The last race on Saturday evening, the senior boys 4x400 meters (m) relay, turned out to be the marquee event of the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) Scotiabank National High School Track and Field Championships, and closed out another meet in grand style.
The squads from the St. Augustine's College (SAC) Big Red Machine, Moore's Island All-Age School and the C.R. Walker Knights all wanted to get back at the C.V. Bethel Stingrays for running away with the 4x100m event, which ran just a couple hours before the 1,600m race. The Stingrays' quartet clocked 42.44 seconds and nipped Moore's Island at the tape for the sprint relay crown. Moore's Island followed in 42.45 seconds and the Knights finished third in 43.88. The Big Red Machine was fourth. In the 4x400m, the Stingrays would be the one on the outside looking in, at the end of the race.
Moore's Island took the title in a time of 3:20.43, the Knights followed in 3:22.49 and the Big Red Machine came in third, in 3:26.88. The Knights went on to win the senior boys division, scoring 165 points over the three days of competition. The Big Red Machine, who was second in the division, accumulated a score of 139 and the Stingrays finished third with 121 points.
The Big Red Machine won the senior girls division with 255 points. The closest schools to them were North Andros High and C.R. Walker, which scored 80 and 71 points respectively. The Big Red Machine also won the under-15 girls and the under-13 boys divisions. The Queen's College Comets captured the under-17 boys and girls' titles as well as the under-15 boys title. The A.F. Adderley Tigers are the divisional winners of the under-13 girls, closing with 116.5 points. The Comets were second with 85 points and the C.H. Reeves Raptors followed with 73.5 points for third.
Top female athletes Shaunae Miller and Devynne Charlton led the charge for the Big Red Machine in the senior girls division. Miller powered down the home stretch to lead her team to victory in the 4x100m, after receiving the baton in second. The Moore's Island squad was in first up to the final exchange in the race. Miller stopped the clock at 47.68 seconds, Moores Island's time was 49.18 seconds and St. John's College finished third in 51.35 seconds.
Dreshanae Rolle won the junior girls 400 meters in 58.60 seconds and Valentino Bodie is the national high school champion in the junior boys division, as he clocked 52.09 seconds. Bodie's time is a new record. It shattered the old mark of 53.21 seconds.
The winner in the intermediate girls 400m was Iesha Taylor, she ran 58.96 seconds. Finishing second was Talia Thompson and Mesha Newbold finished third. Their times were 59.81 seconds and 1:00.53 respectively.
Jameko Cartwright is the new record holder in the 400m for intermediate boys. He stopped the clock at 50.33 seconds. The top junior female quarter-miler in the world, Miller, closed her high school career with a new record. She posted a time of 52.83 seconds for the win in the senior girls division. The old time was 53.86 seconds, set in 1993. The winning time in the senior boys division was 48.30 seconds posted by Julian Munroe of St. Paul's Methodist. Ashley Riley came in second with a time of 49.79 seconds and Stephen Hepburn was third in 49.91 seconds.
Winning the senior girls 200m was Carmiesha Cox of Aquinas College. She quickly made up the stagger on Jermeka McBride who was second and Rhoneisha Johnson who finished third. Cox's time was 24.19 seconds, McBride finished in 24.98 and Johnson finished in 25.57. Eloy McBride was the winner in the senior boys 200m. He ran 21.73 seconds leaving Anthony Adderley and Cresy Dussard to settle for second and third in times of 21.78 and 22.19 seconds respectively.
The Comets swept the intermediate boys 200m thanks to Theotis Johnson, Ian Kerr and Cliff Reasis. The winning time was 22.31 turned in by Johnson. Kerr's time was 22.32 seconds and Reasis crossed the finish line in 22.51 seconds. Jenae Ambrose blew past the field in the intermediate girls 200m for the win. Her time was 24.77 seconds. Coming in second was Makeya White in 25.17 seconds and Loushanya Neymour crossed in 25.40 seconds.
Young student-athletes will now look forward to the CARIFTA Trials to be held this weekend at the old Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium.

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