Defending girls’ champions Christ Church Foundation School (CCFS) and Harrison College’s boys have stamped their authority on day one of the Sol Esther Maynard Zone of the Barbados Secondary Schools Athletics Championship (BSSAC).
The CCFS Beacons are in a good position to retain their girls title won over the last three years when the zone concludes tomorrow at the National Stadium.
They have a commanding lead with 258.50 points, while Harrison College is in second position on 179, just 24 points ahead of third-placed Alleyne School with 155. Lester Vaughan (88) are in fourth and Coleridge and Parry 76.50 are in fifth.
Harrison College Lions, the reigning kings of BSSAC, have so far tallied 190 points, but are being tracked by CCFS who are just 18 points behind in second place and will have high hopes of doing the double.
During the day’s highlights, 13 zonal records fell and two CARIFTA qualifying standards were met.
Tia Hinds of Harrison College surpassed the 5.80m CARIFTA long jump standard and set a new zonal record of 5.84m in the Under-20 girls’ division.
Dominique Wood of CCFS (5.60m) and Akayla Morris of Harrison College (5.52m) also surpassed the long jump zonal record of 5.49m posted in 2016 by Ashantia Phillips.
Asabi Callender of CCFS also earned her place on the CARIFTA team when she threw 38.63m in the Under-17 girls’ javelin.
Callender overtook the CARIFTA distance of 37.00m and also replaced the zonal record of 30.01m. Her CCFS schoolmate Dessani Waithe’s effort of 31.12m was also further than the old record set in 2017 by Rashanna Thorne.
Hinds and Callender will join Layla Haynes of Harrison College who has already qualified for CARIFTA. This morning Haynes picked up a comfortable win in the Under-17 girls’ 1500m, clocking 5:02.15 to demolish the old record of 5:09.44 set last year by Daesha Brathwaite.
CARIFTA silver medalist Sarah Belle and CCFS schoolmate Jaliyah Denny ran out of separate heats but were the fastest qualifiers in the Under-20 girls’ 100m.
Belle, who is yet to qualify for CARIFTA, crossed the finish line in 12.54 seconds and Denny stopped the clock at 12.59. Belle also won the 100m hurdles in 14.53 seconds but did not challenge her zonal record of 14.26 set in 2019.
Belle and Denny were also part of the 4x100m Under-20 girls’ relay team that won in 48.18 seconds. That quartet included Shakila Blackman, Kyla Cummins.
Avielle Small of CCFS cleared the Under-13 girls’ high jump beautifully at 1.48m to break the old mark of 1.43m set in 2017 by Serena Edwards.
Another high jump record belonging to Edwards formerly of CCFS also fell, when Kenechi Jederon-Harris of Alleyne School replaced the Under-15 girls’ high jump record of 1.46m by a mere meter (1.47m).
Victor ludorum at BSSAC last year, Aren Spencer was among the star performers on show for Harrison College.
Running out of heat two in the 400m alongside the likes of Raheem Taitt-Best of CCFS and CARIFTA silver medalist Savion Hoyte from the Lester Vaughan School, Spencer in his first year in the Under-20 division looked good among the big boys.
Spencer finished second overall in 49.56 seconds behind Hoyte (48.67), whose time was just outside the CARIFTA standard of 48.25. Tafari Bishop of Alleyne clocked 49.70 for the third-fastest time.
In the Under-20 long jump, Spencer registered 6.55m but was outdone by a 6.84m leap compliments Nathan Crawford-Wallis of CCFS who has already qualified for CARIFTA in the triple jump.
Besides Spencer, there were other standouts for Harrison College. Daemon Dawson as expected comfortably clocked 4:29.90 to capture the Under-20 boys’ 1500m.
Ethan Gill blazed to the finish in 26.67 seconds in the Under-13 boys’ 200m, while Tarike Lavine’s measurement of 36.19m topped the Under-17 males’ discus.
CCFS are second in the boys’ standings thanks to persons like Jean-Pierre Hinds who clocked 11.09 seconds in the Under-20 boys’ 100m. That time by Hinds, however, was no match for the 10.95 seconds clocked in the Under-17 100m by speedster Jamarco Gill of St. George.
Alleyne School registered a few records. Kaitlyn Smith threw 28.85m in the junior girl’s javelin to break the previous record of 27.68m belonging to Julisa Jones-Smith. Aniya Nurse, a new addition to the Alleyne team sped to the finish line in 26.07 seconds in the Under-13 girls’ 200m.
Nyima Rogers of Coleridge and Parry (11.92m) is the new record holder for the Under-17 girls’ shot put. She replaced the 2016 mark of 11.84m by Hendrieanne Franklyn.
Princess Margaret also got among the records when Kirese Greaves’ leap of 1.42m in the Under-13 boys’ high jump replaced the 1.40m held by Kemar Butler.
Kyle Babb of Lester Vaughan had a massive 36.51m throw in the junior boys’ discus, shattering the 35.43 created in 2016 by Nathan Crawford-Wallis.
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