A host of Jamaican schools will line up in the final of the High School Boys Championships of America 4x100m final, as they successfully navigated the qualifiers on day two of the 128th Penn Relays at the Franklin Field in Philadelphia on Friday.

Leading the qualifiers was the Excelsior quartet of Ryeem Walker, Damor Miller, Malike Nugent and Lennon Green, which clocked a brisk 40.62 seconds to top their heat.

They will be joined by local rivals Kingston College (41.30s), St Jago (41.35s), St George’s College (41.42s), Calabar High (41.70s) and Jamaica College (41.73s), and Wolmer’s Boys (41.84s). The other two lanes in the medal event will be occupied by Washington DC-based Archbishop John Carroll (41.49s) and Virginia-based West Springfield (41.77s).

Meanwhile, the High School Boys International final, also scheduled for Saturday, will see six Jamaican schools going up against those from Trinidad and Tobago, St Vincent and the Grenadines and The Bahamas, respectively.

St Elizabeth Technical (STETHS) headlines that field, after they posted the fastest qualifying time of 42.26s, followed by Cornwall College (42.53s) and the Bahamian school Queens College (42.61s). St Benedict’s, of out the twin island republic, and Munro College, both clocked 42.83s, while St Vincent Grammar (43.11s), Petersfield (43.14s), St Catherine (43.26s) and Vere Technical (43.55s), are the other qualifiers.

Excelsior High’s Damor Miller and Hydel High’s Alliah Baker won the respective Class One boys and girls 100m titles on day two of the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls Championships at the National Stadium in Kingston on Wednesday.

Miller, who before Wednesday had never medaled at ‘champs’, produced a personal best 10.31 to take gold ahead of Calabar’s Khamani Gordon (10.37) and KC’s Yourie Lawrence-Clarke (10.45).

Hydel tasted success in the girls Class One final through their captain Baker who joined the club as one of the few ‘champs’ athletes to win medals in the 100m, 200m and 400m by running a big personal best 11.34 to win ahead of Edwin Allen’s Jounee Armstrong (11.52) and Wolmer’s Girls’ Mickayla Gardener (11.59).

KC’s Nyrone Wade held his composure to run a personal best 10.43 to take gold in the boys Class Two final ahead of Excelsior’s Malike Nugent (10.52) and Herbert Morrison’s Tavaine Stewart (10.56).

The girls Class Two event saw event favorite Theianna-Lee Terrelonge recover from a poor start to produce a personal best 11.22 to win gold ahead of Lacovia’s Sabrina Dockery (11.36) and St. Jago’s Briana Campbell (11.48).

Dockery also joined the club of athletes to win ‘champs’ medals in the 100m, 200m and 400m.

Mario Ross continued his excellent form this season with a brilliant personal best 10.88 to win boys Class Three gold ahead of Calabar’s fast-finishing Ched Brown (10.90) and St. George’s College’s Naethan Bryan (11.02).

Natrece East of Wolmer’s Girls rebounded from silver last year to claim gold this year in the girls Class Three final in a personal best 11.42. St. Jago’s Adora Campbell was second in 11.52 while Edwin Allen’s Kerelle Etienne was third in 11.73.

Hydel’s Teixiera Johnson won a drama-filled Class Four final in 11.87 ahead of Mick-Kayla Gardener of Wolmer’s Girls (12.27) and pre-event favorite Rihanna Scott of Ferncourt High (12.31).

The drama started just before the race when Scott pulled up with an injury while warming up before eventually taking her place in the field and eventually securing bronze.

Edwin Allen’s Trezeguet Taylor and Damor Miller of Excelsior led qualifiers to the semi-finals of their respective Class one 100m events on Tuesday’s opening day of the 113th ISSA GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships at the National Stadium.

Taylor easily topped heat three in a comfortable 11.87s ahead of Camperdown’s Caneila Hope (11.98s), with Brittney McCormack (12.00s) of Bridgeport High securing one of the non-automatic qualifying spot.

Hydel’s Alliah Baker (11.94s) was also easy in topping heat two, followed by Asharria Ulett (12.34s) of St Catherine High, while another medal favourite Habiba Harris (11.89s) of St Elizabeth Technical topped heat five, ahead of Holmwood Technical’s Kiara Meikle (11.90s).

Over in Class two, Edwin Allen High’s Thienna-Lee Terrelonge began her quest to add more gold to her silverware, as she expectedly led qualifiers into the semi-finals. Terrelonge topped the field with a time of 11.25s.

The other automatic qualifiers include Sabrina Dockery of Lacovia High (11.90s); St Jago High’s Briana Campbell (11.94s) and Bryana Davidson (12.10s); Hydel High’s Shemonique Hazel (12.00s). Holmwood Technical’s Regina Bailey (12.31s); Immaculate Conception’s Shevi-Anne Shim (12.36s); and Tianna Marshall of Wolmer’s Girls (12.25s), also progressed.

Meanwhile, Natrice East of Wolmer’s Girls’ School comfortably booked her spot in the semi-finals of the Class 3 girls 100m, as she clocked an easy 12.42s to claim heat one ahead of Holmwood Technical’s Shaneka Wilson (12.70s) and Jahmilia Humes of Meadowbrook High (12.89s).

Edwin Allen High’s Kerelle Etienne (12.65s), Vere Technical’s Tianna Bembridge (12.78s), and Mikaela McBean of Convent of Mercy Alpha (12.90s) of heat two, and Adora Campbell of St Jago High (12.20s) and Mount Alvernia’s Gianna Murray (12.60s) of heat three, are through to the next round.

In Class four, Hydel High’s Teixiera Johnson (12.36s) and gold medal favourite, Rihanna Scott (12.52s) of Ferncourt High, eased into the semi-finals. They were joined by York Castle’s Micka-Lee James (12.61), Immaculate Conception High’s Aaliyah Brown (12.71), Holmwood Technical’s Devonnie Francis (12.81) and Manchester High’s Lennora Scarlett (12.98), among others.

On the boys’ side, Miller cruised to 10.60s in the eighth and final heat, leading St Jago’s Tajai Duffus (10.67s) and Tay-Shawn Barnes (10.83s) of Steer Town Academy, into the semi-finals. Another St Jago standout Raheem Pinnock also topped heat five in 10.68s, followed by Jamaica College’s Donatae Watson (10.74s).

The Calabar duo of Khamani Gordon (10.77s) and Shaquane Gordon (10.71s) also booked their spots in the semi-finals after topping heats four and six respectively, while Kingston College’s Yourie Lawrence Clarke (10.74s) and Herbert Morrison’s Deandre Daley (10.75s), were also a cut above rivals in their respective heats.  

In class two, Muschett High’s Johan-Ramaldo Smythe (10.65s) topped all qualifiers. Other medal favourites Tavaine Stewart of Herbert Morrison (10.91s); Kyle Bodden (10.92s) and Nyron Wade (10.95s) of Kingston College; Jamaica College’s Malique Dennis (11.11s); Excelsior High’s Malike Nugent (11.04s) and Tyreece Foreman (11.03s); and Calabar’s Byron Walker (11.08s), also progressed.

Some of the automatic qualifiers in the boys’ Class three includes, Mario Ross (11.36s) and Deandre Myers (11.65s) of Wolmer’s Boys, the Jamaica College pair of Olando Anglin (11.65s) and Darnell Douglas (12.04s); Naethan Bryan (11.39s) and Rushaun Dunn (11.82s) of St George’s College; Kingston College’s Kelvin Brown (11.83s); Edwin Allen’s Taheem Thompson (11.70s) and Kalel Archibald (11:58s) and St Jago High’s Andre Boyd (11.49s).

The semi-finals and finals of the 100m are scheduled for Wednesday evening.