Sprinters take top NAAA awards

The 2019 National Association of Athletics Administration Awards ceremony took place on Saturday night as athletes from the junior and senior level were recognised for their performances and successes from last season.

Sprinters Jereem "The Dream" Richards and Kelly-Ann Baptiste were awarded male and female Senior Athletes of the Year. Richards grabbed silver at the 2019 Pan Am Games and has also been on the podium at the prestigious 2019 Diamond League.

Baptiste was a finalist at the 2019 Pan Am Games and was a part of the women's 4x100m team that came in sixth at the 2019 World Championships. The duo also copped the Most Outstanding awards in the men open and female open categories.

Tyriq Horsford of Zenith and Safiya John of Kaizen were announced as Junior Male and Female Athletes of the Year. Horsford won gold in the javelin event for the fifth time at the Carifta Games last year and took bronze at the Pan American Junior Championships. Safiya John won gold in the Heptathlon at the Carifta Games.

Horsford, who is on an athletic scholarship at the Mississippi State University reflected on his 2019 season in an interview with the Tobago Athletic Committee:

"It's been a great year. Just being able to compete to the best of my ability is just something that I am grateful for and I thank God for that. The season has been a rough one but really and truly, I've been able to overcome each and every obstacle and was able to go out and do the best that I could."

Horsford and John would also go on to win the Most Outstanding Under 20 Athlete awards for track and multi-events respectively.

Shaniqua Bascombe of Cougars and Devin Augustine of Point Fortin New Jets copped Youth Athlete of the Year awards. Bascombe won the gold medal in the Under 17 Girls 200m at the Carifta Games and NACAC Championships as well as being the reigning NAAA national 100m and Girls Under-17 200m champion. Devin Augustine won gold in the Under 17 100m sprint at the Carifta Games and took silver as part of the 4x100m team at the NACAC Championships.

Bascombe would also be awarded for being the Most Outstanding Female track athlete in the Girls Under 17. Augustine was named Most Outstanding Male Under 17 track athlete and also won the President's Rising Star Award.

Yanque Stewart of Toco Titans and Jomally Mark of Memphis were awarded with the Most Outstanding female and male athletes of the Under 9 group, respectively. Jenique McClaren of Toco Tafac and Akul Simon of Memphis were awarded the Most Outstanding athletes of the Under 11 group and Kaori Robley of Mercury and Immani Matthew of Titans were the Most Outstanding athletes of the Under 13 group.

In the Girls Under 15 track and field category, Kayleigh Forde of Cougars was awarded Most Outstanding track athlete and Janae De Gannes was announced as the Most Outstanding field athlete. Keone John of Memphis and Farrel Gerry of Mercury would take home the Boys Under 15 Most Outstanding track and field athlete awards, respectively, while Dorian Charles of PFNJ would take home Most Outstanding Under 15 multi-events award.

Shakira Kirk of Falcons took home the award for Girls Under 17 Most Outstanding field athlete. Jayden Scott of Mercury won the Boys Under 17 Most Outstanding field athlete award.

Scott, in his post-ceremony interview with the Tobago Athletic Committee said, "I am very proud of what I have done for my year. Although knowing that I have put in the work, I have do more to make the (Carifta) team again." He also credits his mother, who was at the awards ceremony with him, for pushing him on and continuing to strive for more success.

Akilah Lewis of Concorde (track), Antonia Sealey (field) were the awardees of the Under 20 girls division. Genesis Joseph of Health Olympians (track) and Anson Moses of Falcons (multi-events) took home the awards in the Under 20 boys division.

Tonya Nero of Athletics Central and Sherwin Stapleton of Road Runners copped the awards for Most Outstanding female and male road running athletes. Stapleton also won Most Outstanding male cross country Athlete. Sjaelan Evans won Most Outstanding female cross country athlete.