The 2017 High School National Track and Field Championships came to a close yesterday at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium.
Unlike the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools (BAISS) Championships, and the Government Secondary Schools Sports Association (GSSSA) Championships, the nationals focus on individual performances rather than group scores.
On the final day of competition yesterday, athletes put out their best efforts, with the hopes of qualifying to compete for The Bahamas at the upcoming CARIFTA Track and Field Championships in Curacao, set for April 14-16.
Over 500 young Bahamian athletes took part in the three-day high school nationals.
Just like the first two days, CARIFTA qualifiers took center stage yesterday.
Branson Rolle from Queens College qualified for CARIFTA in the under 20 boys 400 meter (M) hurdles, crossing the line in first in 52.84 seconds.
Alexander Storr from St. Augustine's College finished second in 54.96 seconds, and Tyler Leary from Tabernacle Baptist was third in 58.94 seconds.
Tyrell Bethel from St. Georges posted a CARIFTA qualifier in the under 18 boys 800m with a time of 1:57.66. Bryant Lowe from Sunland Baptist was second, just missing the qualifying mark of 1:58.0 with his time of 1:58.40, while Edward Munroe from Doris Johnson took third in 2:01.38.
Over on the field, Ferron Mackey from Preston Albury High School qualified in the under 20 boys discus throw, claiming the national title with a toss of 43.24m (132' 8"). Johnie Jean-Jacues from C.R. Walker was second with a best toss of 42.45m (139' 3"), and Rakeem Minnis from Doris Johnson was third with a throw of 37.11m (121' 9").
The 4x400 divisional relays closed out the competition yesterday. In the under 14 boys division, Tabernacle Baptist won in 3:53.06 seconds. Queens College won the under 14 girls division in 4:05.55, SAC won the under 16 girls division in 3:57.52, and Queens College took both the under 16 boys and under 18 girls categories in 3:34.97 and 4:00.64 respectively.
The Tabernacle Falcons won the final race of the day, the under 18 boys 4x400 in 3:30.87.
The under 20 division relays were not contested at this year's nationals.
Athletes competing in yesterday's sprint relays will have a short turnaround time before they have to compete again today in the High School Relays, which serves as a test event for the 2017 International Association of Athletic Association World Relays Bahamas, set for April 22-23, at the national stadium.
Like the two editions of the World Relays in 2014 and 2015, this year's event will feature a junior segment, which affords the country's top high school athletes the opportunity to perform in front of thousands of fans, and some of the world's top track athletes.

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