July 7, 2005

PRINCESS ANNE, MD - Maryland-Eastern Shore junior Kimani Kirton has been selected to represent Jamaica at the 20th annual Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Senior Championships in Nassau, Bahamas on July 8-11. Kirton and 55 of the country's top athletes will vie for a spot at the World Championships taking place in August.

"Kimani has responded well to the training regime," said shot put coach Rohan Ferguson. "He is a very disciplined athlete and a pleasure to work with."

Kirton made an enormous impact as a sophomore last season as he led the team in throws while asserting himself as a force in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). The St. Thomas, Jamaica native threw 18.64 meters (61 feet, two inches), a school record, at Georgia Tech on May 14 to place him 68th out of 80 on the 2005 International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) World Rankings List. Kirton, the 2005 MEAC indoor and outdoor shot put champion, eclipsed the school record three times this past season and set a new conference mark twice. Kirton also competed at the 2005 NCAA Division I Men's and Women's East Regional Track & Field Championships in May, his second consecutive year reaching the East Regional Championships.

Kirton must throw 20 meters to meet the B qualifying standard for his event at the World Championships, which will be held August 6-14 in Helsinki, Finland.