LET’S GO,?COLLEGE!.
LET’S?GO,?COLLEGE!.
Those were the chants throughout the morning and early afternoon from the Crumpton Street possé as Harrison College confirmed their status as the No. 1 secondary schools swimming power with another emphatic capture of the boys’ and girls’ titles at the Aquatic Centre, Wildey, St Michael, yesterday.
It is the second straight year that College completed the double and a further extension of their dominance in schools swimming over the last decade.
College’s boys have now won ten of the last 14 championships while the girls have covered themselves in glory 11 times in the last 12 years.
Queen’s College, the other powerhouse in schools swimming, were second best in both competitons, 21 points adrift in the girls’ competition but very much out of the hunt in the boys’ championships, 143 points behind.
This was a team effort from Harrison College, but no praise can be too high for the efforts of Danielle Titus, Luis-Sebastien Weekes, Destiny Harding, Rebecca Lashley, Kent Mullins, Ilona Loustric and Gabriel Gunby.
Eight records tumbled with Weekes, who has a Barbadian father and a Venezuelean mother, smashing two of them, one of them a national age group record.
Swimming in the 11-12 age group, the fast rising third former destroyed the field in the 100 Individual Medley, clocking one minute, 5.96 secs, smashing the old record
of 1:06.09 that had been held by Martyn Forde since 1998.
In the 50 metres breaststroke, he broke Raymonds Edwards’ record that had been standing since 2004 as he (34.79 secs) and Jumar Walrond (36.70) led a 1-2 sweep for Harrison College.
Makayla Treasure of Providence Secondary School, along with Harding and Lashley, pushed Titus all the way in the 11-12 age group but the 11-year-old granddaughter of Canon Noel Titus, was kept to the challenge, racing to four victories. She won the 100 metres Individual Medley, the 50-metre breaststroke, 50-metre backstroke and 50-metre freestyle.
One of the biggest stars of the day was little Keisha Rouse of Deighton Griffith Secondary, who had an impressive win over more established swimmers Kimberley Willoughby of Combermere and Amare Gibbs of The St Michael School in an exciting girls’ 15-and-over 50-mete freestyle, smashing the record with a time of 28.39 secs.
“It was really exciting to beat girls who are older and stronger than me. Kimberley and Amare have made their mark for Barbados, so it was a real joy to defeat both of them,” said a delighted Rouse.
Rouse, 16, who hails from Parish Land, Christ Church, also won the 100-metre freestyle.
Deighton Griffith had just three swimmers and they made their impact felt in a big way. Alex Sobers captured the 100-metre Individual Medley, the 50-metre butterfly and freestyle, and broke the record in the 100 freestyle with a time of 53.67 secs, lowering the time of 53.94 seconds set by Martyn Forde 13 years ago.
Michelle Willoughby, the little sister of Kimberley Willoughby, did her part for Deighton Griffith, taking second spot in the 50-metre breaststroke.
Damon St Prix, a multiple gold medallist at this year’s CARIFTA Games in Jamaica, secured 49 points for Combermere in the boys’ 12-and-Under division. St Prix won the 100 freestyle, 50 backstroke, 50 butterfly and freestyle.
St Prix overcame a slow start to nose out Weekes in a thrilling 50-metre backstroke final.
Akeem Nurse kept the flag flying for the newer secondary schools by providing three victories for St George Secondary in the boys’ 15-and-over division.
Nurse, 16, in his first year in this age group, won the 100 IM, 50 butterfly and 50 backstroke, and had a nail-biting loss to Gunby in the 50 breaststroke.
Zabrina Holder, 17, of The St Michael School, one of the top swimmers in the land, is still recovering from dengue and had a limited meet, taking gold in the 50-metre breaststroke.
RESULTS
TOP?SIX BOYS
1. Harrison College 318
2. Queen’s College 175
3. The St Michael School 97
4. Codrington 89
5. Combermere 78
6. Deighton Griffith Secondary 52
GIRLS
1. Harrison College 236
2. Queen’s College 215
3. St Michael School 113
4. Codrington 76
5. St Ursula’s 73
6. Deighton Griffith Secondary 68
