The Tribune

By BRENT STJBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

DESPITE the extremely cold weather conditions, strongman Keyshawn Strachan and Brandon Hutchison produced outstanding individual performances in leading the St John’s College Giants and St Augustine’s College Big Red Machine teams at the Penn Relays over the weekend in Philadelphia.

Strachan, coming off his Bahamian national record breaking performance at CARIFTA, tossed the high schools boys’ javelin 237-feet, 9-inches or 72.48 metres for the victory on Friday. The St John’s College senior, who is bound for Auburn University, posted his best mark on his second attempt.

Kaden Cartwright of Queen’s College finished seventh in the event with a best of 183-2 (55.84m) on his fourth attempt.

“It wasn’t what I expected, but I still give God thanks for allowing me to come out and compete at the best of my ability,” Strachan said. “It was really cold. I couldn’t feel my fingers when I was throwing, but I couldn’t get in a good sweat.

“I just have to come back bigger and better for World Junior Championships. You will have some meets where you don’t perform at your best, but I still give God thanks for allowing me to come out and compete.”

St John’s head coach Rochelle Henfield said Strachan and the Giants’ five-member relay team should be commended for their performances.

“He did an awesome job. We’re very happy for him for what he has accomplished since he’s been with us from the ninth grade,” Henfield said of Strachan. “His coach (Corrington Maycock of Blue Chips Athletics) has done an excellent job and will continue to work with him, but he will be an excellent fit for Auburn University in August.”

As for the Giants 4 x 100 and 4 x 400m boys relay teams, Henfield said they should also be commended for their performances considering the fact that this was their first time competing at Penn and although they are all seniors, Ian Dawkins, Antoine Andrews, Kenzie Knowles and Caleb Major, with the exception of 11th grader Tayshawn Robinson, this would be an experience they won’t forget.

St Augustine’s College Big Red Machine’s Brandon Hutchison also had an impressive performance, placing third in the high school boys’ triple jump championship with a leap of 47-2 ½ (14.39m) on his sixth attempt on Friday.

“This was my first time competing in that type of weather. At first it was challenging, competing in 45-50 degrees, jumping with no tights, just shorts,” Hutchison said. “It was only on my last jump when I saw my teammates that I got hyped and that jump took me from sixth to third place.

“But overall, I feel like it was a great experience for me. It was a good meet to compete in under the weather conditions to show me what it would be like competing in college and other meets in cold states.”

The winning leap was 52-3 3/4 (15.94m) by Jamaica’s Jaydon Hibbert, while New York’s Ryan John was second with 52-3 ¼ (15.094m).

In the high school boys 4 x 100m invitational on Saturday, the Big Red Machine’s team of Jonathan Fowler, Tamani Skinner, Joshua Miller and Shimar Bain got third in 42.17.

St John’s quartet of Ian Dawkins, Antoine Andrews, Tayshawn Robinson and Caleb Major was seventh in 43.17.

Both schools got third in their respective heats of the high school boys 4 x 100m relay on Friday with SAC’s quartet of Jonathan Fowler, Tamani Skinner, Joshua Miller and Otto Laing coming in 25th overall in 42.96. St John’s team of Tayshawn Robinson, Caleb Major, Ian Dawkins and Antoine Andrews was 27th in 43.01.

They had a reverse order on Saturday in the high school boys 4 x 400m as St John’s got fourth in 3:17.20 with the combo of Kenzie Knowles, Antoine Andrews, Ian Dawkins and Caleb Major, while SAC was fifth in 3:17.30 with Clinton Laquerre, Jaydin Plakaris, Tamani Skinner and Shimar Bain.

SAC’s team of Zaria Stapleton, Lacarthea Cooper, Nya Wright and Amari Pratt was tied for first place on Friday in the high school girls 4 x 100m invitational in 48.26 in a photo finish with the Heritage team from Virginia.

On Thursday, Lacarthea Cooper, Nya Wright, Amari Pratt and Reshae Dean picked up a third place finish in the high schools girls 4 x 400m relay in 3:55.82 as a team from Jamaica won in 3:39.34 and New York got second in 3:44.36.

And The Big Red Machine also got 12th in the high school girls 4 x 100m heats in 48.68 on Thursday after a second place finish in their heat behind Heritage. The team consisted of Zaria Stapleton, Lacarthea Cooper, Nya Wright and Amari Pratt.

“We had some wonderful performances. I think this was one of the best we’ve had, considering the cold weather we had on Thursday and Friday,” said SAC’s head coach Jason Edwards. “The weather was in the 30s and 40s when the kids were competing and they did exceptional.”

Tito Moss, an assistant coach along with Dawn Woodside-Johnson and Javaughn Saunders, said he was quite pleased with the performances from the Big Red Machine over the three days of competition against hundreds of schools that participated.

“We had some phenomenal performances,” said Moss, who also coaches the athletes in Red-Line Athletics Track Club. “The weather was a little iffy and the athletes adapted and they rose to the occasion. I’m really pleased with what they have done. We’re just pleased to be back after a two-year hiatus and looking forward to some more (Penn Relays).”

From the collegiate beat, Ohio States’ Shaun Miller Jr had to settle for second place in the men’s high jump on Saturday with a leap of 7-3 ¾ (2.23m) on more knockdowns and Jyles Etienne of Indiana was 12th with 6-6 ¼ (1.99m)

Adrian Curry was seventh in his heat of the men’s 100m on Friday in 11.59 for 29th overall, Oscar Smith doubled up in the 110m hurdles for 10th place in 14.02 on Friday and fourth in his heat of the 400m hurdles in 53.12 for 10th overall on Thursday.

And in the College Men’s 4 x 200m Championship of Americas, Wanya McCoy ran the second leg for Clemson’s victorious team of Guinowe Joanus, Fabian Hewitt and Cameron Rose on Friday as they stopped the clock in 1:22.91.

McCoy also popped off on their men’s 4 x 400m Championship of Americas team of Tarees Rhoden, Cameron Rose and Aman Thornton that placed sixth in the heats in 3:09.92 on Friday to advance to the final.

However, they didn’t place in the final on Saturday.

Now that they are back home, the local athletes will gear up for the second annual Sonja Knowles Track Classic, hosted by Red-Line Athletics and sponsored by the Oak Tree, scheduled for the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium on Saturday, May 21 1-8 pm and 2-7pm Sunday, May 22.