LSU junior sprinter Fitzroy Dunkley is used to being out of his comfort zone.
The Trelawny, Jamaica, native emerged as one of the top high jump and triple jump prospects in Jamaica during high school, and he packed up and moved nearly 1,200 miles from home after earning a track and field scholarship to LSU.
“It’s typical of Jamaicans to receive a track and field scholarship to America because track and field is really big in Jamaica,” Dunkley said. “Getting a scholarship to come over here is something we really work on.”
Moving to America was an adjustment for Dunkley because he said it’s a different culture than he was used to, but he was still at home on the track.
Dunkley quickly made an impact for the Tigers. He was an NCAA Championships qualifier in the triple jump during his freshman season, and he capped off the season with a 23rd-place finish in the triple jump at the 2013 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon. 
He set personal bests in the triple jump in the indoor and outdoor seasons during his sophomore year but failed to qualify for the NCAA semifinals. LSU coach Dennis Shaver said injuries held Dunkley back from jumping to the best of his ability. 
Shaver experimented with putting him in the 400-meter dash, and Dunkley impressed him as the third leg on the Southeastern Conference outdoor bronze-medal team.
After finally settling into life in America, Dunkley was put out of his comfort zone again when Shaver moved him to the 400-meter dash permanently.
“When he was trying to jump all the time, we were experiencing a lot of little nagging things that were keeping him from being able to perform well in the jumps,” Shaver said. “We’re giving him a year of doing 400-meter work and running on the [4×400-meter relay team] some. He’s building up his strength and gaining more confidence that he can do it.“
Dunkley said working with senior sprinter and NCAA champion Vernon Norwood and senior sprinter Quincy Downing is expediting the transition process. Norwood said Dunkley has a natural ability to run the 400-meter dash, and he sees some of the same qualities in Dunkley that helped him win a national championship.
“I see a lot of potential in him on and off the track here,” Norwood said. “He is a great student and a great athlete. He puts in twice the work, just like me.”
Shaver is pleased with the progress Dunkley has made during his first season running the 400-meter dash full time. He clocked 47.15 seconds during the first meet of the outdoor season and improved to a career-best time of 46.34 seconds in less than a month.
Dunkley said this season has taught him that running is more enjoyable than jumping, and he is proud to represent his country as a sprinter alongside other Jamaicans who paved the way for him.
“There’s a lot of Jamaican athletes I look up to,” Dunkley said. “It means a lot to me, and it means a lot to my country.”
You can reach Jacob Hamilton on Twitter @jhamilton_TDR.