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Brilliant Hydel step up to the plate - Ferry-based school upstage Edwin Allen team hampered by injuries
March 31, 2025
There is a saying that lightning never strikes in one place twice. However, the opposite was true for the defending and 10-time girls champions Edwin Allen High at last week's ISSA GraceKennedy Boys and Girls' Athletics Championships.
Two years ago, Hydel High captured their first title after capitalising on several mishaps from Edwin Allen. Back then Michael Dyke-coached Edwin Allen girls team entered the championships as overwhelming favourites, but lost by 2.5 points to the Corey Bennett-coached Hydel.
Fast-forward two years later and Edwin Allen were even bigger favourites to secure the 2025 title, aiming for back-to-back victories and their 11th overall.
Based on pre-championship form, Hydel had shown no real signs of being contenders, as their athletes were largely absent from most development meets.
In fact, after dominant performances all season, Edwin Allen were undoubtedly the team to beat, with Holmwood Technical seen as their major threat, both teams having dominated the Central Athletics Championships.
However, the defending champions suffered a major blow on Tuesday's opening day of competition when Class Four sprint double favourite Andriana Pine pulled up in her preliminary round of the 100 metres. Pine, with a season's best of 11.87 seconds, is the only athlete among her peers to have gone sub-12 seconds this season.
Further misfortune followed. Class Four sprint hurdler Amoya Howell, the joint-fastest 70m hurdler this season alongside St Jago's Shanice Williams, fell in her semi-finals despite having a commanding lead. Additional setbacks included their Class Three 4x100m relay team failing to finish, and heptathlon athlete Ishna James failing to complete the final event, the 800m, after entering with the overall lead. With these unexpected hurdles, the wheels came off the Edwin Allen train, and Hydel took full advantage of the situation.
BRILLIANT DALEY
The outstanding Jody-Ann Daley shone brightest for the new champions, walking away with four gold medals. Competing in her first year in Class One, Daley captured the 100m hurdles in 13.52 seconds, maintaining her unbeaten streak in the event.
Just over two hours later, she pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the meet, turning back Lacovia High's Sabrina Dockery to win the 200m in a swift 23.36 seconds, with Dockery finishing second in 23.53.
Daley later anchored her team to victory in both the Class One 4x100m and the 4x400m Open.
Hydel have dominated the 400m events in recent seasons and they did so again this year. Nastassia Fletcher (52.82) and Sashana Johnson (54.08) secured maximum points in Class Two by finishing one-two. Minutes later, Abigail Campbell added the Class One title, winning in 53.03 and avenging her Central Athletics Championships loss to Edwin Allen's Kelly Ann Carr.
Other gold medallists for the new champions included Nastassia Burrell, Taiefa Gowe, Zavien Bernard, and Calah McDonald. Gowe set a record in the 2000m steeplechase open, clocking 6:52.82. Burrell claimed victory in the javelin open with a throw of 45.23m. Bernard secured the Class Two high jump title with a clearance of 1.70m, while McDonald emerged victorious in the heptathlon.
Hydel's girls certainly exceeded expectations, and winning two titles in three years will serve as a major boost for their programme. This could mark the beginning of a new era of dominance as coach Bennett continues to prove himself as a true tactician in the sport.
