The Tribune

By Tenajh Sweeting

The Big Red Machine leads the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools Track & Field Championships after a record-breaking day one.

St Augustine’s College’s Big Red Machine came out on top of day one team rankings with a score of 406.50, edging out the second place Queen’s College Comets with 344.

Day one of the BAISS track and field championships featured CARIFTA qualifiers and broken BAISS records in both track and field events.

The Big Red Machine had two CARIFTA qualifiers from the secondary school.

Darvinique Dean, winner of the girls’ under 17 100m hurdles, qualified with a time of 14.64 seconds, beating the CARIFTA qualifying time of 14.89. She was followed by a fellow schoolmate Madison Moss who clocked a time of 15.68. Third runner up was St John’s College’s Valentina Knowles with 16.79.

In the boys under 17 110m hurdles, Quinton Rolle bested the CARIFTA-qualifying time of 15.65 and notched the race’s fastest time with a scorching 14.86.

SAC head coach Jason Edwards praised the efforts of his athletes. “They did exceptional jobs and this meet is one of the prized meets in this country when you talk about high school at the elite level and for them to break these records of past people that [are] probably at the Olympics now or represent the country now in World Championships is phenomenal,” Edwards said.

QC Comets’ Kenny Moxey joined Rolle in qualifying for CARIFTA with a time of 15.19. The Big Red Machine’s Malik White finished third in 16.72.

St John’s College, in third place in the team rankings with a score of 147, also had a CARIFTA qualifier. Tayshun Robinson placed first in the boys under 20 110m hurdles with a time of 14.17, beating not only the competition but the CARIFTA-qualifying time of 14.20.

Robinson credited hard work and shared his coach’s advice for the finals.

“To stay linear, keep leaning forward don’t sit back, attack the hurdle and don’t get scared,” Robinson said.

SAC athletes were once again among day one’s record breakers along with the QC Comets as both Tumani Skinner with 48.37 and Zion Miller with 48.56 shattered the BAISS record of 48.64. The record was held by Kinard Rolle since 2014.

Skinner finished first place and Miller placed second. Clinton Laguerre of the Big Red Machine came in third with a time of 48.85.

The Comets dominated in the under 13 girls 400 metre dash and the 1, 500m run.

Cierra Delancy placed first in the 400m and Olana Prince won the 1,500m with a time of 5:51.64.

Temple Christian’s Jasmine Thompson scored a victory in the under 15 girls 400m dash with a time of 57.52. In the under 15 girls 1,500m run, TC once again bested the competition as Breyteisha Kemp won the long race with a time of 5:23.36.

The Big Red Machine was victorious in the under 15 girls 75 metre hurdles, the under 17 girls 1,500m finals, and the under 20 girls 400m.

For the under 13 boys 400m, SAC’s Jireh Woodside beat the competitors with a time of 57.67 followed by St. Andrew’s Trace Russell (1:03.09), and QC’s Terou Bannister (1:06.10).

St. Andrew’s Trace Russell got the win for the under 13 boys 1,500m with 5:37.19. Second and third place belonged to the Big Red Machine with Brandon Hanna and Kristian Wilson coming right behind.

Andrew Brown from SAC placed first in the under 17 boys 400m with 50.23. Meanwhile, Jayden Cooper and Zion Davis of SJC placed second and third.

SAC’s Eagan Neely won the under 15 boys 400 metres and also broke the 2005 BAISS record for the race in the prelims with a swift 50.62.

Neely said he was happy to achieve this goal. “It feels good because I was trying to break this from last year and now to finally break it, my goal has finally been achieved,” Neely said.

The field events at the 2023 championships had the same amount of excitement as Terrell McCoy from Windsor School starred in the under 17 girls’ shot put.

McCoy not only qualified for this year’s CARIFTA games with a throw of 13.53m, but she also broke the BAISS record of 13.37m previously held by Brashe Wood since 2013.

Comets’ Jamiah Nabbie will join McCoy at the April CARIFTA games after placing first in the under 17 girls long jump with 5.49m, passing the qualifying mark of 5.46M.

While SAC prevailed in the track events, the Comets came out victorious in the girls under 13 high jump and the javelin throw. Among the winners were Samiah Moxey and Malaya Gordon, who placed first and second in the high jump.

Comets Jahzaria Kemp and Caitlin McWilliam came in first and second in the javelin throw, beating Aquinas’ Kaitlyn Philippe who placed third.