Top local high school stars on show at East Coast meet in US

BALTIMORE, Maryland:

More than 120 Jamaican junior athletes will be in action today at the Puma East Coast International Showcase Track and Field meet at the Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex in Landover, Maryland. Action starts at 9 a.m. Jamaica time.

The third staging of the meet has attracted a record 1,200 entries with Jamaica’s athletes set to battle their United States counterparts and athletes from Canada, The Cayman Islands and The Bahamas.

The girls’ 100 metres will take centre stage at the meet. There will be as many as 30 heats with the top 16 on times advancing to two finals.

Heat One will feature Carifta Games under-20 champion Sabrina Dockery of Lacovia High

School, the second fastest Jamaican this year with 11.26 seconds, along with Carifta Games under-17 silver medallist, Adora Campbell of St Jago High.

In heat two are Alliah Baker of Hydel High and her teammate Shemonique Hazle, fresh off their Penn Relays 4x100m success, along with Muschett High’s Shanoya Douglas and Titchfield High School’s Chevauna Grant who was fourth in Class One at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships (Champs). American Briana Selby, the high school indoor 60 metres champion, will also compete in the event.

PRELIMINARY ACTION

There will also be preliminary round action in the 100m hurdles which will feature St Jago’s pair of Bryanna Davidson and Brianna Campbell along with Hydel’s Shania Myers and Holmwood Technical’s Keira Meikle.

The 200m and 400m will be timed finals. The 200m will see Douglas back in action. The 400m will feature, Hydel’s Abigail Campbell and Natassia Fletcher along with American Skyler Franklin who has clocked 51.06 seconds this season.

Excelsior High School’s Damor Miller will lead the charge for the boys in the 100m. The ‘Champs’ class-one winner, with a personal best 10.31, will be accompanied by St Jago’s Raheim Pinnock who was fourth at Champs and Miller’s teammate Lennon Green who was sixth. Green ran the final leg on the winning 4x100m at the Penn Relays.

The outstanding Quincy Wilson of Bullis High, the Penn Relays’ most outstanding high school performer, will feature in the boys’ 400m. The top junior quarter miler in the world with a best of 45.19, will be up against St Jago’s Rashid Buckley and Vere Technical’s Omar James.

Kemarrio Bygrave who has been outstanding for his school and the country at the Carifta Games will be hoping to end his season on a high when he contests the 800m. However, he will come up against Colin Abrams of Bullis High who has gone sub 1:50 this season. Bygrave’s teammates Nellie Ambriton and Samuel Creary will also face the start in the two-lap event.