Raymond Graham, Freelance Writer
DEFENDING CHAMPIONS University of Technology (UTech) and G.C. Foster College retained their titles as the two-day Inter-Collegiate Track and Field Championships came to an end at G.C .Foster College yesterday.
In the male section, UTech just held on as they edged G.C. Foster by a mere 2.5 points as they totalled 191 to their rivals' 188.5. It took the final event of the day, the men's discus to decide the Championships. Rounding out the other positions were UWI - 89.5, Knox Community College - 73, Mico - 33, Portmore Community College - 28, CASE - 27, Excelsior Community College - 13, Sam Sharpe - three and Moneague - one.
After an early scare from UWI, G.C. Foster showed their class in the latter stages of the day for a commanding 31-point victory and continued their stranglehold on the Championships in the female section as they have never lost here. Final female points standings were G.C. Foster - 212, UWI - 181, UTech - 73, Knox - 41, Excelsior Community College - 39, Portmore - 23, Sam Sharpe - eight, College of Agriculture - six and Mico - three.
Commonwealth Games representative Asafa Powell of UTech highlighted yesterday's final day of competition among the males when he sped to a 9.9 clocking to win the 100 metres ahead of teammate Winston Smith who finished second in 10.1 with Knox's Carl Barrett taking the bronze in 10.3.
Smith made up for his defeat in the 100m by upsetting teammate Ainsley Waugh in the 200m. Smith won in 20.6. Waugh's second-place time was 20.9 with Barrett once again finishing third in 21.3.
National senior representative Lansford Spence of G.C. Foster College was also in good form as his time of 46.1 seconds gave him victory in the 400m over teammate Marvin Essor (46.3) with UTech's Carlington March taking the bronze in 48.1.
Smith and Powell returned later to be part of UTech's winning 4x100m relay team in a respectable time of 39.9 seconds. G.C. Foster (41.0) and Knox (41.4) took the minor places.
UTech was disqualified for changing out of the zone on the first changeover but coach Stephen Francis appealed and won the verdict which ensured the team's overall victory.
The G.C. Foster quartet produced the fastest time on local soil by any team this year in the 4x400m relay when they stopped the clock at 3:08.3. UTech were far behind in second in 3:16.0, just ahead of UWI in 3:16.9.
Former Vere Technical athlete Kashelia Reid stole the show among the females yesterday as she wrote her name in the record books in the shot put. Competing for G.C. Foster College, Reid erased the 20-year-old mark of 12.42m by UWI's Beryl Clarkson in 1983 with a hurl of 13.24m. Her teammate Natalie Pessoa took the silver with 10.98 as Kerry Ann Coombs of UWI took bronze with 10.85.
G.C. Foster's Kimeisha Nelson and Melisha Spencer scored victories yesterday and ended the meet with three individual wins apiece.
Following wins in the long and triple jump on Friday, Nelson won the high jump yesterday with 1.71m and she also finished third in the 100m hurdles.
Following a victory in the 800m on Friday, Spencer captured the 1,500m in 5:04.8 and the 3,000m in 11:27 for her hat-trick. She also finished second in the 400m in 56.6.
UWI's Janice Daley captured the women's sprint double as after winning the 100 metres in 11.1 seconds ahead of G.C. Foste's Sherriann Brooks (11.3) and Alicia Sewell (11.4) she returned to take the 200m. Her winning time in the 200 was 23.5 as Brooks (23.7) and Sewell (24.4) had to settle once again for second and third.
