News Releases

St. Augustine and Mona take lead as 2015 UWI Games progresses

For Release Upon Receipt - May 27, 2015

UWI


Games to culminate with Athletics showdown on Thursday

ST. AUGUSTINE, Trinidad and Tobago – Since its opening on May 21, the UWI Games 2015 has continued with an incredibly fast paced series of sporting events that have proven to be an effective platform to showcase the vast talent of the St. Augustine, Mona, Cave Hill and Open Campus teams of The University of the West Indies. St. Augustine and Mona have taken the lead in the Games, with current point standings of 292 and 314 respectively. Cave Hill currently holds down third place with 174 points. This is after the completion of netball, swimming and basketball, with the play-offs for 7 other disciplines – track and field, table tennis, tennis, football, cricket, hockey and volleyball, still to go before the Games come to a close on Thursday, May 28.

Each team has demonstrated technical skill, determination and sportsmanship which enabled the right atmosphere to follow up to this point and hopefully throughout the rest of the games. Crowd favourites so far have been basketball, volleyball and football which have attracted the largest and loudest crowds as the events. The teams have garnered a tremendous amount of encouragement from supporters and among the athletes, there has been a close competitive rivalry which has had both athletes and supporters on edge with anticipation for the outcome of each game. Team standings in the completed disciplines are as follows:

Swimming:

1st – Mona with 314 points

2nd – St. Augustine with 292 points

3rd – Cave Hill with 174 points

 

Female Basketball:

1st – Mona

2nd – Cave Hill

3rd – St. Augustine

 

Male Basketball:

1st – Cave Hill Campus

2nd – Mona Campus

3rd – St. Augustine Campus

 

Netball:

1st – Mona

2nd – Cave Hill

3rd – St. Augustine

 

Mona expected to dominate Thursday’s athletics & Garth Taylor Memorial

This Thursday, the games will culminate in fine style with the Track and Field events set to take the Hasely Crawford Stadium in full force. The Mona team is expected to dominate the track and field events with many seasoned athletes on the team, including the 2015 UWI Track Field Invitational Meet in March. Rushell Clayton, who took gold in this year’s 2015 Penn Relays College Women’s 400-metre hurdles, is also on the Mona team and will compete in three events - 400M, 800M and the 4x400M relay. Other top participants from St. Augustine include Collin Pereira (National Cross Country Team), Darlene Lewis (CAC) and Shaunna Downey (National Disc Thrower, Junior CAC, World Junior). As for the Invitational Events, the National Association of Athletics Administrations of Trinidad and Tobago (NAAA) has brought together a slew of local seeded athletes to compete in 100M and 400M events.

The Hasely Crawford stadium will also play host to the Garth Taylor Memorial Football Game. This is expected to take place at the mid-event intermission of the Track and Field Event, from 12:15pm to 1:40pm. This game will be played with a team comprising participants from all the visiting contingents versus the Campus Registrar’s All Star Team.  Taylor was a student who passed away due to an injury procured in a football game at the 1970 UWI Games held at the Mona Campus; he was the goal keeper for the St. Augustine Team and a first year engineering student at The UWI St. Augustine Campus at that time. Each time the Games have been held at St. Augustine since his untimely passing, a football match is held in his memory. 

The Open Campus- Smallest Team, Biggest Heart

As newcomers to the UWI Games, the members of the Open Campus team of athletes from across the region have the smallest team and have not been taking part in four of the 10 sporting disciplines - netball, football, tennis and volleyball. However, in the face of these obstacles these delegates have shown a great effort and spirit in the games and are clearly using this time as a learning and improving experience. They have seemingly earned enough respect from the other teams and supporters to not be underestimated and we are ready to see this underdog triumph.

Live Stream and Social Media

Live streaming of select games continues on the games website http://sta.uwi.edu/uwigames/ with Football Finals on Wednesday 27 May at 3pm; Track and Field on Thursday 28 May from 9am. The invitation only Closing Ceremony will also be streamed live on Thursday 28 May from 7pm. Games updates continue on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheUWIGames and via the hashtag #UWIGames2015.

The UWI Games 2015 thus far has proven to be nothing short of exciting, riveting and fun. The competitive spirit of the teams and supporters in the games mingled with the non-sporting activities, such as the Culture Night, which was hosted last Friday by the Guild of Students, has allowed for athletes and supporters to enjoy a holistic and engaging experience. As the games continue, Chair of the Games, UWI St. Augustine Deputy Principal Professor Rhoda Reddock has expressed the hope that each team continues to do their best and that supporters keep showing their dedication to their campus and reassurance to their peers.

 

End

 

About The UWI

Since its inception in 1948, The University of the West Indies (UWI) has evolved from a fledgling college in Jamaica with 33 students to a full-fledged, regional University with well over 40,000 students. Today, UWI is the largest, most longstanding higher education provider in the Commonwealth Caribbean, with four campuses in Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Open Campus. The UWI has faculty and students from more than 40 countries and collaborative links with 160 universities globally; it offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Food & Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology and Social Sciences. UWI’s seven priority focal areas are linked closely to the priorities identified by CARICOM and take into account such over-arching areas of concern to the region as environmental issues, health and wellness, gender equity and the critical importance of innovation. Website: www.uwi.edu

 

(Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.)

 

 

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