IT was Vaz Prep that went over the distance once again to take top honours in the Covenant/Globe Over Distance Track Meet held last Saturday at UWI’s Mona Bowl.

The win brings to eight, the number of championship titles that Vaz have copped in this traditional season opener of the prep school track and field calendar, with a combined points standing of 242.

Vaz were followed by Ardenne Prep, clocking a combined points standing of 158, while Mona Prep took third place with 85.5 points overall.

Ebony Campbell of host team Christian Covenant Academy broke the 2007 record of 3.67m in the Class Two girls long jump, recording 4.02m in her best jump.

Competing across 22 track and field events, the track was ablaze with more than 1,400 young athletes representing 21 schools islandwide, including Suthermere Preparatory and Montego Bay Preparatory schools, each entering the competition for the first time.

Hot on the heels of the annual Boys’ and Girls’ Champs, and an excellent forerunner to the Inter-Prep Track & Field Championships, the Covenant/Globe Track Meet opened with 60m, 90m, 150m, 200m, 300m, 400m, and 500m competitions, followed by long jump and the ever-popular relays.

The Covenant/Globe Over-Distance Track Meet is a development athletic event that focuses on sportsmanship and fair play while encouraging young athletes to “go over the distance” by raising the metre bar on standard track and field distances. Class One girls, who would normally run 300m at the Inter-Prep Championships, for example, ran 400m in this meet. The calibre of the meet’s athletes is testament to this training concept, as records are broken each year and the meet’s appeal continues to grow.

Corey Campbell of Vaz Prep was the Class One champion boy with 22 points; Danielle Thompson of Mt St Joseph Prep topped the girls’ equivalent with 20 points; Yahawn Hamilton, also of Vaz Prep, was the Class Two champion boy with 25 points, while Ebony Campbell of Covenant Christian Academy was the girls’ winner with 24 points.

The Class Three champion boy and girl went to Kaheel Francis of Hydel Prep (18 points) and Krystal Sloley of Ardenne Prep (18 points) respectively.

The top three female and male teams were Vaz Prep (112 points), Ardenne Prep (85 points) and Covenant Christian Academy (53.5 points), and Vaz Prep (130 points), Ardenne Prep (73 points) and Mona Prep (62 points) respectively.

The top 10 was completed by Our Lady of the Angels with 59.5 points; St Andrew Prep with 57 points; Covenant Christian Academy and Emanuel Christian Academy with 56.5 points; Wolmer’s Prep with 51 points; Belair Prep with 45 points, and Hydel Prep with 10.35 points.