By Paul A. Reid,
Staff Reporter
WESTERN BUREAU -
ST. ELIZABETH Technical High School (STETHS) romped to their third straight hold on the Milo Girls Western Championships when they scored a massive 444 points in the one-day meet held at Alpart Sports Club in Nain, St. Elizabeth on Tuesday.
The champions doubled the total points of their nearest rivals.
It was total dominance by the Eldemire Smith-coached team as the battle was for the minor placings from the start of the meet as STETHS won three of the first four events to stamp their class. The former national champions were so far ahead after the flat and field events that they did not have to run any of the relays and would have still won by a wide margin.
The meet was not without more than its fair share of controversy as an overall champion was not declared until a day after the event.
Manning's national junior representative Althea Aikens had 35 individual points but it was discovered she had entered in more than the maximum three individual events.
Anchovy High's 13-year-old Schillione Calvert was the only triple winner (100m in 12.7, 200m in 27.52 and the 70m hurdles in 12.64). She scored 27 points and was the Overall and Class Four champion and also anchored her team to victory in the 4x100m relay.
STETHS dominated all the other individual awards. Three athletes, Veronica Gooden, Erica Morgan and Janice Smythe, shared Class One honours with 25 points; Andrea Smythe was Class Two champion with 25 points while Shaniecka Guthrie and Sherika Williams shared Class Three honours with 18 points each.
Herbert Morrison Technical announced their arrival on the track scene with a well-earned second place with 168 points, jumping all the way from eighth last year.
A rebuilding Hampton High was third with 144 points, Mannings fourth with 125 and Grange Hill rounding out fifth place with 112.
The other schools earning points were: Williams Knibb 78, Montego Bay High School 73, Anchovy High 65, Black River 56, Westwood 53, Lacovia 51, Green Island 46, Rusea's High 36, Cedric Titus 34, Little London 26, Maldon 19, Mt. Alvernia 14, Balaclava and Lewisville five and Cambridge four.
The Boys Western Athletics championships will be staged at Rusea's High in Lucea, Hanover next Tuesday.
