by Terry Finisterre
After going through some difficult times early on in her journey, Saint Lucia’s Jenneil Jacobie is excelling in athletics and thriving in the classroom.
Jacobie, who turns 20 in 2024, is one of four Texas A&M University-Commerce student-athletes named to the Southland Conference Track & Field All-Academic teams.
On the men’s side, Tahje Parrish (Picayune, Miss.) and Philip Krenek (Kostelní Strimelice, Czech Republic) were honored, while Jacobie (Piat Gros Islet, Saint Lucia) and Cassandra Rendon (San Antonio – Madison) were the honorees on the women’s side.
Jacobie was the SLC outdoor high jump champion for 2024. An alumna of Corinth Secondary School, she set a new meet record, school record, and a top five all-time mark in the region with her performance at the SLC Championships. Jacobie is a biological sciences major and is a dean’s list honoree.
At the moment, life as a Lion is good. But it was not always that way. The young jumper got past a minor ordeal to get her US visa aged just 16, travel difficulties, adverse medical conditions, a change in her field of study, and more.
As the school’s probation period to participate in the NCAA Division I Championships winds down, she is hoping to be one of the first student-athletes from TAMU-Commerce to compete on that stage. And at the moment, she is well on course.
All-Academic teams are voted on by head coaches, sports information directors and academic/compliance staff members from each Southland Conference institution.
Student-athletes must possess a 3.0 cumulative GPA, have completed one full academic year at the nominating institution to qualify for All-Academic selection, and have competed in at least 50 percent of their team’s meets.
Fifty percent of those nominated earn the honor. All first team all-conference honorees earn automatic qualification.
