After one of the most competitive and action-packed CARIFTA Trials in Bahamian athletics history, a full squad is expected to be ratified and named today, setting the stage for what’s to come in less than two weeks’ time.
A total of 56 Bahamian athletes qualified for the 50th Oaktree CARIFTA Games, given the qualification times and standards that were laid out by the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) at the beginning of the season. Some qualified multiple times and in multiple events, and there were three in particular who qualified in three events each – Darvinique Dean, Jamiah Nabbie and Kenny Moxey Jr.
The ICS Security Concepts Bahamas National High School Track and Field Championships/CARIFTA Trials wrapped up at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium on Monday evening, signaling the end of an intense three-day meet in which the high school nationals and the CARIFTA Trials were combined for the first time.
Now, it’s on to the 50th Oaktree CARIFTA Games, which is set for April 8-10 at the Thomas A. Robinson stadium.
With a combination of junior and senior schools competing, only divisional winners were crowned in the high school nationals portion of the meet.
In the under-14 division, girls and boys combined, the St. Augustine’s College (SAC) Big Red Machine emerged victorious, winning with 236 points. The Queen’s College Comets finished second with 228.50 points, and the C.H. Reeves Raptors finished third with 138 points.
In the under-17 division, girls and boys combined, SAC once again came out on top, winning with 317 points. The Comets finished a distant second with 191.50 points, and the Tabernacle Baptist Academy Falcons finished third with 145 points.
In the under-20 division, girls and boys combined, SAC won with 299 points, the Comets were again second with 179 points, and the Tabernacle Baptist Academy Falcons were third with 93 points.
Finally, in the open division, girls and boys combined, Sunland Baptist won with 23 points, the C.R. Walker Knights were second with 14 points, and there was a four-way tie for third between Doris Johnson Senior High, SAC, the Comets and C.C. Sweeting Senior High, all with 10 points.
Individually, Keyezre Thomas, of Bishop Michael Eldon, emerged as the most outstanding track athlete in the under-14 girls division, scoring the most points in that division. SAC’s Darvinique Dean emerged as the most outstanding track athlete in the under-17 girls division. Quincy Penn, of Moore’s Island All-Age, was the most outstanding track athlete in the under-20 girls division.
The Comets’ Tarjahnaye Green was the most outstanding field athlete in the under-14 girls division. Terrell McCoy, of Windsor School, was the most outstanding field athlete in the under-17 girls division. The Comets’ Lanaisha Lubin finished as the most outstanding field athlete in the under-20 girls division.
Keyshawn Pinder, representing the SPMC (St. Paul’s Methodist College) Saints, emerged as the most outstanding track athlete in the under-14 boys division. Ross Martin, of C.R. Walker, finished as the most outstanding track athlete in the under-17 boys division, scoring the most points in that division. SAC’s Clinton Laguerre finished as the most outstanding track athlete in the under-20 boys division.
Tavaris Roberts, of C.H. Reeves, finished as the most outstanding field athlete in the under-14 boys division. Tabernacle’s Joshua Williams was the most outstanding field athlete in the under-17 boys division. Johnathon Rodgers, of C.I. Gibson Senior High School, finished as the most outstanding field athlete in the under-20 boys division.
Additionally, Thomas had the most points in the under-14 girls division, Jamiah Nabbie, of Queen’s College, scored the most points in the under-17 girls division, and her teammate Annae Mackey scored the most points in the under-20 girls division. Zion Bradford, of Sunland Baptist, and Kamron Henfield, of Queen’s College, tied for the most points in the under-14 boys division. Martin had the most points in the under-17 boys division, and Emmanuel Adams, of C.C. Sweeting, scored the most points in the under-20 boys division.
SAC won seven of the 12 relays, including the under-20 girls and boys 4x100m and 4x400m events, booking their tickets to the 127th running of the Penn Relays, set for April 27-29, 2023, at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They also won the under-17 girls and boys 4x100m relays and the under-14 boys 4x100m relay. The Comets won three of the 12 relays, including the under-14 girls 4x100m relay, the under-14 girls 4x400m relay and the under-17 girls 4x400m relay. The Knights won the under-17 boys 4x400m and the St. John’s College Giants won the under-14 boys 4x400m relay.
As far as the CARIFTA Trials are concerned, there were 56 qualifiers in total. Quite a few qualified in multiple events.
There were five qualifiers in the under-17 boys high jump alone, three of whom had previously qualified, and another who had qualified in another event. Additionally, the sixth-place finisher qualified at a meet earlier this year.
Winning the event with a national high school record of 1.93m (6’ 4”) was Joshua Williams of Tabernacle Baptist Academy. Kenny Moxey Jr., of Queen’s College, and Erris Pratt, of St. George’s High, finished tied for second, both clearing 1.89m (6’ 2-1/4”). Kenyon Johnson, of Kingsway Academy, was the surprise qualifier, also clearing 1.89m, but had to settle for fourth based on number of knockdowns. The final qualifier at the ICS Security Concepts CARIFTA Trials/High School Nationals was Demian Brice II, of SAC. He cleared 1.87m (6’ 1-1/2”) and finished fifth. Claudius Burrows, of Tabernacle, achieved the CARIFTA qualifying height during the season, but could only muster a best of 1.79m (5’ 10-1/2”) at the CARIFTA Trials/High School Nationals. The qualifying height for CARIFTA was 1.85m (6’ 0-3/4”).
Brice previously qualified in the under-17 boys triple jump. He won that event at the CARIFTA Trials/High School Nationals with a leap of 12.82m (42’ 0-3/4”). Davon Davis, of Queen’s College, finished second with a leap of 12.70m (41’ 8”), and Dishon Dean, of Tabernacle, rounded out the top three with a distance of 12.59m (41’ 3-3/4”). The qualifying distance for CARIFTA was 12.94m (42’ 5-1/2”).
Moxey is a qualifier in the under-17 boys 110m hurdles and also the open boys pole vault.
In the final of the hurdles on Monday, he finished second behind SAC’s Quinton Rolle in 15.07 seconds. Rolle won in a blazing personal best time of 14.65 seconds and Moxey was second. SAC’s Malik White finished third in 16.85 seconds. The qualifying time for CARIFTA was 15.65 seconds.
“It was a rough season for me but I pulled through. I just want to thank God, my mother and everyone who pulled for me,” said Rolle. “My goal is to go out there, enjoy the run and keep the gold in The Bahamas at CARIFTA. I represented The Bahamas before and it will be a joy to do it again. I’m looking forward to it.”
Moxey was the sole competitor in the open boys pole vault and matched the CARIFTA qualifying height of 3.60m (11’ 9-3/4”).
A couple of athletes went under the standard in the under-20 boys 110m hurdles. Tayshaun Robinson, of St. John’s, qualified earlier in the season, and did so again at the CARIFTA Trials/High School Nationals, running a personal best of 14.08 seconds for the gold medal. Running unattached, Otto Laing clocked 14.15 seconds for the silver medal, qualifying for CARIFTA for the first time. Lavardo Deveaux, who previously qualified in the open boys octathlon, competed unattached and ran 14.98 for third. The qualifying time for CARIFTA was 14.20 seconds.
“I’m excited and ready to go, ready to go out there and represent my country,” said Robinson. “I told myself to just stay focused, execute my race and just push through. This is a dream come true and I’m overly excited right now.”
In the under-14 girls 75m hurdles, SAC’s Jayla Smith was victorious, winning in 12.83 seconds. Demaiyah Lockhart, of Jack Hayward High, was a distant second, finishing in 14.85 seconds, and her teammate Rosay Palmer came in third in 15.05 seconds.
It was a 1-2 finish for SAC in the under-14 boys 80m hurdles. Nathon King edged his teammate Dwayne Saunders, winning in 13.20 seconds. Saunders was second in 13.25 seconds. Dameco Davis, of Jack Hayward High, finished third in 13.30 seconds.
In the under-17 girls javelin, SAC’s Kamera Strachan and Dior-Rae Scott both surpassed the CARIFTA qualifying distance again, and so did Taysha Stubbs, of Nassau Christian Schools (NCS). Strachan won the competition with a throw of 43.59m (143’). Scott, the CARIFTA champion and CARIFTA record holder from a year ago, finished second with a toss of 42.29m (138’ 9”). Stubbs was third with a throw of 35.84m (117’ 7”). The qualifying distance for CARIFTA was 35.35m (115’ 11”).
In the under-20 girls long jump, Lanaisha Lubin, of Queen’s College, qualified in her second event for the 50th Oaktree CARIFTA Games, leaping 5.58m (18’ 3-3/4”). Lubin, who earlier qualified in the under-20 girls triple jump, joined SAC’s Apryl Adderley as a qualifier in the long jump event. Adderley previously qualified during the season, and was second in the final at the CARIFTA Trials/High School Nationals, leaping 5.49m (18’ 0-1/4”). Koi Adderley, competing unattached, finished third with a distance of 5.45m (17’ 10-3/4”). The qualifying distance for CARIFTA was 5.51m (18’ 1”).
In the under-17 girls 200m, Jamiah Nabbie, of Queen’s College, qualified in her third event for the CARIFTA Games. She stopped the clock at 24.52 seconds to go under the qualifying time of 24.83 seconds for the first time this season. She has also qualified in the 100m and the long jump. SAC’s Shayann Demeritte was second in 25.27 seconds and her teammate Alexis Roberts finished third in 25.56 seconds.
“This feels awesome. I knew I could do it. Going into CARIFTA, I’m going to push even harder,” said Nabbie. “This wasn’t easy at all. I had to work on a lot of things, including my diet and health issues. I did that building up to the CARIFTA Trials and it paid off.”
In the under-17 boys version of that race, Cayden Smith, of Henry B. Plant High School in Tampa, Florida, United States, won that event and qualified for CARIFTA with a time of 21.87 seconds, going under the CARIFTA qualifying time of 22.08 seconds. SAC’s Andrew Brown, who has qualified in the 100m and 400m, was second in 22.14 seconds, and Aiden Kelly, of Tabernacle Baptist Academy, finished third in 22.24 seconds.
“This feels great. It’s amazing. The 200 is my race. I own it. I knew what I had to do and I just went out there and did it,” said Smith. “I visualized that time, and I was able to get it. This is my mom’s home country, so it will be an honor to come here and compete. I’m looking forward to it.”
One of the more special athletes and special performances of the three-day meet came from 13-year-old Keyezra Thomas of Bishop Michael Eldon High School. Thomas, who just turned 13 in January, was a triple gold medalist, winning the under-14 girls 200m, 400m and long jump events, actually qualifying for CARIFTA in the 400m. She ran a torrid 56.28 seconds for the gold medal in the under-14 girls 400m, finishing more than eight seconds faster than the second-place finisher, and also faster than the gold medalist in the under-17 girls 400m. Due to her young age, she is ineligible to compete at CARIFTA, but certainly established herself as a force to be reckoned and one to watch in the future.
In the under-14 girls 200m on Monday, Thomas won in 25.28 seconds. Zara Fraser, of Queen’s College, was a distant second in 26.38 seconds. Brion Ward, of T.A. Thompson, finished third in 26.74 seconds.
“Next year, I’m looking forward to making it to the CARIFTA team and any other team that I qualify for,” Thomas said. “This was a good experience for me and I enjoyed it. I feel amazing. I’m happy and glad that I came to compete. I’m just surprised and happy. I just had to come over here and do what I always do. I just want to thank God, my parents, my coaches and everyone who supported me.”
Quincy Penn, of Moore’s Island All-Age School, won the under-20 girls 200m, just missing the CARIFTA standard of 24.40 seconds. She prevailed in 24.53 seconds. SAC’s Amari Pratt, who qualified in the 200m earlier in the season, was second on Monday in 24.70 seconds. Her teammate Nya Wright finished third in 24.82 seconds.
“We don’t have the proper facilities in Moore’s Island. We train on a grass track, so to come here and run against girls who train on this track and win, that’s a good feeling,” said Penn. “I’m proud of myself. This feels awesome. Hopefully, I can get on the CARIFTA team.”
Running unattached, Adam Musgrove won the under-20 boys 200m in 21.57 seconds. He missed the qualifying time of 21.40 seconds but qualified in the 200m earlier in the season and qualified in the 100m on Saturday. Jeremiah Adderley, of NCS finished second in 21.63 seconds and SAC’s Jonathon Fowler crossed the finish line in third in 21.69 seconds.
Johnathon Rodgers, of C.I. Gibson Senior High School, won the under-20 boys triple jump, qualifying for CARIFTA with a distance of 15.10m (49’ 6-1/2”). He is also a CARIFTA qualifier in the under-20 boys long jump. Competing unattached, La’Quan Ellis also qualified for CARIFTA in the triple jump, leaping 15.04m (49’ 4-1/4”). Rollie Hanna, of Anatol Rodgers, finished third with a jump of 14.12m (46’ 4”). The qualifying distance for CARIFTA was 14.68m (48’ 2”).
Bayli Major, of SAC, qualified for CARIFTA in the under-17 girls triple jump again, leaping 11.73m (38’ 6”) for the gold medal on Monday. The qualifying mark for CARIFTA was 11.42m (37’ 5-3/4”). Competing unattached, Zoe Adderley finished second with a distance of 11.33m (37’ 2-1/4”). Darrinique Morris, of C.V. Bethel Senior High School, was third with a jump of 10.27m (33’ 8-1/2”).
More results can be found on the website tekresults.net.
The 50th Oaktree CARIFTA Games is just 12 days away, set for April 8-10 at the Thomas A. Robinson stadium.
Tickets for CARIFTA can be purchased online at the website www.carifta50.com or in person at the box office at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium. Daily rates start at $5 and go up as high as $50 for the VIP section. There are also tickets for all three days that start from $40 for the bronze section and go up to $130 for the VIP section.