St. Maarten student-athletes earn NCAA Division II college commitments

GREAT BAY--Student-athletes from both the Dutch and French sides of the island have recently secured NCAA Division II college commitments straight out of high school.

Three of St. Maarten’s rising sports talents have been recruited to Lincoln University of Missouri, a historically Black university (HBCU) and member of the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Valley Conference. Each athlete has been awarded partial scholarships and is NCAA certified, marking a historic step forward for the island’s youth in higher education and competitive athletics.

The athletes are:

- Track & Field – Ms. Chanel Richardson (Speedy Plus / Lab-Corp)

- Soccer – Mr. Omari Gumbs (St. Dominic High SXM / Combine Academy Post Graduate Program, North Carolina)

- Baseball – Mr. Timothy Fleming (Caribbean Baseball Academy / 3K Sports)

This milestone was made possible through the joint efforts of Elite Sports Foundation and NB-Scouting, working in close collaboration with parents, coaches, and local training academies. The year-long preparation process combined local and international opportunities to ensure the athletes excelled both academically and athletically.

Founded in 1866, Lincoln University of Missouri has a proud legacy of academic excellence, cultural heritage, and athletic achievement as one of the United States’ distinguished Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The addition of St. Maarten’s athletes strengthens its tradition of cultivating both scholarship and sportsmanship.

Tatiana Arrindell, who will have more to share soon about a new initiative, and parent of Omari Gumbs said: "This accomplishment highlights the power of collaboration and fair opportunity. A heartfelt thank you goes out to everyone who trusted the equal and transparent evaluation process. In our mission, no student-athlete is left behind."

𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵: 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘍𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘭 𝘙𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘖𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘪 𝘎𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘋𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮.

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