Jamaican schools sweep 100m titles at Puma East Coast Showcase

JAMAICAN high schools swept the 100 metre titles at the fifth staging of the Puma East Coast International Showcase on Saturday, with Hydel High and Jamaica College (JC) underlining their sprint dominance at Hughes Memorial Stadium at Morgan State University.

Hydel’s Sashana Johnson captured the girls’ 100m title in 11.72 seconds, capitalising on the absence of pre-race favourite Shanoya Douglas of Holland High School from the final.

Johnson, a member of Hydel’s Penn Relays-winning high school girls’ 4×400 metres Championship of America team in Philadelphia last weekend, had earlier posted 11.92 in the preliminary round.

Bullis School’s Aida Joseph finished second in 11.85, while Aubree Lilly of Towson High School was third in 11.95.

Douglas, the world under-20 leader in both the women’s 100m and 200m this season, competed only in the heats, where she clocked 11.28 to record the fastest qualifying time.

JC then asserted their authority in the boys’ 100m, claiming the top two places through Nathaniel Martin and Makaelan Wood.

Martin won in 10.48, edging Wood who crossed in 10.53. Both were part of JC’s victorious high school boys’ 4x100m Championship of America team at the Penn Relays.

Mekhi Prather of Westlake High School was third in 10.58, just ahead of Excelsior High’s Malike Nugent (10.59). JC’s 15-year-old Kai Kelly was fifth in 10.62, with Excelsior’s Detarje Morgan sixth in 10.70.

In the field events, Hydel’s Zavien Bernard produced another standout performance, completing a double with victories in the girls’ triple jump (12.74m) and long jump (5.88m).

The wins added to Bernard’s triple jump title at the Penn Relays, her double-gold medal haul at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships, and her high jump gold at the Carifta Games.

Hydel’s Brandane Malcolm also struck gold in the high school girls’ discus with a throw of 45.30 metres. Abigail Shown of Broadneck High School finished second with 36.30m, while Perpetua Njoku of Randallstown High School was third with 36.21m.

The East Coast International Showcase, founded by Jamaican Olympian Sanjay Ayre, brought together more than 1,200 elite high school athletes from across the United States and the Caribbean.