SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth — St Elizabeth Technical (STETHS) retained their titles at Saturday’s County of Cornwall Athletics Association (COCAA) Western Champs at St Elizabeth Technical Sports Complex in Santa Cruz.

The champions were expected to retain their titles and did so with comfortable margins — 133 points ahead of second-placed Cornwall College in the boys’ section and 106.5 better than second-placed Petersfield High in the girls’.

The Byron James-coached team tallied 348.5 points to win the boys’ section, Cornwall College held off fellow Montego Bay-based Herbert Morrison for second place with 215 points, Herbert Morrison scored 195 for third, Petersfield were fourth with 187.5 while William Knibb Memorial were fifth with 1092.

In the girls’ section, STETHS scored 343.5 points, followed by Petersfield High (237), William Knibb Memorial (191.5), Mt Alvernia High (169.5), and Maggotty High (165.50).

Last year the STETHS boys had scored 430.5 points to win, while the girls had scored 368 points.

James, who was leading STETHS in his first championships after understudying Reynaldo Walcott for the last few years, was pleased with what he saw.

“I am pleased that we have retained our titles, there were quite a few slip-ups, but we are quite pleased with both teams’ performances, so we took what we got,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

James went on to say that expectations of perfection at championships were unrealistic. “Slip-ups are part and parcel of all major championships but there were no major letdowns,” he said.

“On the boys’ side the 400m runners delivered as we expected, and even the sprinters, even though they did not win, most of them are coming off injuries and they did their best and we are happy with where they are at this point in the season.”

There are some work to be done on the girls’ side, he admitted.

“There are some things we can improve on and lessons we learned…then there were the ones like Habiba Harris who came with their A games today and we were happy for that,” noted James.

There were at least 10 individual double winners on the day, led by record breaker Alexis James of Petersfield who won the Class One girls’ 100m hurdles and 100m and Herbert Morrison Technical’s inform Deandre Daley who took the Class One boys’ sprint double in style.

Additionally, there were other impressive wins from Class Two girls’ Lavana Williams of William Knibb Memorial who won the 100m and Mt Alvernia High’s Carleta Bernard who won the 200m as well as Petersfield High’s Yakini Bowen who won the Class One boys’ discus throw.

James, the NACAC Under-18 sprint hurdles champion last year, clocked an impressive 13.91 seconds to break the previous record 14.42 seconds that stood for 10 years and was set by former STETHS athlete Adriana Brown.

She then returned to win the Class One girls’ 100m in 11.93 seconds, well ahead of William Knibb’s Nydia Chance (12.5 seconds) and told the Jamaica Observer she had expected to run faster.

Daley, who has battled a series of injuries the last few years, was in fine fettle as he dismissed the challenge of ISSA Champs 2021 Class Two winner Orlando Wint to win the 100m in 10.59 seconds to Wint’s 10.88 seconds.

He ran 21.40 seconds to beat his brother Mark (21.55 seconds), both season’s best marks, a flashback to about 15 years ago when two other Herbert Morrison brothers, Keniel and Dexter Lee, were first and second in the event, also at STETHS.

Oneika Brissett of William Knibb was unchallenged in the Class One girls’ 400m — 58.28 seconds and the 800m — 2:20.50 seconds.

Shamar Blake of STETHS retained his boys’ Class One hurdles double — winning the 110m in 14.57 seconds and the 400m in 54.90 seconds.

Neon Smith, Albert Town High’s lone representative at the championships, shone brightly, winning the Class Two girls’ 800m (2:25.18minutes) and the 1,500m (5:16.12).

William Knibb’s Lavana Williams, who won the ISSA Girl Champs Class One sprint double last year while representing Rusea’s High, easily won the Class Two 100m in 12.15 seconds while Bernard cruised to 24.60 seconds to win the 200m later in the day.

Bowen, who was second in the Class One boys’ discus throw last year, dominated winning with 53.37m, had two throws over 53.30m to beat defending champion Tiojosh Mowatt of Cornwall College who had a season-best 50.93m with William Knibb’s Chavez Grey third with 50.41m.

It was the first time in well over 10 years that three athletes had gone over the 50.00m at the same championships.

Mt Alvernia High’s Aaliyah Foster extended her unbeaten run in the long jump at Western Champs with an impressive 5.52m to win the Class Two event after a slow start.

After jumping 5.52m in the third round, she reeled off jumps of 5.43m, 5.51m and 5.34m as Petersfield’s Tawani Murray was second with 5.43m.

Meanwhile, there were also double wins for Spot Valley High’s Romario Hines in the boys’ Class Two 100m/200m, Herbert Morrison’s Kevin Thomas in the boys’ Class Three 100m/200m, Mt Alvernia High’s Giana Murray in the girls’ Class Four 100m/200m; Cornwall College’s Kenomar Jones in the boys Class Two long/triple jump and Petersfield High’s Royan Walters in the boys’ Class One long/triple jump.