Combermere secured the boys’ title for a third consecutive year, while The St Michael School retained their crown in the girls’ division, bringing the 2026 Dasanai BSSAC Championships to a thrilling close at the Usain Bolt Complex on Friday.
Both schools led their respective divisions heading into the final day and never let up, showcasing consistency and determination throughout the competition.
In the girls’ standings, The St Michael School amassed 213 points to finish clear of Harrison College on 183 and Combermere on 142.5. Queen’s College placed fourth with 117 points, followed by Springer Memorial on 113. Christ Church Foundation School secured sixth on 85, The Lodge School seventh on 69, Alleyne eighth on 67, Coleridge and Parry ninth on 66, and Alexandra rounded out the top 10 with 63 points.
Michael School Cougars secure second consecutive girls’ title. (Photo Credit: Nathan Goddard-McCarthy)
Elated St Michael School head coach Gabriel Burnett told Barbados TODAY that the team came together as planned, despite a bit of an early wobble.
“Our girls started out shaky yesterday (Thursday) morning. We gave up some points and I actually had three team meetings yesterday and I’m not big on meetings, because when we come to BSSAC we already know the plan and what we have to do. I felt yesterday the nerves were getting to the juniors, especially the Under 13’s, and so we had a team meeting yesterday and we brought it back together.”
He continued, “After the morning session, everything was just going as we expected and then on day two, they came out firing on all cylinders.”
Burnett said the team is already setting sights on a third consecutive title next year. “For sure, we believe that once we have juniors, we’re going to do extremely well and so the Under 13 and Under 15 is where our strength is. We really expect that to continue.
“One thing I must say is that Pedialyte Sport, they have been our sponsor since 2014 and they’ve given us everything that we’ve wanted and we really appreciate it, so a huge shout out to them.”
Combermere secured a three-peat — when they clinched their third consecutive Boys’ title — finishing the season atop the standings with 198.5 points.
Combermere School three-peat in the boys’ Division. (Photo Credit: Nathan Goddard-McCarthy)
Harrison College claimed second with 157 points, while The St Michael School rounded out the podium on 144 points. The Lodge School took fourth with 126.5 points, and St Leonard’s Boys’ completed the top five on 108.5 points.
Queen’s College finished sixth on 99 points, followed by Christ Church Foundation School in seventh with 77 points. Coleridge and Parry (70 points), St George Secondary (55) and Alleyne School (50) filled out the top ten.
For Combermere coach Jarad Murray, the triumph marked the perfect finale to a historic and highly satisfying season.
“It feels really good, the boys really understood that this was a moment in history to be one of the only two schools to ‘three-peat’ in a championship, so we really wanted to go after this year,” said Murray who added that they were confident of success from the penultimate day of the championships.
“To be honest with you, yesterday when we had a lot of our guys who would have qualified lower and placing higher in the finals, that was a clear sign that the boys really wanted it, and from then I knew that we would have pulled through.”
“We really try to strike that balance right across the board, all hands on deck as it pertains to everything. We are a school that prides itself on resilience. We really have to go there and put our best foot forward from day one. We did that and today is the result.”
Under-17 competitor Hailey Merritt of Harrison College claimed the Victrix Ludorum title, dominating the High Jump, Long Jump, and Triple Jump, and finishing third in the 100m hurdles.
In his debut at the event, Alex Jones-Ifill of St Leonard’s Boys marked himself as a rising star, racking up a perfect 40 points to claim the Victor Ludorum title. The young athlete dominated the track and field, winning the 100m, 200m, 400m, and Long Jump.
kurtishinds@barbadostoday.bb
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