Dacres, Williams head Junior Pan Am outfit

Raymond Graham, Gleaner Writer

CALABAR High School's Fedrick Dacres and Johnson C. Smith University's Danielle Williams will head Jamaica's 33-member team to participate at the Junior Pan Am Championships, which will be held in Miramar, Florida, from July 22-24.

Dacres, who captured the gold medal at the seventh IAAF World Youth Championships in the boys' discus on midweek with a world-leading 67.05 metres, will lead 15 other males going to the Championships.

Other top male athletes include Dacres' teammate at Calabar High, Traves Smikle, who will also compete in the discus event.

Smikle was a finalist in the event at last year's World Junior Championships (WJC), and was the winner at this year's Carifta Games in Jamaica, in the Under-20 age group.

Williams, who just concluded her first season in NCAA Division II, will head 18 females. A fourth-place finisher in the girl's 100 metres hurdles event at the WJC in Edmonton, Canada, last year, Williams will be hoping to emulate the feat of her elder sister, Shermaine, who was the gold medallist two years ago at the Junior Pan Am Championships.

Also included in the team are the multi-talented Janieve Russell of Holmwood Technical and Kimberly Williamson of Edwin Allen. Russell was the winner of the girl's Under-20 400 metres hurdles at this year's Carifta Games, while Williamson this year broke the national junior record in the high jump when she cleared 1.86 metres at G.C. Foster College in early March.

Jamaica will be hoping to improve on their 14 medals - three gold, three silver and eight bronze - garnered at the last championships two years ago in Port-of-Spain,Trinidad.

TEAM

WOMEN: Natasha Morrison, Cela Walters, Cardine Copeland, Ncolate Martin, Anastacia Scott, Desreen Montigue, Danielle Williams, Tonique Sobah, Danielle Dowdie, Kellion Knibb, Janieve Russell, ChrisAnn Gordon, PeterGaye Reid, Kimberly Williamson, Rochelle Farqhuarson, Daira Levy, Sasha Gay Marston, Danielle Thomas.

MEN: Everton Clarke, Chad Hines, Fedrick Dacres, Javere Bell, Rusheen McDonald, Rojeek Rochester, Yanick Hart, D'Omar Boyden, Javarn Gallimore, Traves Smikle, Xavier Boland, Tashane Bromfield, A-Shawni Mitchell, Keneil Grant, Jonathan Reid.

MANAGEMENT: Dwight Cunningham (manager), Verona Thompson (assistant manager), Lloyd Hamilton, Carlene Edwards (media manager), Michael Carr (head coach), Kerrylee Ricketts, Hamlin Pagon, Orville Brown, Shanikie Osbourne (assistant coaches), Pier-Ann Brown (physiotherapist).