DEFENDING champions Hydel produced a late surge to retain their title at the 38th staging of the 2015 Jamaica Independent Schools Association (JISA)/Seprod Preparatory Schools’ Athletics Championships at the National Stadium on Saturday. The final day turned out to be a battle royale between the two arch-rivals Hydel and Vaz, which produced a number of exciting finishes to end the championships on a high note, while Mona struggled to keep with the pace after looking well-placed to win.

Hydel, coached by Corey Bennett, had to hold off Vaz in the closing stages in the relay races as the June Benjamin-coached East Kingston aggregation came with a late run to finish second. Hydel accumulated 219 points in the combined boys’ and girls’ points standings, with the dangerous Vaz finishing second with 193.5 points.

Mona, who held the early lead for the first two days going into Saturday’s final day, could not match the top two and faded in third place with 153.5 points. They were followed by Wolmer’s with 104, Lannaman’s on 96, Stella Morris with 82, Quest on 72, Our Lady of the Angels with 63, Belair on 61, Knox Junior College on 59 and Mount St Josephs with 59 points making up the top 10.

Vaz, however, came out first in the girls’ section with 92.5 points ahead of Wolmer’s with 68, Lannaman’s on 61 and Belair with 57, while Hydel retained their title in the boys’ section with 107 points, followed by Vaz on 101, Mona with 100 and Stella Morris with 60 points.

Five records were broken throughout the three-day championships, with Terrique Stennett of Vaz powering his way to victory in the Class One boys’ 100 metres final in 11.83 seconds to erase the old mark of 11.86 seconds set by Tahj-Tojae Scott in 2013.

Stennett produced another record with a blistering run in the Class One boys’ 200 metres final by racing to a new time of 23.79 seconds, as he erased the old mark of 24.43 seconds set in 2009 by Jordan James.

Timika Scarlett of Belair also broke the Class Two girls’ 100 metres record by posting a new time of 13.14 seconds to shatter the long existing previous best of 13.30 held by Nicole Edwards since 1986.

The other two records came in the Class Three boys’ 4×100 metres relay final with Lannaman’s racing away comfortably in 58.90 seconds as they erased the old mark of 59.04 seconds set by Hydel in 2014, while Revaldo Mitchell of Quest threw 61.96 metres in the ball throw to break the old mark of 60.82 metres held by Michael Allen set in 2014.

Theona Whitmore of Hosana threw 41.79 to win the girls’ ball throw open to break the old mark of 30 metres held by Lonique Thomas set in 2014.

Meanwhile, the Class One girls’ 100m final was won by Wozeiro Richards in 13.18 seconds from Shauntay Kellyman of Wolmer’s with 13.25, while the Class Two boys’ 100m was won by Dante Dacres of Hydel from Jaheim Labeach of Knox.

Jody-Ann Daley of Hydel won the Class Three girls’ 100m final in 14.77 seconds ahead of Aleah Marriott of Mount St Joseph with 15.15, while the Class Three boys’ 100m final was won by Gary Card of Ardenne in 14.27 seconds, ahead of Nadjre Johnson of Hydel in 14.44 seconds.

Scarlett of Belair took the Class Three girls’ 150m final in 19.86 in a new record time to shatter the old mark of 20.84 set by Shanoya Pottinger in 2014 from Arianna Golding of Hydel 20.49, while Dacres returned to win the sprint double when he won the Class Three boys’ 150m final in 20.32 ahead of Randy Birch of Wolmer’s in 20.72.

Richards of Vaz breezed to her second gold by winning the Class One girls’ 200m final in 27.14 seconds ahead of her teammate Iana-Michovani Graham in 27.21. Savion Jolly won the Class One boys’ 400m final in 57.41 seconds to get the better of Shane Buckle of Mount St Joseph in 58.07, while the Class One girls’ 300m final was won by Shackera Neil of Belair in 43.42 seconds ahead of Iana-Michovani of Vaz with 43.74 seconds.

Abigail Nembhard of Mona won the Class Three girls’ 60m final in 8.48 seconds ahead of Adah Nelson of The Queen’s in 8.64, while the Class Three boys’ 60m was won by Jahzeel Daley of Hillel in 8.52 ahead of Caton Daley of Bright Beginnings with 8.53 seconds.

Hydel captured the girls’ 600 metres sprint medley open final in 1:23.43 from Wolmer’s with 1:25.46, while Quest pulled through strongly to win the boys’ 800m sprint medley open final in 1:55.76 ahead of Hydel in 1:56.47 minutes.

Vaz won the Class One girls’ 4x100m relay in 52.73 seconds ahead of Quest in 52.93, while Hydel captured the Class Three boys’ 4x100m relay a final in record-breaking time of 1:00.40 minutes, ahead of Mount St Joseph, who also broke the old mark with 1:00.91. The old record was set by Mount St Joseph in 2014.

The Class One boys’ 4x100m relay was won by Vaz in 50.80 seconds ahead of Stella Morris with 51.17, with Lannaman’s winning the Class Two girls’ 4x100m final in 56.53 seconds from Belair in 56.41 seconds.

Vaz ended the championships with victories in the girls’ and boys’ 4×200 metres relays, winning the girls’ in 1:51.79 minutes, ahead of rival Hydel in 1:52.27, then closed it off by taking the boys’ section in 1:46.11 minutes in a close finish over Hydel with 1:47.96 minutes.