#By BRENT STUBBS
#Senior Sports Reporter
#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
#Quarter-miler Shaunae Miller was named the Charlie Major Athlete of the Year and James Rolle, who coaches a number of high jumpers, was selected as the Coach of the Year as the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations held its awards banquet to honour their most outstanding athletes for the 2015 season.
#Miller earned the highest honour given to the athletes at the awards banquet held Sunday night at the Breezes SuperClubs. The event came on the heels of the BAAAs hosting both its junior and senior nationals that wrapped up on Saturday at the new Thomas A Robinson National Stadium.
#The award was presented to Miller for her achievement as a silver medallist in the women’s 400 metres at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China. Miller also added the women’s 200m in a time of 22.14 seconds at the Jamaican Invitational to add to her 400m feat.
#She was also named the Senior Female Athlete of the Year in the awards banquet that was postponed from last November.
#The Thomas A Robinson Male Athlete of the Year went to Jeffery Gibson. The national 400m hurdles champion won the gold in the men’s 400m hurdles at the Pan American Games in Canada and a bronze at the IAAF World Championships, while lowering his national record a couple times last year.
#James Rolle earned the Henry Crawford Coach of the Year honours for the role he played as the coach of Ryan Ingraham, the bronze medallist in the high jump at the NACAC Championships and the national high jump champion LaQuain Nairn, the silver medallist in the high jump at the Carifta Games and Charisma Taylor, the gold medallist in both the long and triple jumps at Carifta.
#Among the other winners of the prestigious awards were Paige Stuart, Benjamin Clarke, Brianne Bethel and Devynne Charlton.
#Stuart was named the Angela Rolle Youth Female Athlete of the Year after she won the Youth Championship trials, competed on the Youth CAC team where she turned in a gold medal performance in the high jump in Trinidad & Tobago.
#Clarke, on the other hand, carted off the Youth Male Athlete of the Year by making the Youth CAC team and accomplished a record at the games in high jump with his gold medal performance to go along with his silver in the long jump in Trinidad & Tobago.
#Bethel, a native from Grand Bahama, won the Dr Bernard Nottage Junior Athlete of the Year after she won a bronze in the 100m and silver in the 200m at Carifta, was a semi-finalist in both the 100 and 200m at the IAAF World Youth Championships and a member of the women’s 4 x 200m team at the IAAF World Relays here in New Providence.
#Charlton was named as the Collegiate Athlete of the Year after the former co-national 100m hurdles record holder ran 8.17 seconds indoors to post the second fastest time in Bahamian history and was a sixth place finisher at the NACAC Championships.
- Here’s a look at the winners in the various categories:
#• Angela Rolle Youth Female Athlete of the Year – Paige Stuart. She went to the Youth CAC Championships in Trinidad & Tobago where she won the gold in the 60m and high jump, as well as a bronze in the long jump and established a games record in picking up another gold in the 100m as she went on to win the girls 11-12 division.
#• Youth Male Athlete of the Year – Benjamin Clarke. He participated at the Youth CAC in Trinidad & Tobago where he won the high jump in a games’ record performance and was a a silver medallist in the long jump.
#• Anita Doherty Junior Female Track Athlete of the Year – Brianne Bethel and Shaquania Dorsett.
#Bethel won a bronze in the 100m and silver in the 200m at the Carifta Games and was a semi-finalist in both the 100 and 200m at the World Youth Championships and was a finalist on the women’s 4 x 200m at the IAAF World Relays and Dorsett won the gold in both the 400 and 800m at Carifta and was a member of the women’s 4 x 400m relay at the IAAF World Relays.
#• Basil Neymour Junior Male Athlete of the Year – Javan Martin. The Grand Bahamian was a semi-finalist at the World Youth Championships after winning a gold in the under-20 boys 100m and silver in the 200m at Carifta as well as he competed on the men’s 4 x 100m at the World Relays.
#• Ronald Cartwright Junior Female Field Athlete of the Year – Charisma Taylor. The versatile athlete was the double gold medallist in the under-18 girls long and triple jumps at Carifta.
#• Keith Parker Junior Male Field Athlete of the Year – Deondre Rutherford. He captured the gold in the under-18 boys discus at Carifta and was the junior national champion in the same event.
#• Dianna Lynn Thompson Junior Female Athlete of the Year – Brianne Bethel. The Grand Bahamian picked up a bronze in the 100m and silver in the 200m at the Carifta Games and was a semi-finalist in both the 100 and 200m at the World Youth Championships and was a finalist on the women’s 4 x 200m at the IAAF World Relays.
#• Errol Bodie Junior Female Athlete of the Year – Javon Martin. The Grand Bahamian was a semi-finalist at the World Youth Championships after winning a gold in the under-20 boys 100m and silver in the 200m at Carifta as well as he competed on the men’s 4 x 100m at the World Relays.
#• Bernard Nottage Junior Athlete of the Year – Brianne Bethel. The Grand Bahamian picked up a bronze in the 100m and silver in the 200m at the Carifta Games and was a semifinalist in both the 100 and 200m at the World Youth Championships and was a finalist on the women’s 4 x 200m at the IAAF World Relays.
#• Sir Durward Knowles Family Island Athlete – Brianne Bethel. The Grand Bahamian picked up a bronze in the 100m and silver in the 200m at the Carifta Games and was a semifinalist in both the 100 and 200m at the World Youth Championships and was a finalist on the women’s 4 x 200m at the IAAF World Relays.
#• Collegiate Female Track Athlete of the Year – Devynne Charlton. She was named as the Collegiate Athlete of the Year after the former co-national 100m hurdles record holder ran 8.17 seconds indoors to post the second fastest time in Bahamian history and was a sixth place finisher at the NACAC Championships.
#• Collegiate Male Track Athlete of the Year – Ashley Riley. He was a double Southland Indoor and Outdoor Championships’ 400m finalist.
#• Collegiate Female Field Athlete of the Year – Tamara Myers. She was the SEC Championship fifth place finisher and NCAA Indoor Championship seventh place finisher in the women’s triple jump.
#• Collegiate Male Field Athlete of the Year – Latario Collie-Minns. The twin brother came through as a second place finisher at the NCAA Outdoor Championship in the men’s triple jump.
#• Collegiate Female Athlete of the Year – Devynne Charlton. She was named as the Collegiate Athlete of the Year after the former co-national 100m hurdles record holder ran 8.17 seconds indoors to post the second fastest time in Bahamian history and was a sixth place finisher at the NACAC Championships.
#• Harrison Petty Collegiate Male Athlete of the Year – Latario Collie-Minns. The twin brother came through as a second place finisher at the NCAA Outdoor Championship in the men’s triple jump.
#• Collegiate Athlete of the Year – Devynne Charlton. She was named as the Collegiate Athlete of the Year after the former co-national 100m hurdles record holder ran 8.17 seconds indoors to post the second fastest time in Bahamian history and was a sixth place finisher at the NACAC Championships.
#• Senior Female Track Athlete of the Year – Shaunae Miller. She was a silver medallist in the women’s 400 metres at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China. Miller also added the women 200m in a time of 22.14 seconds at the Jamaican Invitational to add to her 400m feat.
#• Senior Male Track Athlete of the Year – Jeffery Gibson. The Grand Bahamian national 400m hurdles champion won the gold in the men’s 400m hurdles at the Pan American Games in Canada and a bronze at the IAAF World Championships, while lowering his national record a couple times last year.
#• Senior Female Field Athlete of the Year – Bianca Stuart. The national long jump champion went on to lower her national record to 6.83m and earned a silver medal at the Pan American Games.
#• Senior Male Field Athlete of the Year – Leevan Sands. In the comeback performance of the year, the men’s national triple jump record holder won the national title, got a bronze medal at the NACAC Championships, silver at the Pan Am Games and was a finalist at the World Championships.