It is often said that a captain can make or break a team. For Oneika McAnnuff, it could be the reverse.

McAnnuff admits that the pressure of leading from the front can sometimes be overwhelming, but instead of allowing a grim expression to tarnish the mood of her Hydel unit, she draws inspiration from the team.

Much like she did last year, McAnnuff is again expected to carry the weight of her team at the March 28 to April 1 Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships with a demanding task of the 400m and 400m hurdles, as well as the 4X100m and 4X400m relays.

“It [carrying the burden as the athlete the team looks up to] is tough, and the events are hard to prepare for and can be mentally and physically taxing, but I try to push through with the help of my team,” McAnnuff told the Jamaica Observer.

“We also have a very good coach, sometimes you would think he is a magician the way he gets us to work on and achieve certain things. So both coach and my team helps me mentally, they are really my main support apart from my family. They ensure you are always in the right mode, grounded, and focused, and I know they are depending on me to do my best,” she added.

Along with leading her Ferry-based team to a second-place finish some 57 points behind reigning champions Edwin Allen, McAnnuff also captained Jamaica’s Carifta and World Under-20 Championship teams.

At the high school championship she won the 400m hurdles in 57.68s on her first attempt and clocked a personal best 52.38s for second in the 400m. While she relished those performances, the 19-year-old knows that repeating the feat will be no mean task, even with the lessons learnt.

“Last year was one of my best seasons thus far. I did excellent at Champs and fulfilled my goals, where those two events are concerned. As for this year, it might be hard to better that, even with the experience gained, it is still a technical event and the obstacles are in the race so anything can happen,” McAnnuff said.

“But I have been putting in the work, so I just have to stay calm and humble, trust my coaches, and also that God will take me through the races incident free. So I am looking forward to a good championship,” she shared.

The final year Class 1 athlete has so far showed she is in ominous form, clocking 51.94s for the 400m and 11.95s for the 100m. If she performs true to form at the championships, then the possibility exist that McAnnuff could better her quarter-mile time as well as the 400m personal best of 57.68s.

That would end her time at the high school championships with a bang and provide a much-needed lift as she heads to University of Kentucky on a full scholarship to pursue a degree in psychology.

“I have been having a very good season thus far and I am looking forward to see how Champs will play out. It would be nice to end on a high as I prepare to make the transition with hopes of representing my country at the highest level,” the rangy athlete declared.

And as far as Hydel’s chances of following up their Central Championship title with a maiden at Champs is concerned, McAnnuff said it’s a wait and see.

“We are trying our best to maintain the top three and we are putting in the work, so we will see what happens. We are humble and calm because it doesn’t matter what happened at Central Championships, it will all come down to the final night of champs,” McAnnuff ended.