By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE St Anne’s Bluewaves, in their quest to improve on their athletic programme, took a 14-member swim team to Jamaica to compete over the weekend.

The contingent of 30, including parents and family members, competed in the Hillel Caribbean Invitational on Saturday. It was the second time that St Anne’s competed in the meet.

Head coach Dellan Brown said the meet was an opportunity for St Anne’s to test their skills on the international level in what will become an annual triangular meet.

He noted that they have added the Cayman Islands to the meet, which will be hosted here at St Anne’s next year.

“We had a wonderful time,” Brown said. “It wasn’t a scoring meet, but we had a number of swimmers who got first place or finished in the top three in their events.”

Among the top performers were the following:

Jaya Green in the girls 7-8 25m breaststroke in 29.99 seconds and 25m backstroke in 28.04; Jayda Mackey in the girls 7-8 50m back in 58.99; Chloe Rolle in the girls 100m IM in 1:36.85 and 200m IM in 3:34.17; Brihannah Roberts in the girls 6-and-under 25m free in 28.54 and 25m free in 30.19; Dijon Simmons in the boys 7-8 50m fly in 42.39 and Tara Simmons in the girls 7-8 50m free in 43.85.

Second place finishers were posted by Chloe Rolle in the girls 200m free in 3:02.70 and 100m free in 1:24.45; Tahje Johnson in the boys 200m free in 3:03.96; Gerard Rolle in the boys 7-8 50m back in 42.40; Brihannah Roberts in the girls 25m back in 42.75; Ayden Burke in the boys 6-and-under 25m back in 45.54; Rachel Swaby in the girls 7-8 50m fly in 1:10.80; Jazz Hemans in the girls 6-and-under 25m fly in 34.99;Dijon Simmons in the boys 7-8 50m free in 38.69; Tori Smith in the girls 7-8 25m free in 26.89 and Ayanna Thompson in the girls 6-and-under 25m free in 33.19.

And in third place were Gerard Rolle in the boys 7-8 50m breast in 49.26; Neah-Rae Chambers in the girls 6-and-under 25m breast in 32.25 and 35m fly in 35.83; Rachel Swaby in the girls 7-8 50m back in 59.24; Tahje Johnson in the boys 100m IM in 1:37.93 and Ayden Burke in the boys 6-and-under 25m fly in 46.51.

St Anne’s also got relay victories in the boys 67-8 200m free in 2:43.97; girls 11-and-over 200m medley in 3:23.97; boys 7-8 200m medley 3:04.93 and the girls 6-and-under 100m medley in 2:30.00.

“This was a very good showing by our team,” Brown said. “It shows that we, as a school, is improving in swimming and will only enhance the programme that we have there.”

Brown said the good thing is that St Anne’s can boost of having a 25-metre pool that enables their swimmers to take advantage of training right at school.

The meet came after St Anne’s completed in the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools’ annual Swim Championships in November.

St Anne’s, however, is the only school in the BAISS that compete in any international meet. Next year when they bring Jamaica and the Cayman Islands to compete here, they would also be the first to host an international swim meet.

“We are very proud of our swimmers and the progress they are making,” Brown summed up.