South Dakota women's soccer player Maliah Atkins was called up to the senior Jamaican National Team on June 10 and has been in the midst of a training camp for the upcoming World Cup.  Atkins is one of 26 players invited to the training camp in her home state of Colorado and is vying for a spot on the Jamaican National Team ahead of the 2023 World Cup in Australia. 
 
"I would say, so far, camp has been an exhilarating experience," said Atkins. "It's been absolutely amazing to be able to play with such a high level of athletes and compete. I've definitely learned a lot and I can't wait to continue to learn more!"
 
Atkins gets her first experience at the senior level after competing for the Jamaican teams at the CONCACAF women's championships. She played on the U17 team back in 2018 and for the U20 team in 2020. Atkins most recently played for Jamaica on the U20 team this past March at the CONCACAF women's under-20 championships in the Dominican Republic. The team finished in third in its group and advanced to the knockout stages for the second straight time.
 
The Jamaican national team, nicknamed the "Reggae Girlz", qualified for the World Cup in 2019 hosted by France. It was the first time the team had participated in the women's World Cup since it began in 1991. The group is still searching for their first win at the World Cup after losing three games in 2019.
 
Atkins will be a junior on next season's Coyote squad. She played in a career-high 18 games in 2021 and logged nearly 740 minutes on the pitch. Atkins' first career goal came in 2021 as the golden goal in a 1-0 double overtime victory over Northern State last season.
 
The Jamaican National Team will announce its final roster for the World Cup at the end of the week.