Former Vere Technical athlete Marsielle McBeam, who now represents West Virginia University, has been named the Varsity Sports Report Athlete of the Week at the university.

The honour came as result of the athlete jumping 1.72m to win the high jump at the SPIRE Invitational, recently held in Geneva, Ohio.

The height attained eclipsed McBeam's previous collegiate best of 1.70m set last year when she competed for Central Michigan. The St Ann native was very proud of her achievements.

"Jumping indoors was not the best for me but despite that, I am pleased with my performance," she told Star Sports.

"Since transferring, my jumping has improved a lot, especially my technique."

McBeam, a multitalented athlete, thrived at Vere as a student athlete. Back in 2008, she won the Class III discus throw for girls, winning with a throw of 32.55m ahead of her teammate Tamika Frater. She would later turned her focus to the high jump and continued to find success.

In her final year at Champs, McBeam finished third with a leap of 1.70m behind Peta-Gaye Reid of St. Elizabeth Technical (1.75m) and Israel Ramsay of Wolmers (1.75m).

The winning height was a height McBeam had cleared several times during the season prior to the championships.