By Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer 
Morant Bay's Adian Ewart (third right) passes over the baton to anchor leg runner Oshayne Walcott in the 4x100m Class Two boys event at the National Stadium yesterday. Morant Bay won the event in 45.15 seconds. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer
MORANT BAY High retained their Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS)-sponsored Eastern Schools Athletics Championship title in style at the National Stadium yesterday.
The champions tallied 660.5 points to top the overall section, 217.5 points ahead of nearest rivals and many-time defending champions Oberlin (443), Glengoffe (368.5), St. Thomas Technical (231), St. Mary High (212.5), Yallahs (205), Seaforth (184.5), St. Mary's College (142), Tacky (116) and Titchfield (107).
Morant Bay took home the JNBS Trophy and $30,000 worth of gift certificates for their efforts.
The school from the St. Thomas capital also captured the female and male sections with 337 and 323.5 points respectively. Again, they were awarded with gift certificates totalling $30,000.
Oberlin (230), Glengoffe (183), St. Thomas Technical (165) and Yallahs (117) rounded off the top five girl schools while Oberlin (213), Glengoffe (185.5), St. Mary High (128.5) and Seaforth (117.5) were among the top five boy teams.
Rohan Bryan, Morant Bay's coach, said he expected more points.
EXTREMELY HAPPY
"Our margin of victory was a little less than we expected, but that is that ... We are extremely happy," Bryan said.
"The athletes came to perform. We had a lot of illness, the flu was in the camp, but they shrugged it off and they really put their hearts into it and performed," he said.
National representative Andre Drummond broke one of three records at the meet on his way to being crowned boys' overall champion with 27 points while Carrie Russel of St. Thomas Technical took the female crown, also with 27 points.
Drummond's time of 1:56.16 was good enough to break the Class One boys' 800m mark. Nykoya Forrester hurdled 12.83 to establish a new girls' 70m hurdles Class Four mark while Nikeisha Small threw 32.16 metres for the new javelin Open mark.
Drummond and Russel won themselves JNBS trophies and $10,000 JNBS gift certificates and $5,000 book vouchers from Jamaica Public Service for their efforts.
Other individual champions were: Girls Tonique Sobah of Morant Bay (Class Four); St. Thomas Technical's Carie Russell (Class Three); Kimona Smith of Morant Bay (Class Two) and Christine Day of Tacky (Class One).
Boys Akino Ming of Happy Grove (Class Three); Jameal Forbes of Morant Bay (Class Two) and Dwight Webley of Morant Bay (Class One)
All the class champions received $3,000 start accounts and trophies from JNBS.
