SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth — Bellefield High’s Aneisha Lawerence has signalled that she will be a factor in the Class Two girls’ middle distance events this year, after smashing two records at last weekend’s 38th St Elizabeth Technical (STETHS) Track and Field Invitational at STETHS Sports Complex in Santa Cruz.

Lawrence set new marks in both the girls’ Class Two 800m and 1500m events and was among five athletes who won two events on the day 25 records were set, two tied, and four established.

Edwin Allen’s Christopher Young won the boys’ javelin Open and Class One shot put; Alecia Shaw of Rusea’s High won the girls’ Class One shot put and discus throw; Petersfield High’s Shaquena Foote retained her 400m hurdles Open and Class One 800m titles, while Carleta Bernard of Mt Alvernia High won the girls’ Class Three sprint double.

Lawerence, who won the Class Two 1500m at the ISSA national high school Champs last year, ran 4:44.85 minutes to win the ‘metric mile’, bettering the 4:46.37 set by Petersfield High’s Foote two years ago.

She then returned later to lower the old mark in the 800m by running 2:17.35 minutes, well under the 2:30.74 set last year by Edwin Allen’s Yolanda Watson.

Young won both of his gold medals within a 45-minute span as, after throwing the javelin 53.45m to top the field, he won the shot put with 17.73m – just bettering the 17.70m from Jamaica College’s Donroy Brown.

Shaw won the shot put with a best mark of 12.82m and the discus throw with 44.45m, beating teammate Chevane Fearon’s 43.75m.

Foote was impressive in her double, easily winning the 400m hurdles in 1:01.19 minutes then returning to take the Class One 800m in 2:20.30.

The long-striding Bernard promised much for the upcoming season as she won the 100m in 12.13 seconds, late in the day, after winning the 200m earlier in a wind-aided 24.47 seconds (2.3m/s).

Both Class One 200m records were broken as Antonio Watson of Petersfield High clocked 21.31 seconds (0.7m/s), lowering the 21.53 seconds set last year by Garvey Maceo’s Krishane Thompson, who was fourth.

For the girls, Edwin Allen’s Kevona Davis smashed the 24.53 seconds set last year by Hydel High’s Ashanti Moore with a brilliant 22.86 seconds (1.0m/s). The top six runners on Saturday were all under last year’s winning time in the girls’ Class One 200m.

Manchester High’s Zandrion Barnes looked impressive as he ran 48.35 seconds to break the boys’ Class One 400m record of 49.78 seconds set last year by Lacovia High’s Demario Allen, while Antowan Robinson of Lacovia (48.92 seconds) and Cjay Whyte of Rhodes Hall (49.28) were also under the old record.

Shevanae Thomas of Manchester High won the Class Two girls’ 400m in 55.22 seconds, breaking the 56.09 seconds set in 2016 by Stacey-Ann Williams of STETHS, while Spalding High’s Anne-Lie Waite clocked 57.21 seconds to win the girls’ Class Three quarter-mile, beating the 57.53 seconds set by Garriel Whyte of Hydel High three years ago.

Lacovia High’s Dermaine Campbell jumped 6.86m to win the Class Two boys’ long jump, beating the one-year-old record of 6.63m set by Cornwall College’s Lansford Cunningham who was second with 6.50m.

Cornwall College’s Kenomar Jones set a new Class Three long jump record of 5.95m, beating the 5.77m set last year by Green Pond High’s Rowry Hall.

Herbert Morrison’s Daniella Anglin set a new mark in the Class One girls’ high jump, clearing 1.75m and beating the 1.70m set last year by Hydel High’s Lamara Distin, while Mt Alvernia High’s Aaliyah Foster jumped 5.50m to win the Class Three girls’ long jump, beating the 5.28m set last year by Hydel’s Velecia Williams.

– Paul Reid