Paul A. Reid, Staff Reporter
Mona High's Shanika Clarke (left) takes the baton from teammate Shanay Thompson during a practice session at Franklin Field yesterday. Mona will take part in the Girls 4x100m and 4x400m events today. - PHOTO BY PAUL REID
PHILADELPHIA:
JAMAICAN HIGH schools are expected to at least equal last year's tally of two Championship of Americas wins as the 111th staging of the Penn Relays Carnival gets under way at Franklin Field under what is expected to be challenging weather conditions today.
Local weather experts are forecasting rain and thunderstorms for the first two days and cool temperatures throughout the three days with highs of just over 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
Twenty-nine high schools and two college teams from Jamaica have been entered in the event that is described by organisers as the world's largest annual track and field meet, and the prospects are for a successful year by the Jamaicans.
Jamaican girls high schools won two events last year, Edwin Allen retaining the High School Girls 4x800m while Vere Technical set the record in the 4x100m. The boys were winless for the second straight year, the longest period without a win since the early 1970s.
Jamaicans have also been tagged as favourites in a number of individual events.
Meanwhile, the Steven Francis-coached University of Technology (UTech) and G.C. Foster will take part in the College Women's 4x100m heats and are vying to become the first Jamaican female college team to win an event here. A Francis-coached UTech men's team won the men's 4x200m event here two years ago.
HOLMWOOD FOR GLORY
After failing to win a championship relay event in the past two years, Holmwood Technical are expected to return to the glory of 2001 when they swept three titles in the 4x100m, 4x400m and 4x800m events.
The Maurice Wilson-coached team that retained its VMBS Girls' Champs title in March has been named favourite to take the 4x100m, 4x400m and 4x800 events by the official Penn Relays website. A lingering injury to Schillionie Calvert that kept her out of the CARIFTA Games last month and the ineligibility of Anniesha McLaughlin will, however, put a damper on the Manchester School's chances.
McLaughlin, the IAAF World Junior Games double 200m silver medallist, used up her four years of eligibility last year and is expected to be a part of the national team that will compete here on Saturday.
Holmwood come into the meet with the best credentials in all three events but are expected to get stiff competition from compatriots Edwin Allen High and St Jago.
Holmwood's fastest times this year, the 44.25 seconds set by the Class One team to establish the new record at Champs, is faster than the 44.32 set by Vere last year but without McLaughlin and Calvert, they may not run that fast.
Interestingly, the second fastest time over the event was set by the Edwin Allen Class Two team 45.37 seconds.
St. Jago's coach, Raymond 'KC' Graham, was in his customary confident mood yesterday when he told The Gleaner he predicted his foursome would win the event for the first time since 2002. That year St Jago were promoted to the top spot after Holmwood were disqualified after winning the race.
Graham said his team of Kadine Mason, Latoya King, Sudian Davis and CARIFTA double gold medallist Natasha Ruddock would run 44-plus seconds which, he said, was good enough to win the event.
Twelve Jamaican schools are set to take part including Clan Carthy, Manchester High, Mona, Queen's, St Andrew's and Wolmer's Girls.
Of note, record holders Vere Technical will not be fielding a team this year due to injuries to key runners and coach Dwayne Jarrett told The Gleaner last week he would not risk them at this high-profile meet.
BEST MEET TIMES
Holmwood have been unbeaten all season long in both the 4x400 and 4x800m and boast the best times coming into the meet. Their 3:36.46 seconds at Champs is at least two seconds faster than any other team, including Edwin Allen who ran 3:38.16 for second then.
Graham said he will be running his best team for the first time this season with the return of Shanika Smikle to full fitness and thinks his team will make the finals after a decent 3:43-plus at Gibson Relays.
Other Jamaican schools in the race are Mona, Alpha, Manchester
High, St Andrew's, Wolmer's Girls' and Queen's.
Holmwood won the last of their four straight 4x800m titles in 2001 and have a season's best 9:01.26 seconds run at Gibson Relays and will be seeking to make it 19 of the last 20 titles for Jamaican schools after Edwin Allen won the last two.
The top American challenge is expected to come from Boys and Girls High of Brooklyn, winners in 2002, after they ran 9:04.29 indoors while Long Beach Poly of California ran 9:18.17 to win at the recent Mt. SAC Relays.
In the one other High School relay event today, Vere will be the lone Jamaican entrant in the Distant Medley Relay 1200x400x800x1600, an event they last won in 1995 the last of the six titles.
In the individual events, CARIFTA Under-20 gold medallist Sherene Pinnock of Edwin Allen High is set to lock horns with 400m hurdles defending champion and record holder Nicole Leach of West Catholic High here in Philadelphia.
Pinnock, who finished second at Champs after a series of mishaps, rebounded with a personal best 57.18 seconds in Tobago last month and will be seeking to finish ahead of the American for the second straight time. Pinnock beat Leach by inches for the bronze at last summer's IAAF World Junior Games in Italy after losing to her here last year.
Champs winner Nickeisha Wilson of Alpha, who has a season best 57.38 when she won the silver medal at CARIFTA, and Tashana Willock of St. Jago are also entered in the one-lap event.
Kimberley Williams of Vere is tipped to win the triple jump event after a season best 13.09m at Champs while St Andrew High's Latoya Heath is also expected to challenge for a gold watch.
Four Jamaicans led by St Jago's Tamara Francis will challenge Long Beach Poly's defending champion Shanna Woods in the long jump. Trinidad's CARIFTA gold medallist Rhonda Watkins is also a favourite here while Holmwood's Rose-Marie White, Anna-Kay Campbell of St Andrews and Rene White of Wolmer's are also entered. Suesanna Williams of St Hughes is the lone Jamaican entrant in the javelin event; Claudia Calder of Alpha will take part in the high jump while Champs double gold medallist Phelecia Reynolds of St Hughes will line up in the shot put event won last year by her former teammate Nadia Alexander.
