CATHERINE HALL, St James — Excelsior Community College retained their overall title at Saturday’s second staging of the Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica (CCCJ) Track and Field and Cheerleading Championships staged at the Montego Bay Sports Complex.

Despite on and off rain that forced a two-hour delay in the start and, which affected the event throughout the day.

However, there were bright sparks under bleak skies as six records were broken, all in the field events.

The meet also boasted of using electronic timing for the first time after hand timing was used last year for the track events.

The David Riley-coached Excelsior CC totalled 236 points, less than the 254 they tallied last year, to win the overall title after victory in the men’s section with 160 points and 76 in the female section, which was only good enough for fourth place.

Knox Community College were second overall with 222.5 as the impressive Moneague College, who took the female section with 127 points, finished third overall with 197.

Excelsior’s Maurice Smith and Knox Community College’s Javon Smith were tied on 25 points each for the men’s champion title.

Tamoya Walters, also of Excelsior CC who was the female individual champion with 27 points, won three gold medals. Overall, while there were three double champions on the track.

Moneague College’s Nicholas Hewitt won the men’s 100m and 200m and anchored the 4x100m team to victory; his teammate Robyn McPherson won the women’s 200m and 400m events, while Bethlehem Moravian College’s Shanice Gordon won the women’s 1500m and 3,000m races.

Event organiser Aldene Crewe told the Jamaica Observer he was pleased with the day’s proceedings despite the rain.

“I am impressed with what I saw… there were a lot of competitive games and we see a lot of improvements,” he said.

Crewe said the organisers were not satisfied standing still and will be considering putting in some innovations for next year’s staging.

“There is nothing that you do that you don’t want to improve on… starting on time would be great, but we had no control over that today. We hoped for more spectators and next year we might invite some other colleges to take part and possibly maybe the high schools and prep schools as well,” he noted.

In the field, Walters set a new long jump record while retaining ther triple jump and high jump titles. Her 5.00m in the long jump beat the 4.88m she set last year.

Former Boys Champs decathlon champion Maurice Harrison, now of Excelsior CC, won the men’s discus with a new record 41.45m, better than the 40.26m set last year by his teammate Orlando Stephenson.

After placing eighth last year, Lacey Allen of Montego Bay Community College set a new mark in the women’s discus throw with 27.20m, beating the 23.26m set by Donique McIntosh is CASE last year.

Shavan Dawson of Excelsior CC cleared a new record 1.90m to retain his high jump title he won last year with 1.85m

Rashida Elliot of Knox Community College won the women’s shot put with 10.24m, bettering the 9.50m set by McIntosh last year and who was third this year.

Naziem Chambers, who was third last year, set a new mark in the women’s javelin after she threw 22.85m beating the 21.86m set by Akeliah McDonald of Portmore Community College last year.

Hewitt, who played second fiddle to Juliane Walker, Excelsior’s male sprint double winner last year, ran 10.99 seconds and 22.26 seconds to win the men’s events this year.

McPherson was second in both the women’s 200m and 400m, but prevailed this year in 26.66 seconds and 1:01.20 seconds, respectively, this year.

Chadoye Dawson of Knox CC won the men’s 400m in a close finish ahead of Excelsior’s Bejaun Jones (49.40 seconds) and Moneague’s Kahjay Morris third (49.63).

Men’s rankings — Excelsior Community College (160 points), Knox Community College (134.5), Moneague College (70), CASE (55), Browns Town Community College (52.5), Montego Bay Community College (48), Portmore Community College (33), Bethlehem Moravian College (29).

Women’s rankings — Moneague College- (127 points), Knox Community College (88), CASE (81), Excelsior Community College (76), Montego Bay Community College (72), Bethlehem Moravian College (42), Browns Town Community College (13), Portmore Community College (11).

Overall ranking — Excelsior Community College (236 points), Knox Community College (222.5), Moneague College (197), CASE (136), Montego Bay Community College (120), Bethlehem Moravian College (71), Browns Town Community College (65.5), Portmore Community College (44).