the rise to taking over in the jumps in the years to come.”
