High-school powerhouses to square off at East Coast Showcase

THE COUNTRY’S top high-school athletes hope to continue their impressive form this season at the fast-becoming-popular East Coast Showcase where they will battle with their United States, Haitian, Belizean, Caymanian, and Canadian counterparts.

The meet, to be held at the PG Sports and Learning Complex in Landover, Maryland, takes place on Saturday, May 5, one week after the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, and is the brainchild of former Jamaican Olympian quarter-miler Sanjay Ayre.

Muschett High School’s Shanoya Douglas, fresh off her success in the girls’ Under-20 200 metres at the Carifta Games, where she ran a personal-best 23.03 seconds, will lead the female charge in that event and the 400 metres.

Coming off a major 100-metre win over Edwin Allen’s Theianna-Lee Terrelonge in the girls’ Under-20 event at Carifta where she also ran a personal best, clocking 11.26 seconds, Lacovia High School’s Sabrina Dockery will also contest the shortest sprint.

Other girls down to compete include the outstanding Class 1 Hydel High duo of Alliah Baker and Abigail Campbell.

Baker won the sprint double at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships in Class 1, while Campbell’s resumé boasts gold at Champs and silver at Carifta in the 400. Baker was fourth in the 100 metres at last year’s staging of the East Coast Showcase.

The United States also boasts a powerful ensemble, with Briana Shelby, the USA High School indoor 60-metre champion.

Shelby, who will contest the 100 and 200 metres, broke the indoor 60 record, clocking 7.19 seconds.

Sydney Sutton, the New Balance bronze medallist in the 400 metres in 53.04 seconds, will contest the one-lap event.

Other top US athletes include Avery Lewis, the Nike 60 metres champion who will also contest the 100 metres, and Elise Cooper, the Nike 200 metres champion.

Following his surprise win at Champs in the Class 1 100 metres, in a personal best 10.31 seconds, Damor Miller will lead a strong contingent of Excelsior athletes.

Miller hopes to improve on last year’s fourth-place finish when he clocked 10.56 seconds. He will be joined in the 100 metres by St Jago’s Raheem Pinnock, who finished fourth at Champs.

Miller’s teammate, Daniel Wright, who won the 110-metre hurdles last year, will be hoping to defend his title.

Carifta Under-20 800 and 1500-metre champion, Kemarrio Bygrave of Jamaica College, will contest the 800m.

The United States’ charge will be led by defending 400-metre champion Quincy Wilson, out of Bullis High School.

Wilson, who won the event in 46.11 seconds last year, has gone on this season to take almost a second off that time, his personal best now standing at 45.19.

Jake Okey Jordan, the US indoor 200 champion, with a best of 20.66, will contest the half-lap event. Dominick Corley, the 60-metre indoor champion with 6.67 seconds, will line up in the 100 metres, while Colin Abrams, who was second in the 800 metres in 1:49.71 minutes at the New Balance Indoor Meet, will contest the two-lap event.