JOHNSON C. SMITH ATHLETICS

Johnson C. Smith alumnus Tovea Jenkins (left) earned a spot on Jamaica's Olympic team, where she will run in the women's 4x400 meter relay. Jenkins is the fifth Golden Bull – all sprinters – to participate in the Games.

Johnson C. Smith alumnus Tovea Jenkins is headed to the Tokyo Olympics.

Jenkins, a 2017 graduate from Kingston, Jamaica, will represent her country in the women’s 400 meters. The 2017 NCAA Division II outdoor national champion on JCSU’s 4x400 meters relay team ran a personal best of 50.68 to finish fifth at the Jamaica National Championship meet.

Jenkins, a five-time All-America and the fifth Golden Bull to earn an Olympics berth, will be a part of Jamaica’s 4 x 400-meter relay team pool.

The first JCSU Olympian, sprinter Vince Matthews, earned gold in  1968 (men’s 4x400 relay) and 1972 (400).

• James Ewers, a 1970 JCSU graduate, was inducted in the Black Tennis Hall of Fame last week at the Sportsmen’s Tennis & Enrichment Center in Dorchester, Massachusetts.

Ewers was All-CIAA and holds the school record of 34 consecutive singles wins, which includes victories against players from Purdue and Northwestern. Ewers won three CIAA titles (1967-69), an NAIA championship (1968) and is a member of the JCSU Hall of Fame. 

Ewers, a Winston-Salem native, is a member of the United States Tennis Association Louisiana and the USTA Southern Schools & After Schools Committee.

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