Home|Sports|Three more champions crowned at tennis junior nationalsSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailJune 21, 2023 56 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Three more champions were crowned at the 2023 AID Junior National Tennis Championships at the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association’s (BLTA) National Tennis Centre yesterday. The 12-and-under boys and girls divisions along with the 14-and-under boys division had champions crowned.

The 12-and-under girls division matchup between Vonteneke Rolle and Caitlyn Pratt needed three hours and three sets to determine a champion. In the end, it was Rolle who showed resilience, winning after dropping the first set 6-0.

“I just had confidence,” Rolle said. “I just pushed myself the rest of the match. I started to put some spins on my ball in the second set and began hitting it with more power.”

Rolle, who had a huge smile on her face after the victory, started the second set up 3-0. Pratt, who is from Grand Bahama, bounced back to tie the second set at six games apiece but Rolle won the tiebreaker and the set, 7-6.

In the third, Rolle played loose. She won the third set, 6-4.

Defending his title in the 12-and-under boys division was Chase Newbold. He took care of Kingston Rees in straight sets, 6-3 and 6-1.

“I did not do well in the first set like I did in the second set. I had to push myself and get some energy in that first set but I am happy with my performance in the tournament,” Newbold said.

Newbold said he was happy to see his hard work during practice pay off as he lifted the trophy for a second consecutive year in his final year in that age category.

Patrick Mactaggart played a near perfect match against Ayai Bethel out of Eleuthera to win the 14-and-under boys division. Mactaggart dominated the match, 6-0 and 6-0.

“I played well,” Mactaggart said. “It is always good to finish off with a 6-0, 6-0 scoreline but, overall, I had a good tournament. Coming into the match, I wanted to keep the ball in play heavy, don’t push it and remain positive.”

The finals for the 14-and-under girls, 16-and-under boys and girls, and the 18-and-under boys and girls are set for today. The doubles portion of the tournament also wraps up today.

Playing in the 18-and-under boys final is Jerald Carroll and Dentry Mortimer. Carroll is also playing in the 16-and-under final, taking on Khai Rees. Carroll is teaming up with Jackson Mactaggart to play against Mortimer and Khai Rees in the semifinals in doubles in the 18-and-under category. Carroll won all three divisions last year and will be looking for a replay of the triple crown this year.

“I am excited. I need to prepare for all of the matches and get some sleep. I have to come out and play my game, and I know that I can win if I play how I usually play. I have conditioned my body well enough to take it once I recover well,” Carroll said.

In the 18-and-under girls final, Saphirre Ferguson will take on Takaii Adderley. The 16-and-under girls division will feature Breann Ferguson going up against Adderley in the final. Sarai Clarke goes up against Tatyana Madu in the 14-and-under girls final.

Champions were already crowned in the 10-and-under boys and girls, and 8-and-under girls divisions. There was no 8-and-under boys division this year.

 Home|Sports|Taylor leads top swims at nationalsSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailJune 21, 2023 156 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Bahamian swimmer Lamar Taylor broke a 14-year-old national record in the men’s 50 meters (m) freestyle at the 51st Bahamas Aquatics Federation’s National Swimming Championships at the Betty Kelly-Kenning National Swim Complex over the weekend, highlighting some very strong individual performances at the four-day meet.

World Aquatics, the new name for FINA (International Swimming Federation), uses a FINA points system as an official method to relate race times to the current world record.

Taylor, who already owns the 100m free national record, powered his way to touch the wall in 22.35 seconds in the 18-and-over men’s 50m free for the new national record. The Mako Aquatics swimmer lowered the record of 22.39 seconds that was held by fellow Grand Bahamian Vereance Burrows, set in 2009 in Rome, Italy. Taylor scored 818 FINA points for that swim and had four of the top five best swims at the meet.

“I felt that time was coming. I knew the work that I put in was sufficient. I just had to produce and swim my times,” Taylor said of the record-breaking swim. “I came into the race relaxed and got very focused when I got on the blocks. It felt good to do it at home in front of people who I know. They hear and see me do other good swims on the news or social media but I feel bad that they never get to see it in person so I am glad to do it at home. It would me amazing to always swim with the support of the Bahamian people in the stands at all my meets.”

Placing second in that event was Alpha Aquatics’ Darren Laing who swam 24.35 seconds. The Black Marlins Swim Club’s Thomas Bowers was third in 24.55 seconds.

Taylor was coming off a time of 24 seconds flat in the preliminaries on Sunday morning. It was off from what spectators are used to from him but he was up late Saturday night into Sunday morning taking care of the student part of his student-athlete title at Henderson State University.

“I was up late doing homework as I am taking classes in the summer. I felt a little tired coming into the preliminaries,” he said.

In the 18-and-over women, Delaney Mizell secured the FINA high point award for her swim in the 50m free. The Lyford Cay Swim Club swimmer won that race in 26.83 seconds to secure 686 FINA points.

Mizell, who swam in that age group for the first time at nationals, held off Mako’s Victoria Russell who swam 27.23 seconds. Alpha Aquatics’ Ariel Weech posted a time of 27.44 seconds to place third.

Mako’s Marvin Johnson swam away with the 15-17 boys best swim for his performance in the 100m free, scoring 787 FINA points. The 16-year-old won that race with a time of 50.80 seconds.

Alphas Aquatics’ Ellie Gibson was Johnson’s closest competitor. Gibson finished the race in 53.25 seconds. Finishing third was Johnson’s teammate, Tristin Ferguson, in 54.99 seconds.

Securing the highest FINA points in the 15-17 girls division was the Barracuda Swim Club’s Rhanishka Gibbs. The 16-year-old swam a new nationals record of 26.29 seconds in the 50m free, scoring 729 points. In that race, her teammate Lauren Bridgewater touched the wall in 28.08 seconds for second. Lyford Cay’s Isabelle Zatarain was third in 28.41 seconds.

Coming away with the top FINA points in the 13-14 boys division was Lightning Aquatics’ Donald Saunders. He scored 627 points. He won the 100m free in a time of 54.78 seconds. The Black Marlins’ Malcolm Menzies settled for second after recording a time of 57.90 seconds. Mako’s Lenin Hamilton took third in 58.97 seconds.

Mako’s Zoe Williamson swam a strong 50m race to win that event in the 13-14 girls division and turned in a FINA score of 615 points. Williamson clocked a time of 27.82 seconds to win that race. She finished ahead of her teammate Jordyn Rolle who posted a time of 28.38 seconds for second. Alpha Aquatics’ Adaiah Smith finished third with a time of 29.23 seconds.

The swim nationals began on Thursday and wrapped up on Sunday. Mako amassed 2,689 points to swim away with the title. Finishing a distant second was the Barracuda Swim Club which scored 1,569 points. Securing the third position was Alpha Aquatics which finished with 1,524.50 points.

 Home|Sports|The Bahamas falls to ParaguaySports

Davis Cup team faces Costa Rica today and Honduras tomorrow

Sheldon LongleySend an emailJune 21, 2023 32 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Bahamas’ chances of moving out of Americas Group III and into group two in Davis Cup action for 2024 took a serious hit on Tuesday, as they dropped their second consecutive matchup in the regional tournament at the Club Internacional de Tenis in Asuncion, Paraguay.

The Bahamas fell to the host nation, three matches to none, and is now winless in five tries against Paraguay in Davis Cup history.

In the first match of the day, Denali Nottage played in the number one position in singles for The Bahamas and lost in three sets to Martin Antonio Vergara del Puerto, 6-3, 5-7 and 6-2, in a match that lasted two hours and 16 minutes. Nottage won just 62 percent of his first serves (29-for-47) compared to 73 percent for his opponent (47-for-64). He was also broken six times in the match and broke service just three times, and his opponent won 103 total points compared to 92 for Nottage.

In the second match, playing in the number two position in singles for The Bahamas, Kevin Major Jr. suffered a straight sets loss to Adolfo Daniel Vallejo, 6-4 and 6-4, in a match that lasted an hour and 29 minutes. Major won just 67 percent of his first serves (24-for-36) compared to 81 percent for his opponent (29-for-36). He was broken twice in the match and came up empty in five break point opportunities of his own and won 55 total points compared to 65 for his opponent.

In the third match of the day, The Bahamas’ doubles team of Donte Armbrister and player/captain Marvin Rolle lost to the team of Vergara del Puerto and Vallejo in straight sets, 6-4 and 6-2, in a match that lasted an hour and four minutes. Vergara del Puerto and Vallejo won 87 percent of their first serves (20-for-23) compared to 60 percent for Armbrister and Rolle (18-for-30). The Paraguayans won 56 percent of their second serves (15-for-27) compared to 53 percent for Armbrister and Rolle (8-for-15) and also broke Armbrister and Rolle four times while being broken just once. Vergara del Puerto and Vallejo won 54 of the total 95 points.

Rolle is the veteran of the team, making his 19th appearance in Davis Cup action. Major is making his seventh appearance at Davis Cup, Armbrister is on the team for the second time, and Nottage is the rookie.

Now down two ties to none, The Bahamas finds itself in a must-win situation over the next two days of competition if they want to be promoted to the Americas Group II for next year. The team faces Costa Rica today and Honduras tomorrow.

Just the top two teams in each pool will have a chance at promotion. They will play a crossover playoffs against the top two teams from the other pool with the winners of those games playing for the gold and the losers playing for the bronze. All three of the medal finishers will be promoted to the Americas Group II for next year. 

The Bahamas is in Pool B with the Dominican Republic, Paraguay, Costa Rica and Honduras. The teams in Pool A are Bolivia, Venezuela, Bermuda and Panama. The bottom two teams will be relegated to the Americas Group IV for next year.

The Bahamas fell to the Dominican Republic on Monday and host nation Paraguay yesterday.

The event is being played on outdoor clay courts and wraps up on Saturday.

BAHAMAS Davis Cup team, from left to right, of captain Marvin Rolle, Donte Armbrister, Denali Nottage and Kevin Major Jr.

As of Tuesday, June 20, 2023

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TEAM captain Marvin Rolle, on the left, and Donte Armbrister pose in front of the scoreboard after their doubles victory.

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#The Bahamas men’s tennis team suffered an opening 2-1 loss to the Dominican Republic as the Davis Cup competition got underway yesterday at the International Tennis Club in Asuncion, Paraguay.

#But player/captain Marvin Rolle said the team is in high spirits and looking forward to playing through the rest of the week out of Group B where they have to face the other teams in Paraguay, Costa Rica and Honduras.

#In the opening singles match, Grand Bahamian Denali Nottage made his debut, losing 6-2, 6-4 to Alejandro Jose Gandini. He was followed by Kevin Major Jr, who played in the top seed match against Peter Bertram, losing 6-4, 6-3.

#It came down to the doubles and Rolle teamed up with Donte Armbrister as they sealed the only victory for the Bahamas with a 7-6 (7), 6-2 decision over Alberto Puello and Emmanuel Munoz.

#Rolle, in summing up the team’s performance, said it was mixed reactions from the matches they played.

#“It was Denali’s first time playing in the Davis Cup, he was definitely nervous,” Rolle said. “He played much better in the second set. He started to find his groove and he started to get into the match. A few points here and there made the difference.

#“But he was just getting his feet wet. That’s how it goes sometimes when you are playing for the first time. Your nerves get the best of you, but he played well.”

#In his match, Rolle said he felt Major Jr played as well as he could against his opponent, who was ranked about 781 in the world.

#“He played well. It was a good match,” Rolle stated. “Just some key points here and there was the difference. When the tight moments came, KJ couldn’t capitalise.

#“In the second set, it was tied up at 3-3, and then a few errors on KJ’s part allowed the guy to pull away. I could have helped him a little more with some more tips here and there.”

#In the doubles match where he has been a formidable team-mate, Rolle said he was delighted to help Armbrister come out with his first Davis Cup victory in his second appearance on the team.

#“We played well. We were down in the first set, but we came back and broke to go away and he closed out the tie breaker pretty strong, winning 7-0,” Rolle stressed.

#“In the second set, we were grooving well. We were serving well and we had a lot of opportunities on their serves. The guys we played against were like juniors. You could tell this was their first time playing. They were really young.”

#Today, in their second match, Rolle said the Bahamas will take on top seed Paraguay out of their group.

#“We played them last year, so we know what to expect,” he insisted. “We will go out there and play our best. It’s unfrotunate KJ couldn’t finish the match against the same guy who he will play against.

#“But this year, KJ is healthy and we hope that he can play strong. We will go out there and play our best and try to finish strong.”

#Rolle noted that earlier in the week when they arrived it was cold, but it’s now warming up and, if the conditions remain the same for the rest of the week, they hope to make the best of it.

#As the elder statesman of the team, having travelled and played in more Davis Cup ties than any other member, Rolle said their living accommodations are really nice with just about all of the amenities at their disposal.

#He noted that while there’s nothing much to complain about, the team just has to get prepared to play each match.

As of Tuesday, June 20, 2023

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Charisma Taylor, of the Bahamas, in action in this file photo. She’s looking forward to taking the next step and completing the year with a possible trip to the World Championships. Taylor was sixth in the women’s 100 metre hurdles at the Atlanta Open in Atlanta, Georgia, over the weekend.

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#ALTHOUGH she had a long and hectic collegiate season, versatile Charisma Taylor said she’s looking forward to taking the next step and completing the year with a possible trip to the World Championships.

#After wrapping up her final season for the University of Tennessee at the NCAA Championships over the weekend of June 7-10 in Austin, Texas, Taylor competed at the Atlanta Open in Atlanta, Georgia, over the weekend.

#She was sixth in the women’s 100 metre hurdles in a time of 13.18 seconds. The event, featuring a cross section of international athletes, was won by Danielle Williams of Jamaica in a season’s best of 12.62.

#Cindy Sember of England finished just ahead of Taylor in 13.15. “The meet was okay. It was my first meet for the year, not competing for Tennessee, so it was different,” said Taylor, who had the second fastest qualifying time of 13.13 behind American Kaylor Harris out of the University of Central Florida, who led the field in 12.88.

#“I didn’t have my coaches around. I basically had to do everything for myself, which is something I guess I have to start to get accustomed to doing.”

#As for the competition, Taylor said she felt right in her element.

#“I think my legs were a little bit fatigued because I just came from Nationals where I just competed in four events the week before,” she said. “I just wanted to see what I could run because I’m doing a new technique for my start.

#“The competition was really good. There were many high ranked competitors, so it was definitely good to run against them. I ran against some of them before, so it was good to get that opportunity again.”

#Taylor, 23, had just completed the NCAA Championships where she was fourth in the triple jump with a leap of 45-feet, 8 1/2-inches or 13.93 metres; sixth in the long jump with 21-1/2 (6.41m) and 10th in the 100m hurdles in 12.94.

#“Coming out of the NCAA Championships, I was not happy with my result,” she said. “I definitely had bigger and higher goals set out for myself, mainly because it was my last nationals and I wanted to make an impact,” she reflected. “But everything happened for a reason and God’s timing is perfect. It just wasn’t his timing for me.

#“So I had to stand on that and trust and believe in his plan. I know I will be back bigger and better. I was really disappointed with my performances at NCAA, but as an athlete, you have to take things as they come and move and grow from it.”

#Now that her collegiate season is over, Taylor has her sights set on the global stage where she hopes to continue as a professional athlete. The Atlanta Open was a good indicator of what to expect.

#She will no doubt get her big test at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary where she has to achieve the qualifying standards or be given an invite based on her ranking. The standard for the 100m hurdles is 12.78 and she has a season’s best of 12.80; th3e long jump standard is 6.85 and her SB is 6.51m and in the triple jump, the standard is 14.52m and she has a SB of 13.99m.

#“I’m just training right now, keeping my body in shape so that I can compete at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary,” said Taylor, who is also a pretty good sprinter and to be a part of the relay pool if a team is selected. “I’m really looking forward to that.”

#But before the World Championships, Taylor said she will be home to participate in the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ National Championships, scheduled for July 5-7 at the Thomas A. Robinson Stadium.

#“I’ve decided to come back home and compete for the home crowd,” Taylor said. “I’m very excited about this new chapter in my life that will follow now that I’m done with college.”

As of Tuesday, June 20, 2023

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#THE Bahamas Golf Federation’s Junior Division will be sending a 12-member team off to compete in the Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championships next month.

#The championships are scheduled for July 3-8 in the Cayman Islands.

#The Bahamas will be competing against teams from Barbados, the Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Martinique, Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos and the US Virgin Islands in their bid to win the prestigious Hank James Trophy.

#The Bahamas finished fourth at last year’s championships behind Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica in that order. But junior golf chairman and team manager Gina Gonzalez-Rolle said they have the team to be a force to reckon with again this year.

#“We did have some good individual performances last year from Team Bahamas and this year, we have quite a few new players,” Rolle said. “We’re looking for our new players to shine.

#“But if not, we know one thing for sure. We are a rising team. A lot of our players are very young, but they will continue to do nothing, but get better as time goes on.

#“As you know, we’ve been working real hard on junior golf for the past four-five years and we know that they will come out forcefully and continue to just get better and better.”

#Rolle will be travelling along with Fredrick Taylor, the coach of the team. He is a board member of the BGF and the lead coach for the Fourteen Clubs Golf Academy.

#There will be six different age groups for competition and the Bahamas will have representation in all of them.

#In the 18-and-under boys division, the Bahamas will be represented by three players.

#Zion Taylor, an 18-year-old, started playing at the age of 12 and hopes to one day play on the PGA Tour.

#Christopher Callender, who will be making his international debut, enjoys the camaraderie of his teammates and is driven by a competitive spirit.

#Alex Dupuch, a senior at Windsor High School, has been playing golf since the age of four. He hopes to study economics in college.

#The girls’ 18-and-under division will comprise of Miljokjka Gojkovic, a 17-year-old, who has been playing golf for two years despite the fact that she was introduced to the sport at the age of five.

#Tyesha Tynes, 17, has been a part of the junior national team for the past six years.

#Three players will also represent the Bahamas in the boys’ 15-and-under division.

#Jackson MacTaggart, a 15-year-old ninth grader, aspires to play collegiate golf and is an active tennis player. He also loves to go spearfishing.

#Kerrington Rolle, another 15-year-old, also attends Albany Golf Academy. He is playing on his third national team, having just got started started playing at the age of 10. He also enjoy soccer, tee ball and swim whenever he get the opportunity.

#Camdyn Forbes, another 15-year-old, has been playing competitive for three years, but hope to one day become a professional player.

#Two players make up the girls 15-and-under division.

#Taylor Sands, a 15-year-old, is representing the Bahamas for the first time, but hopes to take it all the way to the LPGA Tour.

#Seannae Norville-Smith started playing at the age of 10..

#Two players will participate in the boys 11-13 division.

#Patrick MacTaggart, a 13-year0old seventh grade student, aspires to play collegiate golf, but also enjoy tennis and fishing.

#De’Nahji Mortimer is a 13-year-old ninth grader at Bishop Michael Eldon High School in Grand Bahama, He follows in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, who both represented the Bahamas in golf, but he also wants to play professional and eventually win a title on the the PGA Tour.

#And there will also be two players in the girls 11-13 division.

#Haley Hall, 12, is excited sbout her return to the national team after making her debut last year. She has been playing golf for six years and is looking forward to the competitiveness from her rivals around the Caribbean.

#Maddison Carroll, a 12-year-old student of Tambearly International School, who has been playing golf for eight years and who hopes to one day become a LPGA player as well.

 Home|Sports|Basketball schedule set for Bahamas GamesSports

Sheldon LongleySend an emailJune 20, 2023 72 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

What is expected to be one of the more popular sporting events in the 2023 Bahamas Games is taking shape as a calendar of games was released over the weekend.

There will be 10 teams in men’s basketball, separated into two pools, and six in women’s basketball with action set to tip off on Tuesday, July 11 at 9 a.m. in the morning at the D.W. Davis Gymnasium. On that Tuesday, there will be nine games with the featured contest being a men’s contest between Eleuthera and Bimini. That game will take place at 9 p.m. at D.W. Davis.

According to its roster, Eleuthera is loaded with a number of present or former national team players suiting up for them.

The other teams in men’s basketball are New Providence, Grand Bahama, Abaco, MICAL (Mayaguana, Inagua, Crooked Island, Acklins and Long Cay), Exuma, Columbus Isles, Andros and Long Island. In women’s play, New Providence, Grand Bahama, Exuma, Eleuthera, Abaco and Columbus Isles will compete.

“On paper, Eleuthera looks like one of the stronger teams with the likes of Michael Carey, Dominick Bridgewater, ‘Kino’ Burrows and others, but as we know, basketball is not won on paper,” said Eugene Horton, president of the Bahamas Basketball Federation (BBF).

“They will be tough to beat but so will some of the other teams. This is the Bahamas Games and the competition will be intense. This is the first time in 20 years that we’re having the Bahamas Games. The last time I played and that was in the early 2000s. This is a time for the athletes, and even the 

coaches and team officials, to compete and network with each other. This is going to bring the islands together in a spirit of unity and for bragging rights. It’s going to be fun. We’re encouraging the public to come out and support basketball and support the other events as well. Come out and go from one sport to the next and let’s have fun and hopefully bring the islands together and set the way forward for future events.”

According to the schedule, basketball will be played for five successive days, culminating with the championship games for both men and women.

In the men’s division, after a single round robin style of play within a pool, the top four teams from that pool will advance to the pool championships. After a pool champion is crowned, the top two teams in each pool will play a crossover semifinals to determine the two teams that will advance to the championship. The winners will play in the gold medal game.

For the women, after a single round robin style of play, the top four teams will advance to the semifinals and the winners from the semifinals will play in the championships game. The bulk of the playoff games, and the championship games, will be played at the Kendal G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium.

The two gold medal games are set for Saturday, July 15, starting at noon at the Kendal Isaacs gym. The women will play first and will be followed by the men.

“Some teams still have to finalize their rosters, but we didn’t let that stop us from going ahead and setting the schedule,” said Horton. “I’m happy to get it out of the way. I don’t like to wait until the last minute to get things done. This is a simple process. We set it up the same way that it is done in the NPBA (New Providence Basketball Association) and the round robin (BBF National Round Robin Tournament) in terms of scheduling games.

“Also, we wanted to make it easier for the media. There is a link for statistics, so that the media could follow the games at the link or on the BBF’s website. The pools are set up in a way that the best teams will go to the championship. The top four teams in each pool will go to the playoffs. There will be crossover games and the winners of the two crossover games will go to the gold medal game. The women will go straight to the semifinals and the winners will go to the gold medal game. It’s going to be exciting.”

Horton said he will miss some of the competition because of a fraternity conference that he must attend, but added that his heart and thoughts will be with the basketball portion of the Bahamas Games.

The games were established in 1989 and the following events took place in 1991, 1995, 1998 and 2001. The Golden Jubilee Bahamas Games will be held from July 7-15. The opening ceremony will be held on Saturday, July 8, leading into the national 50th anniversary of independence celebrations.

These will be 16 sporting disciplines at 16 different locations, enabling persons to enjoy and support the teams and sports of their choice.

The 10 teams forming the individual islands or grouping of islands include: the Abaco Survivors, the Andros Chiccharnies, the Bimini and Berry Islands Marlins, the Columbus Isles Arawaks (Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador), the Eleuthera Adventurers, the Exuma & Ragged Island Navigators, the Grand Bahama Lucayans, the Long Island Sheep Runners, the MICAL Flamingoes  and the New Providence Buccaneers.

 Home|Sports|Baha Juniors women win Hummel CupSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailJune 20, 2023 74 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

After a scoreless draw at full time, the Baha Juniors women’s team won a penalty shootout, 3-1, over United FC, to secure the Bahamas Football Association’s (BFA) Hummel Cup at the BFA Training Center at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex on Saturday.

Throughout the tournament, the Baha Juniors were known for an ability to find the back of the net easily, coming off a 5-2 drubbing of Dynamos FC in the semifinals. United FC did a good job of slowing them down, but be that as it may, Baha Juniors Coach Julian Smith was confident in his ladies coming through in the penalty shootout.

“The whole point of the game was to contain them because they are good at making passes,” Smith said. “We had to keep holding on. I wanted us to score, and we had some good breakthrough opportunities, but the draw at the end was good for us because I knew we were going to win on penalties. We have some good spot kick takers.”

Scoring for the Baha Juniors in the penalty shootout were Annisa Albury, Alyssa Franklin and Sydney Hector. Scoring the lone goal for United FC was Hadassah Knowles. Coming away with two key saves for the Baha Juniors in the penalty shootout was goalkeeper Ellianne Higgs.

“I was glad I got those saves because I know how much my team wanted this Cup,” Higgs said. “I worked as hard as I could to save them and I wanted to save those goals and I wanted to win as well. I wanted this win from the tournament started.”

Both teams had their chances at finding the back of the net, but could not finish in regulation.

Smith was excited for the win and likes that the BFA is putting on tournaments for women.

“It was a good win, especially with these ladies. They worked hard after falling short in the regular season and they deserve this win because of that. It is a very good tournament,” Smith said. “I applaud the BFA for it, but we also need to start with the younger ones. They are doing a good job with the older ones, but there still a lot more work to be done.”

Placing third was Cavalier FC, which got two second half goals from Janeka Edy to take down the Dynamos, 2-0, in the third/fourth place game.

“This game was a rough one because we had two games prior to this, so we were tired. We had to push through,” Edy said. “I liked the second goal the most because I was by myself. Our coach told us to calm down and stick to the formation.”

The Cavalier’s Rachel Rolle said she was happy that her team placed third, although they missed out on playing Baha Juniors in the final.

“It was rocky at the start of the game, but we were able to connect our passes as the game went on,” Rolle said. “We played well and played as our sister’s keeper.”

The all-star games as well as the awards ceremony for the Hummel Cup will take place on Saturday, June 24.

 Home|Sports|The Bahamas falls to the DRSports

Team looking to bounce back against Paraguay today

Sheldon LongleySend an emailJune 20, 2023 49 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Bahamas was able to salvage its initial tie of Americas Group III Davis Cup action at Club Internacional de Tenis in Asuncion, Paraguay, on Monday, but still lost the battle two matches to one to a tough Dominican Republic (DR) team.

In the first match of the day, playing in the number two singles position, national champion Denali Nottage fell in his Davis Cup debut, losing to Alejandro Jose Gandini in straight sets, 6-2 and 6-4, in a match that lasted an hour and 21 minutes. In match number two, playing in the number one singles position for The Bahamas, Kevin Major Jr. fell to Peter Bertran in straight sets, 6-4 and 6-3, in a match that lasted an hour and 32 minutes. In doubles, the team of Donte Armbrister and player/captain Marvin Rolle defeated the team of Enmanuel Munoz and Alberto Puello in straight sets, 7-6(0) and 6-2, in a match that lasted an hour and 28 minutes.

Armbrister is on the team for the second time, Major is making his seventh appearance at Davis Cup and veteran Rolle is on the team for the 19th time.

The team had a shaky start on Monday, but the doubles win could give them some momentum going into today’s matchup against Paraguay, a team they lost to two matches to one last year, and are winless against in four tries in the history of The Bahamas’ participation at Davis Cup.

The other teams in The Bahamas’ pool are Honduras and Costa Rica, and they must finish in the top two to have a chance to be promoted to the Americas Group II for next year. The teams in Pool A are Bolivia, Venezuela, Bermuda and Panama. The top two teams in each pool will play a crossover playoffs against each other with the winners playing for the gold and the losers playing for the bronze. All three of the medal finishers will be promoted to the Americas Group II for next year. The bottom two teams will be relegated to the Americas Group IV for next year.

The event is being played on outdoor clay courts.

In the first match of the day, Nottage won just 45 percent of his first serves (15-for-33) while his opponent won 61 percent of his (23-for-38). He also won 57 percent of his second serves (13-for-23) compared to 43 percent for Nottage (12-for-28). Gandini broke Nottage five times in the match and won 70 of the 122 total points.

In the second match, Major won 58 percent of his first serves (25-for-43) compared to 72 percent for his opponent (26-for-36). Bertran won 59 percent of his second serves (10-for-17) compared to 43 percent for Major (10-for-23). Bertran broke Major four times and won 67 of the 119 total points.

In the doubles match, Armbrister and Rolle won 72 percent of their first serves (36-for-50) compared to just 56 percent for their opponents (30-for-54). They also won 50 percent of their second serves (8-for-16) compared to 47 percent for their opponents (8-for-17). Armbrister and Rolle broke Munoz and Puello three times and won 77 of the total 137 points.

The tournament continues today and wraps up on Saturday.

Members of the Mako Aquatic Swim Club celebrating. Photo: Melinda Moss/Bahamas Aquatics

As of Monday, June 19, 2023

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#FOR the fifth straight consecutive year, the Mako Aquatic Swim Club hoisted the Bahamas Aquatics’ National Swimming Championship trophy in the air as national champions.

#In similar fashion to Team Bahamas winning its fifth straight CARIFTA Swimming Championships over the Easter holiday weekend, Mako also had a dominating performance as they wrapped up the four-day meet on Father’s Day on Sunday at the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex.

#Mako accumulated a total of 2,698 points to out-distance their nearest rivals, Barracuda Swim Club, who had 1,569. Not too far behind in third place was the Alpha Aquatics Club with 1,524.50.

#The remaining teams in order of finish were the Blue Waves Swim Club with 965.50 for fourth; Black Marlins Swim Club with 608 fir fifth; Lyford Swim Club with 394 for sixth, Lightning Aquatics with 300 for seventh; Mantas Swim & Water Polo Club with 240 for eighth; Freeport Aquatics with 158 for ninth and the Sea Waves Aquatic Team with nine points for 10th place.

#In the medal count, Mako collected a total of 87 gold, 64 silver and 71 bronze for a total of 222 medals to dominate the chart. The Barracuda Swim Club was again in second with 46 gold, 43 silver, 34 bronze for 123 medals. Alpha Aquatics completed the top three with 45 gold, 37 silver and 31 bronze for 113.

#The Blue Waves were fourth with 15 gold, 25 silver and 23 bronze of their total of 63; the Black Marlins Swim Club was fifth with six gold, 17 silver and 21 bronze for their total of 44. Lightning Aquatics also had six gold, one silver and a bronze for eight medals. Lyford Swim Club had three gold, 14 silver and nine bronze for 26; Freeport Aquatic had a gold, five silver and three bronze for nine and Mantas Swim and Water Polo Club had four silver and four bronze for eight.

#All season long, Mako’s head coach Travano McPhee said they were working on going for the five-peat and his swimmers worked extremely hard to achieve the feat.

#“This one feels good. Just like the CARIFTA team, our goal started from last year. We wanted to win five straight. That was the goal of our coaches, the team captains, all the swimmers and their parents. We were able to pull it off,” McPhee said.

#However, he doesn’t want his team to rest on their laurels, as he say they want to continue to match the performances of the CARIFTA team when they go for their sixth straight here at the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex next April.

#“We’re going to celebrate this one, but we’re also going to start preparing right away for the sixth straight,” said McPhee, who was pleased with their performances across the board.

#“Our relay teams dominated from the eight-and-under to our 18-and-over. Everyone came out and performed,” he said. “We did what we planned to do from day one. I’m just happy with the team’s performance.”

#Marvin Johnson Jr, who came home from boarding school in Chattanooga, Tennessee, competed in seven individual events and he won them all in the 50, 100, 400 and 499 metres freestyle; 50 and 200m butterflies and the 200m backstroke.

#The 17-year-old Johnson also helped his Mako team to three victories in the relays and second in two others.

#“It was a pretty good performance. I was happy with it. Coming back from school, and back in the home crowd environment, it was nice to put on a show in what could be a preview for CARIFTA next year,” Johnson said.

#“So it was great to put on the show for the crowd, but the competition was really stiff. We didn’t get to win that by just having some average guys. All of the guys came together and made things happen.”

#Taylen Nicolls, who competes in the girls 9-10 division, proved that even though she attended Elva Hilton Primary School where she will graduate from this year, she has the ability to compete just as well as her peers.

#But in addition to swimming for Mako, the 11-year-old still find the time to be a speaker, dancer and actress. She noted that she spends about one hour in each segment to be able to perform at such a high level.

#“My performance was extremely great, especially how we started training for swimming since September,” Nicolls pointed out. “I feel very excited that I got the high point trophy again because everybody step into pool want it just as bad as I do.”

#Nicolls won all of her individual events she competed in, especially for the 200m freestyle where she placed second. She noted that her competition pushed her to the limit.

#Saleste Gibson, who competed in the 11-12 girls division for the Barracuda Swim Club, continued a winning tradition that was left behind by her siblings, Selina and Samuel Gibson Jr, who are both in college, but are done with swimming.

#The 12-year-old participated in seven individual events and won seven gold medals.

#“I think I did a very good job in my opinion,” she said. “I think it was very good to come here and compete with everyone from The Bahamas.

#“It was a really good time for me to show off what I could do. My brother and sister have been supporting me one hundred percent and I know I could ask for advice because they were both swimmers.”

#Bahamas Aquatics president Ashley Cargill said they couldn’t ask for a much better showing than what they got for this year’s nationals with a number of national records broken.

#Jaylah Threadgill, of Lyford Swim Club, broke the only individual open record in the girls 11-12 50m breaststroke in a time of 35.83, while there were a few team record-breaking performances.

#Threadgill’s time also posted a new national record as she joined several other individual record breakers. Among the list were Rhanishka Gibbs of the Barracuda in the girls 15-17 50m breaststroke in 32.93 and 100m butterfly in 1:05.05; David Singh, also of the Barracuda, in the boys 11-12 200m IM in 2:27.46; Lamar Taylor of Mako Aquatic in the boys 18-and-over 50m backstroke in 25.54 and 100m backstroke in 56.47; Zoe Williamson from Mako as well in the girls 13-14 100m butterfly in 1:06.57; Keianna Moss of Mako in the girls 15-17 100m butterfly in 1:05.29; Cailyn Dean of the Blue Waves in the girls 8-and-under 50m butterfly in 38.87 and Saleste Gibson in the girls 11-12 50m butterfly in 29.61.

#There were also several relay records broken.

#“I think the swimmers came out and they performed exceptionally well,” Cargill said. “We were very pleased with the competition. Even though Mako won by a large margin, there were a lot of impressive performances from the other clubs.”

#In a humanitarian effort, Bahamas Aquatics supported Shawn Neely Jr with his battle with cancer by donating $1,035 they collected from the gate and Bahamas Aquatics will also be making a contribution to his cause.

#His father, Shawn Neely Sr, thanked the swimming community, especially some of the competitors he swam with and against and even some of Shawn Jr’s peers for providing a helping hand.

#Neely Sr, who is the head coach for the Lightning Aquatics, said his son is in high spirits and was appreciative of the support he got from everybody. Neely Sr said they are working on getting him through his treatment so that he can be ready to come out and compete next year.