Hydel’s Wilson takes Clemson’s scholarship offer

Hydel High's outstanding hurdler Oneka Wilson will be taking her talent to Clemson University for the upcoming season, where she will be coached by Jamaican Lennox Graham.

The 19-year-old Wilson, who has been in great form this season, broke the Girls' Championships' Class One 100 metres hurdles record in April in a personal best time of 13.00 seconds.

She, however, failed to secure a spot on Jamaica's team to the just-concluded Under-20 Championships in Cali, Colombia, as she was unable to obtain a medical exemption from the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA), after injury forced her out of the National Championships.

Corey Bennett, coach of Hydel, who has guided Wilson's career for five years, believes Graham is an excellent coach and fully endorsed Wilson's move to Clemson University.

"I think that Lennox Graham is a very good hurdles coach and someone who would have served Jamaica well over the last five years.

"I have seen him doing well with (2015 World Championships winner) Danielle Williams and Trishawna Dennis, formerly of Hydel; and yes, she wants to go and I think that she will do very well there," Bennett said.

Bennett pointed out that Wilson is a very hard worker in training, so once she goes to Clemson and applies herself in the right way, then he expects her to do well in college.

"She works very hard in training and, in fact, Oneka never got a medal at Champs until first-year Class One; and she has been here from Class Four," he said.

"She has worked her way up because she has always been in the shadow of others, but she was able to win back-to-back titles, and she also broke the record in her final year in Class One," Bennett said.

Wilson made the final of the 100 metres hurdles at the World Under-20 last year in Nairobi, Kenya, but she was ruled out after testing positive for COVID 19.