Stephen Francis’ UTech sparkled at the Penn Relays

[Jangle]

By Andrew Harry in Philadelphia
Jamaica's Sports Minister Olivia 'Babsy' Grange (right) pose with members of UTech's winning 4x400m relay team at Penn Relays on Saturday (24 April)....From left, Christine Day, Anneisha McLaughlin, Alecia Cutenar and Stephanie McPherson.

Undoubtedly the greatest technical mind in present day athletics, Stephen Francis’ contribution to the 116th Penn Relays, further enhanced the brilliance that Usain Bolt contributed to ‘Jamaica at the relays’.
Stephen whose approach to athletics is from a statistical standpoint because of his managerial education, has effectively used a method called ’systematic loading’, to virtually spin gold out of hay and produce some of the finest athletes on the planet.
Maurice Wilson, head coach of Holmwood Technical and the most successful High School coach at this years Penn Relays, whose girls carted off three Championship of America titles in the 4×100m, 4×200m and 4×400m relays, had nothing but praise and respect for coach Francis, known to all as ‘Franno’.
“Most coaches have limitations”, he said, “Franno doesn’t. He is yet to meet that one athlete who has the goods, whose performance he cannot improve dramatically. My respect for him is boundless and I can never thank him enough for the wonderful job he did with Anneisha McLaughlin, who I consider as my daughter.”
Annie Mac
Anneisha McLaughlin who hailed from Holmwood Tech, was one of Jamaica’s most successful junior, female athletes, possibly second only to Veronica Campbell Brown, who literally as a junior, won every kind and color of medal there was, that was ever minted.
Under Stephen Francis’ tutelage, Annie Mac reached the 200m finals in Berlin and got fifth place. What was remarkable was, after leaving Holmwood Tech, Annie’s performance had dropped significantly for a few years and all the track and field pundits had written her off as done. Under Franno’s care at UTech however, she blossomed and became the fifth fastest woman in the world, in 2009.
Holmwood Technical
Over the years, under coach Wilson, Holmwood has produced some of the nation’s finest junior female athletes in Sheryl Morgan, Sonita Sutherland, Anniesha McLaughlin, Rosemarie Whyte, Bobby Gaye Wilkins and now Chris-Ann Gordon, to name a few.
After leaving school, some of these girls were never able to recapture their magic and they fell by the wayside. This was due to the drastic change in their training programs as they entered College. They would go from a great High school program, to a sloppy, unmonitored College program, hence a drastic reduction in their performance.
Because of GC Foster College presently, athletes leaving Holmwood like Rosemarie Whyte, Anastacia Leroy and Bobby Gaye Wilkins were able to have successful senior careers because they were still being monitored by coach Wilson, thereby rectifying a serious drain loss of athletic talent, that was facing the nation.
University of Technology
UTech, competing this year without Berlin’s 400m finalist Kaliese Spencer (she nevertheless had a well run 52.47 secs third leg for Silver medalist Jamaica today), won the ‘College Women 4×400m Championship of America’ title for the second year in a row, in 3.31.54, with a brilliant 51.06 anchor leg by Stephanie McPherson. Her teammates Christine Day (53.70), Anneisha McLaughlin (52.50)and Alecia Cutenar (53.71), gave her the baton in second place. She shot out and it was immediately evident, that it was only a matter of time before she would pass Penn State’s Doris Anyanwu. Oregon and Texas A&M got second and third place respectively in 3.32:34 and 3.32:86.
Kimarri Roach
On to the College men’s 100m dash, where UTech’s Kimmari Roach effortlessly won, running 10.34 into Penns, forever windy backstretch. As a matter of fact, to an observer, it seemed as if he was doing just enough to stay ahead because of the comparative burst of speed he displayed earlier when he overtook LSU’s Jonathan Johnson and TCU’s Clemore Henry, in the College Men’s Championship of America 4×100m final, to gave his team the silver medal in 39.88 secs, second to Texas A&M, in 39.08. Texas’ Curtis Mitchell was too far ahead at the final exchange to be reined in by Kimarri.
Stephanie McPherson
UTech wasn’t done however. Sprint aces Stephenie McPherson, (the next Jamaican quarter-miler to watch), Carrie Russell, Anneisha McLaughlin and Judith Riley, teamed up to win bronze in the ‘College Women 4×100m Championships of America’ final, with a time of 43.66 secs. They were outrun by Texas A&M in (43.09) who had Jeneba Tarmoh, Porscha Lucas, Dominique Duncan and Gabby Mayo in their line up and LSU in (43.30), with Samantha Henry, Kimberlyn Duncan, Takeia Pinckney and Kenyanna Wilson.
Stephen Francis’ UTech, (competing in it’s second year at the College level), worst performance of the four races they entered, was in the mens 4×400m ‘Championship of America’ relay, where they got fourth place. They ran 3:06.55, with Ricardo Cunningham, an 800m athlete newly converted to the 400m, leading off in (47.2)secs, Peter Matthews who was injured all of the latter part of last year and who is in his first year with UTech, running second in (46.8)secs, Oliver Smith, another athlete in his first year at UTech, just acquired from St Elizabeth Technical, running third with a split of (46.70)secs, and Nicholas Maitland, another first year UTech athlete, who became popular when he held off Usain Bolt at Gibson relays as he anchored UTech to victory, closing in (45.88) secs. Mississippi State won in 3.04:92.

[Time]

By Andrew Harry in Philadelphia
Jamaica's Sports Minister Olivia 'Babsy' Grange (right) pose with members of UTech's winning 4x400m relay team at Penn Relays on Saturday (24 April)....From left, Christine Day, Anneisha McLaughlin, Alecia Cutenar and Stephanie McPherson.

Undoubtedly the greatest technical mind in present day athletics, Stephen Francis’ contribution to the 116th Penn Relays, further enhanced the brilliance that Usain Bolt contributed to ‘Jamaica at the relays’.
Stephen whose approach to athletics is from a statistical standpoint because of his managerial education, has effectively used a method called ’systematic loading’, to virtually spin gold out of hay and produce some of the finest athletes on the planet.
Maurice Wilson, head coach of Holmwood Technical and the most successful High School coach at this years Penn Relays, whose girls carted off three Championship of America titles in the 4×100m, 4×200m and 4×400m relays, had nothing but praise and respect for coach Francis, known to all as ‘Franno’.
“Most coaches have limitations”, he said, “Franno doesn’t. He is yet to meet that one athlete who has the goods, whose performance he cannot improve dramatically. My respect for him is boundless and I can never thank him enough for the wonderful job he did with Anneisha McLaughlin, who I consider as my daughter.”
Annie Mac
Anneisha McLaughlin who hailed from Holmwood Tech, was one of Jamaica’s most successful junior, female athletes, possibly second only to Veronica Campbell Brown, who literally as a junior, won every kind and color of medal there was, that was ever minted.
Under Stephen Francis’ tutelage, Annie Mac reached the 200m finals in Berlin and got fifth place. What was remarkable was, after leaving Holmwood Tech, Annie’s performance had dropped significantly for a few years and all the track and field pundits had written her off as done. Under Franno’s care at UTech however, she blossomed and became the fifth fastest woman in the world, in 2009.
Holmwood Technical
Over the years, under coach Wilson, Holmwood has produced some of the nation’s finest junior female athletes in Sheryl Morgan, Sonita Sutherland, Anniesha McLaughlin, Rosemarie Whyte, Bobby Gaye Wilkins and now Chris-Ann Gordon, to name a few.
After leaving school, some of these girls were never able to recapture their magic and they fell by the wayside. This was due to the drastic change in their training programs as they entered College. They would go from a great High school program, to a sloppy, unmonitored College program, hence a drastic reduction in their performance.
Because of GC Foster College presently, athletes leaving Holmwood like Rosemarie Whyte, Anastacia Leroy and Bobby Gaye Wilkins were able to have successful senior careers because they were still being monitored by coach Wilson, thereby rectifying a serious drain loss of athletic talent, that was facing the nation.
University of Technology
UTech, competing this year without Berlin’s 400m finalist Kaliese Spencer (she nevertheless had a well run 52.47 secs third leg for Silver medalist Jamaica today), won the ‘College Women 4×400m Championship of America’ title for the second year in a row, in 3.31.54, with a brilliant 51.06 anchor leg by Stephanie McPherson. Her teammates Christine Day (53.70), Anneisha McLaughlin (52.50)and Alecia Cutenar (53.71), gave her the baton in second place. She shot out and it was immediately evident, that it was only a matter of time before she would pass Penn State’s Doris Anyanwu. Oregon and Texas A&M got second and third place respectively in 3.32:34 and 3.32:86.
Kimarri Roach
On to the College men’s 100m dash, where UTech’s Kimmari Roach effortlessly won, running 10.34 into Penns, forever windy backstretch. As a matter of fact, to an observer, it seemed as if he was doing just enough to stay ahead because of the comparative burst of speed he displayed earlier when he overtook LSU’s Jonathan Johnson and TCU’s Clemore Henry, in the College Men’s Championship of America 4×100m final, to gave his team the silver medal in 39.88 secs, second to Texas A&M, in 39.08. Texas’ Curtis Mitchell was too far ahead at the final exchange to be reined in by Kimarri.
Stephanie McPherson
UTech wasn’t done however. Sprint aces Stephenie McPherson, (the next Jamaican quarter-miler to watch), Carrie Russell, Anneisha McLaughlin and Judith Riley, teamed up to win bronze in the ‘College Women 4×100m Championships of America’ final, with a time of 43.66 secs. They were outrun by Texas A&M in (43.09) who had Jeneba Tarmoh, Porscha Lucas, Dominique Duncan and Gabby Mayo in their line up and LSU in (43.30), with Samantha Henry, Kimberlyn Duncan, Takeia Pinckney and Kenyanna Wilson.
Stephen Francis’ UTech, (competing in it’s second year at the College level), worst performance of the four races they entered, was in the mens 4×400m ‘Championship of America’ relay, where they got fourth place. They ran 3:06.55, with Ricardo Cunningham, an 800m athlete newly converted to the 400m, leading off in (47.2)secs, Peter Matthews who was injured all of the latter part of last year and who is in his first year with UTech, running second in (46.8)secs, Oliver Smith, another athlete in his first year at UTech, just acquired from St Elizabeth Technical, running third with a split of (46.70)secs, and Nicholas Maitland, another first year UTech athlete, who became popular when he held off Usain Bolt at Gibson relays as he anchored UTech to victory, closing in (45.88) secs. Mississippi State won in 3.04:92.

Big Franno is also the technical brains behind Wolmer's Boys success story. Big up.

[Jangle]

a national treasure that should be protected, accommodated anfd then enshrined.