Black Immigrant Daily News
St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) easily defended both the boys and girls’ titles at the County of Cornwall Athletics Association Western Championships at STETHS in Santa Cruz on Saturday.
The Santa Cruz-based school dedicated both titles in honour of former coach and vice principal Eldermire Smith who died after a bout of illness last weekend.
“It’s mixed emotions for us,” said Marvin James, head coach of STETHS. “This is our first championship without him. He would have been celebrating with us. Today, we came out to do it for him, and that’s what we did winning both titles.”
STETHS won the boys’ championship by all of 160.17 points to secure their ninth consecutive title. They won the girls’ championship by 97.50 points.
In the boys’ race, STETHS compiled 361.50 points for the victory while Munro College finished second with 201.33 points. Herbert Morrison Technical (189.33), Petersfield High (155), and William Knibb Memorial (152) complete the top five.
STETHS tallied 355.50 points to top the girls’ championship. Petersfield High finished second again, this time with 258 points, 21 more than last year. Mount Alvernia High (237), William Knibb Memorial (167.50), and Maggotty High (116) round off the top five.
Lacovia High’s Sabrina Dockery secured the Girls’ Class Two 200m-400m double.
There were several double winners of the two-day meet.
In the girls’ championship, Lacovia High’s Sabrina Dockery secured the Class Two 200m-400m double, Mount Alvernia High’s Sharla Bell and Giana Murray took the Class Three and Class Four sprint doubles, respectively, and Petersfield High’s Alexis James won the Class One 100m hurdles-100m double.
James, who won the silver medal behind teammate Kerrica Hill in the women’s 100m hurdles at the World Under-20 Championships in Cali, Colombia last year, achieved her double victory in meet record times.
After outclassing the field in the Girls’ Class One 100m hurdles final in a meet record time of 13.51 seconds, James returned to get the better of Alvernia High’s Carleta Bernard in the 100m.
James, benefitted from a fast start to win in 11.24 seconds, which bettered the previous record of 11.39 set in 2005 by Michelle Mattis of the Manning’s School.
Bernard also surpassed the previous record, finishing second in 11.34. Jhenelle Jones of STETHS finished third in 12.33.
James’ 13.51 seconds in the Class One 100m hurdles final shattered the previous meet record of 14.42 recorded in 2012 by STETHS’ Adriana Brown.
The Petersfield High athlete finished well clear of STETHS’ Dayjhum Campbell, who finished second in 16.03.
Georgia Adams of Petersfield High finished third in 19.33.
There was another sprint hurdles record among the girls as STETHS’ Habiba Harris won the Class Two 100m hurdles in 13.52 to erase the 13.73 recorded by James in 2021.
Green Island High’s Daynea Colstock (14.83) and STETHS’ Chrystal Salmon (14.88) finished second and third, respectively.
Harris also secured two other gold medals as she helped STETHS to victories in the 4x100m relay and 4x400m relay open. She also secured a silver medal in the Girls’ Class Two 200m, which was won by Dockery in 23.43. Harris clocked 23.94 for her second-place finish.
Aaliyah Foster of Mount Alvernia High School was also in record-breaking form. She won the Girls’ Class One long jump with an effort of 6.19m to erase the 5.88m set in 2020 by Jodian Stewart of STETHS.
The double winners in the boys’ championship were Jamanie Hylton and Shau Lewis of STETHS, Jaydon Brown of Maggotty High, and thrower Javontae Smith of Munro College.
Smith was impressive as he broke two meet records. He outclassed the Class Three discus field with an effort of 54.69m to erase the 49.22m set in 2018 by Altwayne Bedward, also of Munro College. Three of his throws bettered the previous mark.
It was a one-two finish for Munro College as Luke Ridgard finished second with an effort of 46.27m.
Smith’s first meet record came in the shot put at Herbert Morrison Technical High School on Wednesday. He hurled the implement 16.51m to erase the previous meet record of 14.50m, another mark by Bedward.
Brown accounted for the Boys’ Class Three 800m-1500m double, Lewis took the Class Three sprint double and Hylton, the Class One sprint double.
Herbert Morrison Technical’s Deandre Daley poses for a photo after retaining his Class One 100m title in 10.50 seconds.
Herbert Morrison Technical’s Deandre Daley retained his Class One 100m title in 10.50 seconds, just ahead of STETHS’ Javorne Dunkley, who clocked 10.55. Jasauna Dennis, also of STETHS, finished third in 10.87.
Dunkley had earlier beaten Daley in the 200m. The STETHS athlete ran a very good curve and powered home in 20.79 as Daley had to settle for second in 21.70. Lacovia High’s Rosean Smith finished third in 21.80 seconds.
The second regional meet – the Eastern Championships – will take place on Monday and Tuesday at the National Stadium in Kingston.
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