By TENAJH SWEETING

Tribune Sports Reporter

tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

The competitiveness of the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools (BAISS) Track and Field Championships peaked on the final day as the Big Red Machine hauled away their fourth straight title at the original Thomas A Robinson Stadium.

After multiple appeals, disqualifications and more than an hour of deliberation, St Augustine’s College was crowned the 2024 champions with a total score of 1,275.50.

The Queen’s College Comets exchanged leads with the defending champions leading up to the final day but they ended the competition a mere 15.50 points away from first with 1,260 points.

The Temple Christian School Suns never relinquished the third position the entire way and wrapped up with 552 points. SAC head coach Jason Edwards said the win was a testament of true SAC pride and collective effort. “It is a great feeling. Our kids displayed tremendous heart, tremendous fight and tremendous determination. We have wonderful coaches, we have a village that got this done. All of us came together and we made this happen,” coach Edwards said.

He acknowledged the banter over the last couple months from the school’s rivals but said heart and culture helped the Big Red Machine to run away with a fourth straight BAISS Track and Field title.

“It is amazing. We heard the talk all year about all these people they brought in and everybody saying they were gonna beat us by 100/200 points this year. Not a day like it…Some things you cannot manufacture that is heart and that is culture,” he said.

He added that the difference maker on the final day was that his athletes were willing to go the extra mile.

“They did what we always show and let them know true SAC pride is here. We did what we always do. We dig down deep sometimes when you come on this track you might be faster but are you willing to hurt as much as us in the 1500m? Are you willing to run to the line until you can’t feel your legs anymore? Sometimes the person willing to go the furthest ends up going the furthest and having success and that is what it was, true SAC form,” he said.

Meet Records

It was no surprise that meet records were shattered on the final day of competition at the original Thomas A Robinson Stadium.

Dior-Rae Scott, representing SAC, was on target in the U17 girls javelin throw (500g) with a heave of 49.83m. Her throw bested the previous meet record of 42.00m set by her teammate Kamera Strachan. The distance was also a national record and the farthest throw by any female in the Caribbean for the javelin 500g in this age group.

She talked about how it felt to pull off her latest feat in real time.

“I was sticking around 44m the whole season and today I actually felt something different coming for me and I threw a 49m so now I know what I am capable of,” she said.

“I am really excited and I am thankful to God for allowing me to come out here and meet my expectations,” she added.

Scott also re-qualified for the CARIFTA Games along with Strachan, who notched 43.01m in the event for second. Keely Deveaux, of Queen’s College, placed third.

Ethan North, of Queen’s College, met the CARIFTA qualifying standard in the U17 boys javelin throw with 53.12m. The CARIFTA standard is 44.95m. SAC’s Kesmor Farriginton took second place while Kingsway Academy’s Kendal Turner was third.

On the track, there were a few new meet records set in the relay events. The quartet of Khalon Christie, Trent Ford, Nijae McBride and Morgan Moss won the U20 boys 4x100m finals in 41.58 seconds for SAC. They dipped under the previous BAISS record of 41.60 seconds set by Christie, Clinton Laguerre, Tumani Skinner and Johnathon Fowler last year. The St John’s College Giants placed second and St Anne’s collected third place.

The SJC Giants won the U15 boys 4x400m finals in record-breaking fashion. The team of Neko Seymour, Aiden Musgrove, Leonardo Rolle and Cordell Munroe clocked 3:40.34 for the top spot. They took down QC’s previous record time of 3:43.70 set in 2012. The Comets came second in 3:52.47 and SAC finished in third.

The Big Red Machine kept rolling in the U15 girls 4x100m finals with a new BAISS record of 48.77 seconds. Taree Forbes, Brianna Bootle, Khyla Smith and Daveigh Farrington teamed up and bested the previous record of 48.92 seconds set by their school in 2013. The Comets and Blue Waves wrapped up second and third respectively.

QC’s Zion Miler, Johathan Harris, Kenny Moxey and Zion Davis paced competitors with a time of 3:18.28 in the U20 boys 4x400m finals. They lowered the previous BAISS record of 3:19.49 set by the Comets in 2019. SJC earned second and SAC trailed for third.

Existing BAISS records were lowered in the 200m events as well. Bootle, representing SAC, came first in the U15 girls 200m clocking 25.08 seconds well under Nia Richards’ mark of 25.49 seconds. QC’s Brion Ward notched 25.12 and her teammate Zara Fraser finished in 25.94 seconds for third.

Ishmael Rolle, of QC, SAC’s Eagan Neely and the Comets’ Everette Fraser rounded out the top three podium spots of the U17 boys 200m finals. All three competitors dipped under the CARIFTA qualifying mark of 22.08 seconds. Rolle is the new BAISS record holder after posting 21.60 seconds to take down Karlton Rolle’s record of 21.66 seconds set in 2006.

Alexis Roberts, of SAC, came out on top with a BAISS meet record 24.27 seconds lowering the previous time of 24.48 seconds set by QC’s Jenae Ambrose in 2012. She also was well under the CARIFTA qualifying standard of 24.65 seconds in the U17 girls event.

In the U15 boys 200m, the Giants’ Mugsrove posted a time of 22.63 seconds to be crowned the winner. He broke the 24-year old BAISS record of 22.74 seconds set by SAC’s Grafton Ifill.

TC’s Tieano Ferguson and The Big Red Machine’s Jahcario Wilson clocked times of 54.17 seconds and 54.30 seconds to down Shimar Bain’s BAISS record of 54.58 seconds in the U17 boys 400m hurdles.

Division Scores

SAC emerged victorious in U13 and U17 divisions while QC took the U15 and U20 divisions respectively. The BAISS champions totaled 219.50 points in the U13 division. Temple Christian placed second with 175 points and QC were four points away with 171 points. For the U17 division, the Big Red Machine totaled 423.50 points. QC earned 367 points and TCS had 174.50.

QC narrowly sealed the deal for the U15 division with a total of 324 points. SAC concluded with 323.50 and SJC totaled 168 points. The Comets were dominant in the U20 division with 398 points. SAC amassed 309 points and SJC put together 161 points.

Next up for the BAISS will be the start of the volleyball season.