Philip Zoppi – Special to the Southern News
Michael Cameron, Southern’s All-American Jamaican track star, has been named Co-ECAC Athlete of the Week.
The senior had a memorable week and is having an even more memorable season. Cameron finished second in the shot put throw at the Sorlien Invitational on Jan. 24 with a throw of 17.03. That set a NCAA Div. II qualifying mark.
This kind of success is something Cameron has experienced his entire career at Southern. Just last year he finished as an All-American in the shot put, was the New England shot put champion, and the Northeast-10 Conference shot put champion.
Being incredibly talented at the shot put is nothing new to Cameron. What is new to Cameron is living in the United States. He was actually born in Jamaica and has only been living in the United States for six years. According to Cameron the transition wasn’t all that bad though.
“For the most part,” said Cameron, “I’ve been living by myself in the United States and that was a huge change of pace from what I’m use to. From a track and field decision, though, it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I feel like I’ve been developing well as an athlete because of Southern Connecticut and the people who are helping me, like our coaches.”
The Northeast-10 Track & Field Championships is one of Southern’s biggest events for the season. Cameron put forth possibly his best performance of the year their last year and his coach, John Wallin, was very appreciative of his efforts.
“Mike’s head and shoulders above anyone in our conference in the shot put,” said Wallin. “I expect him to win by 6 to 8 feet this year in the Northeast-10 Championships. He’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen, he just gets better as the season goes along.”
Shot put isn’t the only event that Cameron excels at. He is also very talented at the discus throw. As a junior he was All-Region and All-New England in the discus. At the Northeast-10 Outdoor Track & Field Championships he placed first in the discus throw with of 47.23 meters.
Cameron’s having just as much success in the classroom as he’s having on the field. Just last week he won the Northeast-10 Conference weekly honor roll. This award requires you to have a minimum 3.0 semester grade point average. An impressive feat from an impressive student athlete.
The team is preparing for the Northeast-10 Championships where Cameron broke the record for the shot put last year. He’s expected to easily win this competition again. He reflected on that performance from last year and what he wants to do this year.
“As a teammate,” said Cameron, “I hope to represent Southern to the best of my ability and the team gets what we deserve. On a personal level, I already have the meet record in the shot put. I really would like to better that and leave my Senior year on a high note.”
Cameron made sure to put his teammates first before answering any question about himself. That speaks volume to the leader he has become for this team. Putting the team before himself is important for Cameron.
As a freshman, Cameron was already All-Region in shot put, discus and the weight throw. It was apparent that he was going to be one of Southern’s all time greats at track and field in a very short time. He hasn’t disappointed.
Cameron and the track and field team will compete in the Northeast-10 Championships on Feb. 21 in Boston, Mass.