Immaculate’s small team ready to challenge Corporate Area rivals

AFTER ONLY gaining eight points and finishing 21st overall among the girls at the 2021 ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships, Immaculate Conception High have shown tremendous improvement since and head coach Franz Forde is eyeing top place in the Corporate Area at next week’s meet

The past two championships have seen the school getting closer to the top teams. In 2022 they tallied 76 points for eighth overall, behind sixth-place Wolmer’s Girls 83 and Excelsior High who were fifth overall with 107. Excelsior were the top girls’ team in the Corporate Area.

At last year’s championships Immaculate improved to seventh with 94 points, just 17 behind Corporate Area champions Wolmer’s Girls who ended sixth with 111.

After a third-place finish between Excelsior and Wolmer’s Girls at the Corporate Area Development meet last month, coach Forde stated that it will be challenging to beat his rivals for the top spot in the Corporate Area at next week’s championships but his team is ready perform.

“It is going to be challenging but we are always up to the task. We know we are not the only ones vying for that position,” said Forde.

Despite fielding a small squad, he knows he has the quality to do very well here.

With the smallest number of athletes among the three top Corporate Area teams going into the championships, Forde said they would give it their best shot as “impossible is nothing”.

Led by Zoelle Jamal, who is the favourite to win the javelin throw open, Immaculate have a very strong field events group. Sanique Watt is also the leader in the Class Four high jump with a best of 1.60 metres. Jamie Lee Tulloch is ranked number two in the Class Three discus. Aaja Brown is ranked third with 5.10m in Class Four long jump while Grace Ann Bailey in Class Three high jump, Jada Francis in Class Two discus along with Toniann Bryan in Class One shot put should give their school quality points.

On the track their charge will be led by Niara Johnson in the Class Four 70m hurdles. Her personal best of 10.89 seconds at the Pure Water/JC/Danny Williams meet puts her at number three in the class. Kayla Johnson is ranked in the top three in the Class Three 100 metres and teammate Kimberly Wright is at number four in the 200m.