Hydel claim 12th straight Prep Champs title

Accustomed to dominating this competition, Hydel Preparatory were made to sweat on their way to winning a 12th straight Tastee National Preparatory Schools Track and Field Championships at the National Stadium yesterday.

Hydel bettered Mona Prep by 188 points at last year's championships, but only 28 points separated the St Catherine-based school from second-placed Vaz Prep as the curtain came down on the three-day meet.

The Corey Bennett-coached Hydel, who were winning their 18th overall title, tallied 243 points to finish ahead of rivals Vaz, which scored 215 points. They were followed by Mona (118), Belair (116), Quest (73.50), Lannaman's and Stella Maris (67 each), Wolmer's (61), Mount St Joseph (58), Emmanuel Christian Academy (57), Sts Peter and Paul (50), St Andrew (48), Knox Junior (45), Ardenne (42) and St John's (39).

"This year's championship was pretty close because it went to the wire. It was not like last year when we won by almost two hundred points," Bennett noted.

"We had some quality performances from our athletes, especially in Class One among the boys and girls. I thought our Class Two girls team also performed well and so I am happy that we were able to defend our title," Bennett added.

Hydel's Kerrica Hill was among the standout performers of the championships. She captured the Class One sprint double. Hill won the 300m in 41.46 ahead of Lannaman's Mikayla Gardener, 43.00, and Misha-Jade Samuels, 45.75.

Hill then returned an hour later to win the 200m in 26.32 in front of Belair's Alexia Beckford, 26.78, and Vaz's Jounee Armstrong, 26.86.

SPRINT DOUBLE CHAMPION

Ardenne's Gary Card was a sprint double champion in Class Two, winning the boys' 100m in 13.69 ahead of Vaz's Romario Williams, 13.76, and Sadrea Thomas of Wolmer's, 13.80. Card then sped to 21.12 seconds to win the 150m event ahead of Belair's Timos Blake, 21.29, and Rashad Miller from Mount St Joseph, 21.33.

Sts Peter and Paul's Jayd'n Johnson won the boys' Class One 100m in 12.46 seconds ahead of Kyle Richards from Bright Beginning, 12.76, and Jaheim Labeach from Knox Junior, 12.86. However, Johnson was denied the sprint double when he was beaten in the 200m by St Andrew's Jaden Mohan, who won the event in 26.27. Johnson ended up crossing second in 26.40 while third went to Dante Dacres from Hydel in 26.57.

Belair's Alexia Beckford won the girls' Class 100 in 13.23, with Vaz's Jounee Armstrong, 13.32, taking second place and Jarvia Hinds from St Catherine, 13.50, finishing third.

Dante Dacres (Hydel) won the boys' Class One 400m in 57.12 ahead of St John's Mark's Miller, 1:00.49, and Richard Archer of Lannaman's, 1:00.50.

In the class Two girls' 150m, Hydel's Jody-Ann Daley, 21.36, finished ahead of Alexa Pusey from Mount St Joseph, 21.49, and Ackeila Grant from Hydel, 21.84.