By Paul A. Reid, Staff Reporter
Jamaica's Peaches Roache in action during yesterday's action at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia. Roache won the high jump on a jump-off after she and two other girls had cleared 1.77 metres. - Paul Reid / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia, Pa:-
JAMAICAN HIGH school girls got away to a fast start at the 109th Penn Relays Carnival at Franklin Field in Pennsylvania yesterday with three victories.
CARIFTA Games champion and joint National Junior Record holder, Peaches Roache of Alpha Academy, and Kedine Geddes of Tacius Golding retained their high and long jump titles respectively while Sheryl Morgan of Holmwood won the gold watch in the 400m hurdles.
Roache won the high jump on a jump-off after she and two other girls had cleared 1.77 metres but failed to clear 1.80; Geddes won the long jump with 6.24 metres; and Morgan took the hurdles in a time of 58.15 seconds.
Edwin Allen of Frankfield was the toast of the first day, however. They led the Jamaican schools in qualifying for all three relay finals - the 4x100m, 4x400m and 4x800m.
The relay finals will be take place today.
The boys go into action today and will compete in the heats of the 4x800 and 4x100m events as well as the high jump.
Holmwood Technical will lead the Jamaican charge in the 4x800m where 12 teams will qualify for Saturday afternoon's finals. Christiana Comprehensive, St Jago, Bellefield and Tacius Golding will also be in action.
Former record holders Camperdown will hope to make a successful return to the Penn Relays when they line up against two-time winners El Dorado of Trinidad and Tobago in the 4x100 event.
The boys will also compete in the High jump and shot putt.
Despite posting only the fifth fastest time in yesterday's preliminaries, Edwin Allen will go into today's 4x800m final as favourites after an unbeaten season in which they clocked 8:47.7 at Milo Western Relays and 8:55.22 at Gibson Relays.
According to Dyke, Jodian Richards, Lorain McKenzie, Mariesa Pencil and Kay-Ann Thompson who cruised to victory in 9:17 67 seconds yesterday will again be the team members.
Tacius Golding ran 9:17.33 to finish second behind California's Long Becah Poly while defending champions, Boys and Girls of New York with 9:14.23 and Saratoga Springs with 9:16.87 led the qualifiers.
In the 4x100m, defending champions St Jago - 47.13 seconds, Holmwood technical - 47.03, and Edwin Allen - 47.25 - will fly the Jamaica flag in the Championships of Americas finals against Long Beach and William Penn - the third fastest American high school teams of all time and the fastest yesterday.
The Queens school will run in the Large Schools finals after running a decent 48.29 to win their heat. Alpha will run in the Small schools finals after posting 48.99 seconds yesterday.
Defending champions Holmwood Technical with the best qualifying time of 3:42.40 seconds, will lead Edwin Allen and Vere Technical into the finals of the 4x400m.
