Edwin Allen’s girls put on sprinting clinic

Led by a brilliant 11.34-second performance from Alexxe Henry in the Class 1 Girls’ 100 metres at Saturday’s 32nd staging of the Pure Water/R Danny Williams Development Meet at the Ashenheim Stadium, Edwin Allen’s girls swept the shortest sprint in all classes.

Henry, out of Trinidad and Tobago, who anchored the Frankfield-based team to victory in the Championships of America 4x100 metres relay at last year’s Penn Relays in Philadelphia, destroyed Carifta Under-20 double sprint champion Shanoya Douglas of Holland High with a superb performance, giving the former Muschett High athlete a rare defeat on local soil.

The female sprint race of the meet with a line-up that also included Shemonique Hazle of Hydel turned out to be a non-contest, as Henry controlled the race early and won going away. In doing so, Henry broke the one-year-old meet record of 11.39 set by Sabrina Dockery, formerly of Lacovia High. Douglas, now competing for Holland High, ended second in 11.50, with Hazle finishing third overall in 12.01.

Another overseas-based athlete at Edwin Allen, Kereile Etienne of Dominica, was also impressive, topping her peers in Class 2. Etienne won her heat comfortably in a personal-best 11.85 to be the only Class 2 athlete under the 12-second barrier. First-year Class 2 athlete Shameika McLean of Foga Road High won her heat in a personal-best 12.01 for the second-fastest time of the day in the class, with third going to Sashana Johnson of Hydel in 12.20.

Edwin Allen’s Monique Bogle and Danelia Clarke posted the fastest times in Class 4 and Class 3, respectively. Bogle won Class 4 in a personal-best 12.40, while teammate Niesha Campbell was second with a personal-best 12.53. Shanana Chin of Wolmer’s Girls’ was third in 12.56.

Clarke was also in fine form after posting a personal-best 12.21 to win Class 3, ahead of Holmwood Technical’s Adalia Simpson, second in a personal-best 12.26, with Tawaine Morrison of Knox College, third in 12.34.

Earlier, Edwin Allen posted two big wins through Maria Crossfield in the 400m hurdles Open and Tashana Godfrey in the Class 3 80-metre hurdles.

Competing in the opening event of the day, Crossfield posted a personal-best 1:02.66 to win the 400m hurdles, as Hydel’s Natassia Fletcher was second overall in 1:02.74, with Crossfield’s teammate Shanique Cassanova ending third in 1:03.79.

TWO WINS

It was also a good meet for Hydel High’s girls. Trinidadian Oshea Cummings led the way with her two wins in the Class 3 400 metres in 56.93 seconds and the 800 metres in 2:16.63. The times were personal bests.

Hydel also had good results in the field events with Zavian Bernard (12.33 metres) and Sabrina Atkinson (12.28 metres) finishing first and second in the Open triple jump.

Wolmer’s Girls’ had double success in the hurdles. Akeelah Bell won the Class 2 100m hurdles in a meet-record 13.47 seconds, while Tiana Marshall did so in the Class 1 100m hurdles in 13.66 seconds.

Among the boys, Robert Miller of Hydel led the way, the former Calabar High standout in his first outing for his new school, posting meet records. He captured the 110m hurdles in 13.76 seconds and the 400m hurdles in 51.10 seconds.

Michael Dwyer of Kingston College (KC) finished second in the 110m hurdles, clocking 14.01, while in the 400m hurdles, his teammate Jahvanie Tyrell was second in 51.85. Jamaica College’s Tajay Black was third in the one-lap obstacle event, clocking 52.00.

Hosts Jamaica College (JC) had several big wins. It started in the field with Joseph Salmon producing a meet-record 66.32 metres to win the Boys’ Class 1 discus. There was also a meet record for his teammate Michael Andre Edwards in the Class 1 triple jump, who’s winning mark was measured at 15.58 metres. Calabar’s Antonio Anderson ended second with 15.14 metres.

Samuel Creary took the Boys’ Class 1 800m in 1:52.56 for JC, while his teammate Rikardo Lee won the Class 3 event in 2:02.94.

Johan Ramaldo Smythe, competing for his new school Holland High, ruled supreme in the Boys’ Class 1 100m, the former Muschett High standout winning in a meet-record 10.47. JC’s pair of Makaelem Woods (10.56) and Omary Robinson (10.59) ended second and third overall.

Wolmer’s Boys’ Deandre Myers dominated the Class 1 400 metres, topping the field in a meet-record 49.26 seconds. The JC duo of Rushane Richards (49.67) and Orel Lawrence (49.98) finished second and third overall.