SPORTS SECTION E
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
SWIMMING - Page E3
Rhema named Conference USA Player of the Year By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
BAHAMIAN Rhema Collins capped off a sensational transfer regular season from the Ole Miss Lady Rebels to the Florida International University Panthers by being named the Conference USA Player of the Year. The announcement came yesterday as the postseason awards were handed out heading into the Conference USA Basketball Championships that gets underway on Wednesday. As a guard in her junior year, Collins helped FIU to a 19-10 overall winloss record and 12-6 in
conference play as they earned the number two seed in C-USA. She was joined by senior guard Parris Atkins, who was also named to the All-Conference USA First Team. The 21-year-old was not just the Player of the Year, but was awarded several other accolades as well. The 6-foot, two-inch daughter of Angela and Steve Collins was also awarded CUSA Newcomer of the Year, as well as placed on the All-Conference USA First Team and CUSA All-Defensive Team. It is the first time in programme history FIU has had a CUSA Player of the Year. The last time a Panther won Player of the
Year was in 2013 when FIU legend Jerica Coley won the Sun Belt Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. This is also the second season in a row that FIU has had a CUSA Newcomer of the Year, with Isnelle Natabou receiving the honour for her performance last season. One of the two Bahamians making an impact for the Panthers, Collins ended the season top-five overall in the conference in several key categories, including scoring (17.2 points per game, 2nd in CUSA), rebounding (nine rebounds per game, 3rd in CUSA),
COLLINS - SEE Page E3
DURING one of her games in Miami, Rhema Collins was supported by Kenya Storr-Jones and her daughter and coaches Anthony Swaby and Donnie Culmer.
2026 World Baseball Classic
‘Jazz’ Chisholm Jr and Great Britain rout Brazil 8-1
ELECTRIC SLIDE: Britain’s Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm Jr, right, is tagged out while trying to steal second base by Brazil shortstop Vitor Ito, left, during the seventh inning of a World Baseball Classic game on Monday, March 9, 2026, in Houston. Great Britain won 8-1. (AP Photo/David J Phillip) SEE THE FULL STORY ON PAGE E8
SAC Big Red Machine in the lead on day 1 By JONATHAN BURROWS Tribune Sports Reporter jburrows@tribunemedia.net
FAST TRACK: Private school students in action yesterday on day one of the BAISS Track and Field Championships at the original Thomas A. Robinson Stadium. Photos: Chappell Whyms Jr/Tribune Staff
DAY one of the BAISS Track and Field Championships got underway yesterday at the original Thomas A. Robinson Stadium with the familiar intensity that has defined the annual meet between the country’s top private schools. Last year’s championships saw the Queen’s College Comets leading on day one but this year the St Augustine’s College Big Red Machine sits atop the early standings with 418.5 points. Queen’s College is currently in second with 362 points, followed by Temple Christian School with 175.5 points and St John’s College with 131.5.
The early leaderboard sets the stage for what is expected to be another tight battle between the traditional rivals SAC and QC, two schools that have dominated the championships for decades. Queen’s College enters this year’s meet
as the defending champions after capturing the 2025 BAISS title in convincing fashion. The Comets finished that championship with 1,344 points, holding off St Augustine’s College, who finished second with 1,299.5 points,
while Temple Christian School placed third with 541 points. That victory was especially significant for the Comets as it marked their first BAISS track and field crown since 2019 and only the fourth in the school’s history. Despite finishing runner-up last season, the Big Red Machine remains one of the most dominant programmes in Bahamian high school athletics. With that history in mind, SAC entered this year’s championships determined to reclaim the title they lost a year ago. If day one is any indication, the Big Red Machine has fired the first shot, but the defending champion Comets remain well within striking distance as the championships continue through Wednesday.