STETHS sweep COCAA high school champs

Monday, February 20, 2012

CATHERINE HALL, St James — St Elizabeth Technical High swept both sections of the Milo County of Cornwall Athletics Association's (COCAA) Western High schools Championships on Saturday night as the championships ended at the Montego Bay Sports Complex.

The Santa Cruz-based school joined Mannings School, who were the first to accomplish the feat nearly 10 years ago as they overtook early leaders and defending champions Munro College to win the boys sections for only the second time by six-and-half points (409.5 points to 403).

The girls led from the start to win their 11th straight title and were never challenged by beating Herbert Morrison Technical by over 130 points (440 points to 301.5).

STETHS ended Saturday's third day on a high by smashing the records in both 4x400m relay finals, two of the 15 records broken and one equalled on Saturday.

STETHS Boys coach Eldemire Smith, who was winning his first Western Champs title at the school, said despite trailing their St Elizabeth neighbours by 66 points after 12 finals on Thursday’s eliminations in Santa Cruz, the coaching staff never panicked but felt they were still in with a shot of winning.

Of the 15 records that were broken, Alethia McLaughlin's 4:49.46 in the Girls Class Two 1,500m and her Class Three teammate Tasha Daley, who ran 5:08.73 to win her race, were among the most outstanding on the day.

McLaughlin, a national junior representative lowered the one-year-old mark of 5:08.11 seconds set by her teammate Nickesha Williams, while Daley erased former Albert Town's Marvia McLeish's 5:11.9 seconds set in 2003 from the books.

Munro College's Delano Williams took the first round from Green Island's Odail Todd by winning the boys Class One sprint double in personal bests of 10.34 seconds and 20.54 seconds in what was the premier match-up of the day.

Williams, the CARIFTA Games Under-20 200m champion for the Turks and Caicos Islands, broke the 100-metre record of 10.4 seconds held by three athletes, but his 200m was slower than the 20.3 seconds set by William Knibb's Usain Bolt back in 2003.

Todd, the IAAF World Youth Championships 100m gold medallist, lowered his 100m personal best to 10.42 seconds, while equalling his 200m best of 21.00 seconds.

Green Island just missed the Class One 4x100m record after running 41.10 seconds, a week after running 40.50 seconds at the Western Relays.

Herbert Morrison Technical's Seidatha Palmer signalled that she was getting back to full fitness after an injury plagued 2011 season by easily winning the Class One Girls sprint double in 11.94 seconds and 24.27 seconds, finishing ahead of teammate Kenesha Stephens on both occasions.

She then returned to anchor the 4x100m team to an easy win in 46.53 seconds, a meet record.