Edwards To Lead Saint Lucia CARIFTA Team

The Saint Lucia Athletics Association has named a former LIME CARIFTA champion, two former medalists and three debutants to represent the nation at the Easter weekend in Hamilton, Bermuda. Of the seven athletes, one will compete in combined events, three in jumps, two in middle distance track events and one in sprints.
Shem Edward this year matched the LIME CARIFTA record for under-20 Pole Vault. Shem was the surprise gold medalist in that event on home soil in 2009 at the age of 16, when CARIFTA record holder K'Don Samuels failed to clear a height. Shem has gone on to capture bronze and silver in the Cayman Islands and Jamaica, and is looking like Saint Lucia's likeliest hope for gold.
Two-time LIME CARIFTA medalist Jeannelle Scheper, meanwhile, has another year left in the junior ranks. One of just two Saint Lucian qualifiers for the World Junior Championships this July in Barcelona, Jennelle is a sophomore at the University of South Carolina, and will be in what should be a highly competitive under-20 women's High Jump. With a best clearance of 1.83m so far for the year - a school record - Jeannelle could challenge the 1.86m LIME CARIFTA record shared by Saint Lucia's Levern Spencer, but there are a few young women jumping well.
Last year, Marbeq Edgar came out of nowhere to qualify for the LIME CARIFTA team. Well, he came out of Piaye, but you know what I mean. In Jamaica, he stunned the crowd by dashing out ahead of the field in the under-17 1500m run, eventually holding on for bronze, and narrowly missing out on silver. This year, he makes his debut in the under-20 division and may run the 800m as well.
The other LIME CARIFTA veteran on the Saint Lucia team is Sharnique Leonce. In 2009, Sharnique made the under-17 girls 100m final and ended seventh in High Jump. Though she missed the 2010 Games, she was recalled to the team last year when she finished seventh in women's Pentathlon.
The newcomers to the team include Samara Edward, who will compete in the under-17 girls 800m and 1500m run, and Pace Setters club teammate Talbert Poleon in the under-20 men's 200m and 400m. Poleon succeeds his sister, Zadie, who represented Saint Lucia at the Games in 2008. The third LIME CARIFTA first-timer is Ace Louis, who will compete in the under-17 boys High Jump.
Saint Lucia's team includes team manager Henry Bailey and coaches Claude Charlemagne and Yasmin Monrose.