Located on the outskirts of Santa Cruz is the school that bears the motto “work and integrity”, St. Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS), known as one of the western track and field powerhouses and home of Olympians, retired sprint hurdler Bridgette Foster-Hylton and quarter miler Shericka Williams.
The school’s track and field program, now being marshaled by head Coach Reynaldo Walcott, saw top ten finishes in both genders at the 2014, Boy and Girls Championship. In the points tables, STETHS Boys were a big improvement from previous years amassing 123 to place fifth after scoring 49 points in 2013 while the STETHS Girls matched the 2013 performance of 65 points to finish eighth place.
The team completed that double at the Western Championship 2015. They dethroned champions Munro College to take the boys section with 430 points to 329.
Petersfield High were third with 239, followed by Herbert Morrison 212 and Cornwall College 168.5.
The STETHS Girls won a ninth straight title amassing 367 points to hold off Rusea’s High (295), Herbert Morrison (224) Petersfield (151.5), and Mt Alvernia High (111) in fifth place. It was the second time in three years that STETHS has taken a double, doing it last in 2013.
With Champs beconing, they will be looking to improve on last year’s performance and are very optimistic of greater glory. They have retained the services of some outstanding athletes, including the likes of national representative, last year double gold medalist from the boys Class Two 800 and 1500 Jauvaney James and Junelle Broomfield who secured the top spot in the Class Two 800 for girls and fourth in the 1500m.
James broke two of the four records at the 23rd staging of the Puma/JAAA Charlie Fuller meet at Kirkvine. He picked up where he left off last season in his first year at Class Two when he won the event at the ISSA Boys’ and Girls’ Championships, sounded a warning by taking the 800m in 2:03.70 seconds, to erase Lewisville’s Orette Ramikee’s 2:04.00 seconds set in 2002. He returned to take the 400m in 50.70 seconds, running out of lane nine an erasing Kingston College’s Chadayne Walker’s 51 seconds set in 2012.
He made light work of the 800m at the Western Champs in record fashion, finishing in a time of 1:55.10 seconds.
Bromfield registered 56.20 seconds to erase the previous mark of 56.90 seconds set by Holmwood Technical’s Anastasia Leroy in 2005 in Class Two Girls’ 400 m at Kirkvine Manchester, followed up at STETHS Invitational 2014 winning the 400 hurdles, 800 and 1500m and again was the crowing queen at western champs 2015 with victory in three events – 400, 800m and the 1500m, but finished second in the 400m hurdles.
Other notable names to mention are class two 1500m Bronze medalist Shemar Salmon, Ouekie Wright who won the silver medal in the Class 2 boys’ triple jump , Orlando Smith who was second in the Class 2 Boys 110m hurdles along with triple gold medalist from last year Western Championships Leroy Francis who captured the Class Two boys 100m, 200m and 400m finals. .
Satanya Wright who won the Class 3 Girls 400m and Chantai Smith placed third in the Class 1 Girls 800m should be back to provide greater ammunition for an improved position at this year’s championship, along with the 400 hurdles silver and bronze medalist in world youth representatives in Marvin and Okeen Williams. All of who are expected to rack up majority the points.
STETHS have made their name in the Boys 4×400 Relay Open as they ran 3:08.67 minutes, capturing the silver medal in a mega final last year and will be looking to go one better this year.
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