STETHS girls ahead at Western Champs
MARTHA BRAE, Trelawny — Frome Technical’s Danielle Thomas defended her Class 2 discus and javelin Open titles on yesterday’s girls elimination day of the Milo County of Cornwall Athletics Association’s Western Champs at William Knibb High School.
Thomas had a season-best 32.72m to win the discus, event, then heaved the javelin 34.74m after losing her shot put Open title, taking second place for 25 of her school’s 49 points.
Herbert Morrison’s Lisa Grant was also a double winner, taking the shot put in a personal best 10.59m, as well as the Class 1 discus in 30.09m.
Defending champions St Elizabeth Technical High (STETHS) lead with 137 points after 12 finals — 70 more than second-placed Herbert Morrison, with Frome in third going into Saturday’s finals to be held at Herbert Morrison in Montego Bay.
The boys’ eliminations will be held tomorrow, also at Herbert Morrison, and 26 schools, led by defending champions Munro College, are set to take part.
Yesterday’s meet was held under mostly cool conditions with rain threatening late in the day, but held up long enough for 12 of the 14 scheduled finals to be completed.
The finals of the Class 3 long jump will be held on Saturday, along with the Class 1 event.
There were two surprise results on the day as STETHS’ Alethia McLaughlin won the Class3 1500m in 4 minutes 56.86 seconds, upsetting Frome Technical’s defending champion Stephanie Barrett, who ran 4:59.70.
William Knibb’s Omelia Montaque won the Class 2 event, while Herbert Morrison’s Nicola Green won the Class 1 race.
Frome’s Sasha Gaye Whyte was a surprise winner of the Class 4 high jump with 1.50m ahead of the STETHS’ pair of Moesha Reid and Zoya Jones, who both cleared 1.45m.
Jones returned to win the long jump with 4.55m, however.
World Youth Championships fourth-placed finisher Rochelle Farquharson of STETHS duly obliged in the Class 2 long jump, winning easily with 5.75m and beating teammate Peter Gay Reid, 5.44m, and Tamara Webb of Maude McLeod, 4.89m.
Mannings School made a winning return to the event after two years away as Omesha Locke, their only representative, won the Class 2 discus with 31.02m, beating Sara Findlayson of Grange Hill and STETHS Shamoy Jones.
Points standing after 12 finals
STETHS 137, Herbert Morrison 67, Frome 49, St James High 30, Hampton School 28, Maude Mcleod 26, Godfrey Stewart 21, William Knibb 12, Spot Valley and Grange Hill 11, Mannings and Cambridge 9, Irwin 6, Hopewell High 5, Balaclava 4, Mt Alvernia High 3.