The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

MULTIPLE sports star Darius Adams continues to excel for the Coast Guard Academy Bears and his latest exploits earned national championship honours in the process.

Adams won the national championship in the long jump at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.

On his third attempt, Adams leapt 7.35m for the winning jump to take the national title in his first NCAA Championship appearance. He began with a round-one jump of 7.20m to tie for third place and moved into first place with a second-round mark of 7.31.

Matt Fleming of Benedictine finished second at 7.28m and Jerry Williams of Wisconsin-Stevens Point was third at 7:27.

Adams made school history by becoming the first member of the Bears' athletic programme to claim an individual national title and All-American honours since 2014. He is also the school record holder in the long jump with a mark of 7.46m, set at the New England Open Championship which featured athletes from Divisions I, II and III.

According to the Bears' athletic website, Adams has been one of the most standout student-athletes in the institution because of his contributions to multiple disciplines.

"A junior from Nassau, Bahamas, he is one of the most gifted athletes at the academy. He was a member of the men's basketball team for two years, averaging 9.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore. Adams earned All-NEWMAC honours with a second-place finish in the long jump (21.6.75) last year and had a breakout season as a member of the football team this fall as Adams, playing his first year of football at any level, tied three records and earned several postseason accolades," it said.

"He was named to the 2016 New England Football Writers Division II/III All-New England Team. He was also named the New England Football Conference (NEFC) Offensive Rookie of the Year and was a first team all-conference selection. He broke single-season school records with 1,054 receiving yards and 13 touchdown receptions while also tying the single-game record of three touchdown receptions twice this season. He was second on the team with 47 receptions."

In 2014, Adams - a member of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force - made history when he became just the second Bahamian to the academy.

Prior to joining the RBDF, he graduated from Pensacola Christian College with a grade point average of 3.78 while pursuing a degree in accounting and a minor in information services.

He is currently a junior studying electrical engineering with a minor in computer science.