BY PAUL A REID

OBSERVER WRITER

SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth — Hydel High School’s Samara Spencer was a triple winner at Saturday’s 31st staging of the Grace/STETHS Track and Field Classic held at the St Elizabeth Technical Sports Complex in Santa Cruz, taking the Class 2 girls 100m, long and high jump events.

The former ISSA Girls Champs Class 3 champion and record holder, ran 11.85 seconds to win the 100m after winning the long jump with 5.32m and the high jump with 1.60m.

She was one of several multiple winners on the day that was affected by rain late in the afternoon after a blistering hot morning.

Edwin Allen High girls, in the absence of nemesis Holmwood Technical, dominated the sprints while the favourites all obliged in the throwing events.

Fifty-two teams showed up for the event that meet organiser Reynaldo Walcott described as a success.

Spencer’s teammate Devia Brown, Cornwall College’s Alrick Ottey and Immaculate Conception’s Safia Morgan were double winners.

Meanwhile IAAF World Youth championships boys 400m hurdles gold medallist Marvin Williams opened his season by winning the intermediate hurdles Open in an easy-looking 55.15 seconds.

Williams who ran from lane one, caught teammate Jamar McNaughton by the sixth hurdle and powered away to the win as McNaughton was second in 55.74 seconds and Frome Technical’s Roshane Morgan was third in 1 minute 00.02 seconds.

Vere Technical’s IAAF World Youth finalist Andrenette Knight won the Girls Open 400m hurdles in 1 minute 02.32 seconds ahead of Edwin Allen’s Shannon Kalawan 1 minute 04.11 seconds with another Vere runner Shanice Clarke third in 1 minute 05.77 seconds.

STETHS’ Orlando Smith won the Under-18 boys 400m hurdles in 57.57 seconds beating the Hydel pair of Amario Ferron-58.82 seconds and Renaldo King-1 minute 00.07 seconds.

Ottey jumped 6.38m to win the Class 2 boys long jump ahead of triple jump Open winner Ouekie Wright of STETHS who leapt 6.35m in the long jump with another STETHS athlete Akeem Allen third — 6.08m.

Ottey then cleared a personal best 1.75m on his third attempt at the height to take his second event, beating STETHS’ Jordan Jackson- 1.70m and Cornwall’s Kobe-Jordan Rhooms also at 1.70m.

Morgan who cleared 1.60m to win the Class 1 high jump won the Class 1 girls long jump with 5.67m ahead of triple jump open winner Shardia Lawrence — 5.41m with William Knibb’s Cadine Earle third with 4.76m.

Hydel’s Brown was the only athlete over 41.00m to win the Class 2 discus and was one of two athletes along with Edwin Allen high’s Bristol O’Connor over 10.00m in the Class 2 shot put.

Three Class 1 boys including STETHS IAAF World Youth Relay gold medallist Okeen Williams clocked a hand timed 50.0 seconds in the 400m, with Edwin Allen’s Ryan Holmes and Vere Technical’s T-Wayne Crooks the others.

Wolmers Boys’ Kajel Bennett ran a respectable 10.75 seconds to win the Class 1 boys 100m, just beating STETHS’ Rohan Morrison and Hydel’s Romario Clarke both of whom clocked 10.79 seconds.

Munro College’s Rushane Edwards won the boys’ Class 2 100m in 10.85 seconds well ahead of the pair of Kyle Brown and Rudolph Croll of Green Island High.

Claudette Allen of Edwin Allen High and her teammate Shanice Lewis were first and second in the Class 1 girls 100m in 11.97 seconds and 12.30 seconds respectively beating Manchester high’s Argyanna Bolton, Manchester High — 12.31 seconds.

Calabar’s Basil Bingham won the Class 1 boys discus throw with 58.18m over Petersfield’s Glenford Watson- 52.69m with Munro College’s Bahamian IAAF World Youth representative Drexel Maycock third in 49.65m.

Kevin Nedrick of Petersfield won the Class 2 event with 50.24m, ahead of Cornwall College’s Warren Barrett’s personal best 49.80m while Munro’s Vicarie Elliott third with 48.02m.

Barrett turned the tables in the shot put, winning with 15.40m beating Munro’s Andre Hendrick — 15.00m with Nedrick third with 14.28m.

Grange Hill’s Felecia Streete took the Girls Class 1 discus throw with a mark of 44.89m ahead of Hydel’s Shadae Lawrence — 44.38m and Shanika Walker of Frome Technical 34.82m.

Vere Technical girls and STETHS boys ended the meet on a high with sparkling runs in the Mile Relays,

The team of Deryann Hill, Knight, Shanice Clarke and Yanique McNeil clocked 3 minutes 51.54 seconds to win the 4x400m, Vere’s second relay win of the day after also taking the Distance medley in 12 minutes 25.4 seconds, as Hydel finished second in the 4x400m in 3 minutes 54.96 seconds and Manchester High third in 3 minutes 57/70 seconds.

The STETHS team of Marvin Williams, McNaughton, Leroy Francis and Okeen Williams dominated their event, winning in 3 minutes 20.09 seconds, well ahead of Petersfield High — 3 minutes 26.76 seconds and Holmwood Technical — 3 minutes 28.0 seconds.