More than 20 schools from right across the island gathered to show their talent in the Inter-Secondary Girls Athletic Championship. Records were broken and some athletes were at the top of their game.

Published Friday, March 30, 1973

EXCELSIOR girls are on top again

Gleaner Sport Reporter

EXCELSIOR continued to monopolise the Inter-Secondary Girls Athletic Championship sports when they gained their fourth straight hold on the title at the National Stadium yesterday.  It was an overwhelming victory for the yellow and green Mountain View girls as they won by 78½ points from their nearest rival, St Hilda’s Diocesan High School.

Excelsior’s victory run was led by Olympian Andrea Bruce, who added a third record and title to the two she had already established yesterday when increasing the long jump record by 5¼ inches with a leap of 18’ 8.3/4”.  She also went on to win the 100 metres high hurdles in 15.4 seconds, which was three-tenths of a second slower than the time she had done in the heats, but still fast enough to beat the previous record.

Five more records fell yesterday as the girls continued to show good form.  Regina Montague broke the Class II 100 metres record yesterday with a 12.1 clocking after she had equalled the 12.3 seconds record the day before.

Excelsior also broke a record they had equalled earlier on in the morning.  This was in the Class I, 4×100 metres relay, with a winning time of 49.1 seconds in the final, breaking the existing record of 49.5 seconds.  Dinthill also set a new record in the Class III 4×100 metres relay, wiping a full second off the old record of 51.8 seconds.

Most stirring

The other record also went in the relays.  This was set by the St Mary High School’s Class II quartet, who did the impressive time of 49.3 seconds in the semi-finals, which is four-tenths of a second off the old record.  They also went on to win the finals. The most stirring event of the day was the 800 metres Open, which saw a most epic struggle between the favourite Carletta McNab of Dinthill and Carmen Watson of York Castle High.  McNab led for most of the way but Watson came level with her at the final turn and, in the homestretch, both were still fighting it out.  But Watson, a strong finisher, caught up with her just before the finish line was in sight and took the race in a time of 2:23.8, which is only one-tenth of a second off the record she had set on the opening day of the meet.  McNab had earlier beaten Watson into sixth place when she won the 400 metres Open in a time of 59.3 seconds.

Apart from Bruce, Regina Montague of Titchfield captured three events: the 100 metres, the 200 metres and the long jump, to become the Class 2 champion.

Marcia Swaby and Shernette Williams, both of Excelsior, took two events each.  Swaby’s victories came in the 100 and 200 metres in Class 1 while Williams' victories were in the Class 4 long jump and high jump.

The final points standings are Excelsior 141, St Hilda’s 62½, Mannings 56, Vere 49½ , Titchfield, Dinthill, 30, Merl Grove and St Andrew High 28 each, St Jago 27, Ardenne 26, Queen’s 25.  Camperdown 19, St Mary 18, York Castle and Clarendon College 17 each, St Elizabeth Technical 16, Mt Alvernia 13, Morant Bay 12, Manchester and Happy Grove 10 each, Oberlin nine, St Andrew Technical six, Kingston Technical four, Wolmer’s three and Holmwood one.  Immaculate Conception High, Tivoli, and Meadowbrook failed to score.

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