04152026 SPORTS

SPORTS

Denning and Higgins are national sailing champs

By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

WHILE the Bahamas

Sailing Association held its final qualifying process for the Central American and Caribbean Games, Portugal's Olympian Eduardo Marques came to town and put on a show at the Bahamas ILCA Open National Championships.

The national championships was held over the weekend off Lyford Cay with Marques taking the overall title. Joshua Higgins and Eliza Denning emerged as The Bahamas’ male and female national champions respectively.

The BSA, however, has not yet selected the team for the CAC, scheduled

for July 28 to August 8 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, which will also carry competitors for athletics, swimming, judo, boxing, archery, equestrian, tennis and wrestling.

The team also has to be ratified by the Bahamas Olympic Committee.

The BSA's selection criteria for CAC included the ILCA 6 (female) and ILCA 7 (male) and they had to participate in the Midwinters (East) that was held from February 19-22 at Key Biscayne Yacht Club and the Nationals. After losing the opening race, Marques

UB Mingoes win Bahamas Men’s Soccer League title

THEY had one main goal this season – win the Bahamas Men’s Soccer League title. The league leaders, the University of The Bahamas Mingoes men’s soccer team, with one game on hand, did just that with an 11-0 drubbing of Cavalier FC and a little help from rivals, Dynamos FC, defeating second-place team Western Warriors FC at the Roscow A.L. Davies Soccer Fields on Sunday.

UB scored 10 first-half goals and head coach Alex Thompson played all his reserves in the second half to add one more goal in that half for the win.

Captain and midfielder Ronaldo Green, who is the favourite to win the Golden Boot this season, said that it was very joyful to the team to win the title. “We did our best throughout the whole

season,” Green said. “As we went throughout the whole season, we had some trials and tribulations but were able to overcome those. We worked hard and did what coach gave us to work on. As we went along, we build and we came out victorious in the league and the match.”

He added that the additions of players this season and the stepping up of players from last season played a big role in the title win. Green was instrumental in the victory on Sunday as he finished with a hat-trick in the first 30 minutes of the match.

Midfielder Kevin Thomas completed his hat-trick in the second half. Forward Philip Pilgrim had two goals. Winger Mider Dalmasse, midfielder Rolph Gervais and forward

Clerdjivensky Clerjuste scored a goal each.

UB currently sports a 10-1-3 win/loss/draw record on the season. It was more up and down this season for UB soccer as they opened the season on a six-game winning streak.

UB drew the next three league games before winning their next four out of five matches. UB’s secondary season goal was to go undefeated but that did not happen. However, winning the title is just as sweet. It is redemption after placing third last season and third in the previous season. UB last won the title in the 2017-2018 season.

UB returns to close their season with a match against Western Warriors at 7pm on Sunday, April 19 at the Roscow A.L. Davies Soccer Fields.

made the necessary adjustments and went undefeated as he completed the seven-race series with a net score of six after posting a total of eight points.

Arthur Farley of Great Britain came in third in his first race, was second in five of the next six to secure second place with his net of 13. He didn't compete in the fourth race.

Higgins, the Harbour Island native, set the stage by taking the first race. He then got a pair of fourth places and was third in the final four races to complete the series in third place with a net of 17 for 21 points.

Paul de Souza was the second Bahamian, finishing fourth overall with a net of 30 and 24 points. He got a

second, two third and four fourth places.  Stefan Stiven rounded out the top five with a net of 30 after scoring 36 points. He was fifth in all, but in one of his races he ended up sixth. Two other classes were contested during the championships.

In the ILCA 6, American Landon Stahl clinched the title with a net of 10 and 25 points. He won four races, got third twice and had his worst showing with 15th in his final race.

In defending her ladies’ title, Denning of Lyford Cay Sailing Club, came out as the top Bahamian with a net of 10 and score of 14. She won three races, was second twice, got a third and a fourth.

John Alexiou was third with a net of 17 and a total score of 21. He came in second three times, was third once and also had three fourth places.

Finley McKinney-Lambert was fourth with his net of 18 and a total score of 23. He placed second, third and fourth twice and was fifth in his other race.

And finishing fifth was Maya Wolf of the West Vancouver Yacht Club of Canada with a net of 30 and a score of 37. She had a third, four fifth and a seventh place.

The ILCA 4, the other class, saw Leon Zarchan of the Lyford Cay Sailing Club clinch the title with a net of seven and a score of nine.

SAILING - SEE Page E4

THE University of The Bahamas is bringing women’s softball back with the hire of its first full-time softball head coach, Yvana McDonald, to lead that programme.

McDonald is no stranger to the softball or University of The Bahamas community, having played for the then College of The Bahamas Caribs women’s softball team and in high school and night league softball.

“Being able to see the development from the college level to now the university, makes me excited to see what we get to do in the years to come,” McDonald said.

She is looking to hit the ground running knowing that she has to re-start the programme from scratch especially building a roster.

McDonald will be looking to recruit players from current students enrolled in UB in New Providence and Grand Bahama, and those in high school.

“We're about to roll out a 30-60-90-day plan which include going on high school tours,” McDonald said. “Currently, the GSSSA is in full swing with their

softball programme. We're excited to go out there, start having conversations with the coaches and the parents of students who can be prospective future Mingoes.

“We are also going to be doing school tours in BAISS although their 20252026 season wrapped up because we're hopeful that we do have prospective Mingoes coming from the private schools too.” McDonald was an instructor at the McKnight Softball Instruction in Tennessee and is a certified CANOC Pathways Coach and Nike Women coach. She is also certified in biometrics analysis for

Kix Academy soccer teams deliver

KIX Academy’s under-8 soccer team delivered a thrilling comeback to capture the championship at the Sharks Soccer Cup in Davie, Florida, overturning a 3-1 deficit against Plantation F.C. Eagles to secure a 5-3 victory in the final.

Leading the charge was Dontae Jones, who netted four goals, including three unanswered strikes that turned the game on its head and gave Kix Academy a 4-3 lead. Peyton Archer added the finishing touch with a fifth goal to seal an unforgettable win.

The victory was made even more meaningful as it was celebrated alongside the Kix Academy U11 team, who battled hard but fell just short in their final 2-0 against Colo Colo Soccer Academy, finishing as runners-up after a tough match earlier in the day.

Both teams earned their place in Sunday’s finals at Bamford Park after winning two of their three group-stage matches, showcasing consistency and determination throughout the tournament.

Sporting road to the May 12 general election

By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

JUST about every general election, we’ve seen more and more sporting personalities putting their names in the political hat to run for the various constituencies in The Bahamas.

On May 12 when the next election takes place, there are several sporting personalities stepping forth to run, some against each other and others in isolated cases.

Today, the focus is on versatile basketball/baseball/ softball/volleyball player turned coach Bacchus

O Rolle, the incumbent Member of Parliament for South Beach and the Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Works & Utilities.

The 55-year-old Rolle, a former banker who eventually moved to The Bahamas Electricity Corporation as an executive, said he first decided to enter frontline politics to make a difference in sports. "I'm not ashamed of it, but I wanted to be the

Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture," Rolle said. "I truly understand the transformative power of sports and what just a background in sports and the commitment to sports can do in transforming ourselves.

"I work with young men and I saw a downward spiral in our aspiration, in our wanting to achieve greatness and in how we just wanted to settle for mediocrity."

Rolle, a member of the One Family Junkanoo Group and an ardent member of St Ambrose Anglican Church, said he felt if sports was done right, it could change the mindset of the young men and women.

"Prior to getting in, I made a commitment to the people of South Beach," Rolle said. "I would have completed 70-78 per cent of what we set out to be in this community. I have the documents to prove it.

"I believe we've done a lot with little, but there is so much we can do and we're

39th Annual Charity Golf Tournament

set for April 20 at Ocean Club course

FOR a fifth consecutive year, RF Bank & Trust (RF) has joined forces with the Rotary Club of East Nassau (RCEN) and the Scout Association of The Bahamas (SAB) to execute one of the nation’s longest standing community fund-raising efforts.

The 39th Annual Charity Golf Tournament - slated for Monday April 20 at The Ocean Club Golf Course - will see dozens of golfers take to the fairway in support of transformative community programmes.

To date, the Charity Golf Tournament has raised nearly $4 million for community organisations across The Bahamas. Beneficiaries include the Ranfurly Homes for Children, the

Bahamas Association for the Physically Disabled, Project Read, the Fox Hill Run Feeding Programme, the Cancer Society, and many more.

“As president of RCEN, it’s always a pleasure to see great corporate citizens like RF supporting our institution and Rotary as a whole,” said Rafique Symonette.

“We’re delighted to have RF serve as title sponsor again this year. Support from RF has a huge impact on our fundraising annually and it really shows their commitment to the community and the broader nation.”

The Charity Golf Tournament is RCEN’s largest fund-raising event,

Local Sports Calendar

ROAD RACE

UBFIT

THE University of the Bahamas is scheduled to hold its 9th annual UBFit Race Weekend from April 17-19.

Sponsored by Doctor’s Hospital, the in-person race will be held on Saturday, April 18 starting at 6am from the Oakes Field Campus and will consist of a 5-kilometre, 10K and 15K fun run, walk, bike, skate and roll race.

For more information, persons can email UBFIT@ ub.edu.bs or call 424-8887.

SOFTBALL

BBSC SOFTBALL

CLASSIC

THE Bahamas Baptist Sports Federation Softball Classic, which was scheduled for this weekend, has been postponed until the weekend of July 17-18 at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.

The BBSF, instead, will not host its next event until the Volleyball Classic is staged at the CI Gibson Gymnasium over the weekend of June 19-20.

BASKETBALL

BBF

NATIONALS

THE Bahamas Basketball Federation’s Nationals Championships is scheduled for April 16-18 in Freeport, Grand Bahama, at the St. Georges High School Gymnasium.

This premier national championship will bring together teams, families and communities from across The Bahamas, celebrating

going to make it happen, if I am re-elected to serve as the MP."

If re-elected, Rolle said he will continue to build on the things done in his first five years as the MP and they will work on expanding their youth programme, develop some green spaces into a waterfront park at the South Beach pools and create a small fish fry environment for entrepreneurs to open up their businesses.

Rolle, however, said he's concerned about the

amount of people who are homeless on the streets and would also like to see a development of a homeless shelter where persons can stay overnight, while they are out during the day seeking employment.

"We have to find a way to address that because we have situations like that in South Beach," Rolle revealed. "We have people who are actually sleeping in their cars."

Rolle, a 1992 graduate of the College of Charleston with a bachelor of science degree in political science and a bachelor of arts in philosophy and a member of their basketball team, said politics is very similar to sports. "Sports, or athletics, develops a persevering spirit in an individual person. If you don't have that, you won't make it very far in politics," he pointed out. "Athletics forces you to develop some leadership skills, peer mentoring and the ability to get along with team-mates.

"You have to understand that everybody is

there for the win, not just for this game, but for the long haul for the season. So if we can understand those things, they can transform us further into politics as politicians and team-mates and the wins can stack up."

Rolle, who attributes his success to his wife Kimberley Rolle, the athletic director at the University of the Bahamas, and their two sons, Dionysius and Derryus Rolle, said he learned a long time ago from his deceased father that he should fear two sets of people, his immediate successor and their predecessor.

"You always want to be better than the person who was before you and the person who is coming behind you," he said. "He was talking about being a pastor in church, but that is life in general."

Now the third person from Kingsway Academy to be elected to parliament, following in the footsteps of Branville McCartney and Wayne Munroe, Rolle will be joined by another

former Saints' basketball player, Ulrick 'Rick' Fox, who is running for the FNM in Garden Hills against MP and Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg.

Rolle will be running against FNM candidate Darren Henfield and Coalition of Independence candidate Karen Farrington. He said he respects his rivals, but has a heart for serving and would like to continue doing the things he did before he got into politics.

Upon his return home from school, Rolle got into coaching at his alma mater at Kingsway Academy where he helped the Saints win their first Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools senior boys’ softball title.  While he currently plays softball as a recreation in the New Providence Oldtimers Softball Association, he is also coaching the Mingoes men's basketball team, something he said he takes a lot of pride in, helping to groom so many young men.

supporting projects aligned with Rotary International’s seven focus areas - peacebuilding and conflict prevention, disease prevention and treatment, water, sanitation, and hygiene, maternal and child health,

Division II – 3rd Place

basic education and literacy, community economic development and supporting the environment.

“RCEN has positively impacted countless Bahamian communities over the decades and so it’s a pleasure to partner with them again this year for their signature fundraiser,” said RF regional events supervisor Christopher Adderley.

“We’re proud to be golfing for good and giving back to the communities we call home.” Interested golfers, sponsors, and volunteers are invited to join this year’s tournament to help RCEN continue its vital work across The Bahamas.

youth development, athletic excellence, and community unity. Hosting the event in Grand Bahama underscores the BBF’s commitment to Family Island impact, economic stimulation and national pride.

Participating

Teams

Division 1 - Grand Bahama, New Providence, Bimini and Abaco.

Division 2 - Grand Bahama, New Providence, Abaco and Eleuthera. Teams from multiple island associations will compete across two divisions, showcasing the depth, talent, and continued growth of basketball throughout the country.

Game Schedule (Preliminary) Day 1 – April 16

Division II - Abaco D2 vs Eleuthera D2; New Providence D2 vs Grand Bahama (D2).

Division I - Abaco vs New Providence; Grand Bahama vs Bimini. Day 2 – April 17

Division II - Eleuthera D2 vs New Providence D2; Grand Bahama D2 vs Abaco D2. Division I - Bimini vs Abaco; New Providence vs Grand Bahama. Day 3-April 18

Division II - Grand Bahama D2 vs Eleuthera D2; New Providence D2 vs Abaco D2.

Division I - New Providence vs Bimini; Abaco vs Grand Bahama. Championship Round (April 18)

Game

Division I – 3rd Place

Game

Division II – Championship Game

Division I – Championship Game

The BBF Nationals serve as a vital platform for athlete development, talent identification, and strengthening the national basketball programme. Fans can expect exciting matchups, emerging stars and a high level of competition throughout the tournament.

Beyond the on-court action, the event reflects the BBF’s ongoing mission to

expand the sport across the Family Islands, foster youth engagement and build stronger basketball communities nationwide.

Residents and visitors alike are encouraged to come out and support their island teams while enjoying a vibrant sporting atmosphere in Freeport. The three-day event is expected to generate positive energy and meaningful economic activity for Grand Bahama.

Game schedules and results can be found on the BBF website at bbfbasketball.com and on our social media pages.

Come out and support Bahamian basketball as the nation’s best compete for championship honours in Freeport.

CONSTITUENCY

SOFTBALL TOURNEY THE New Providence Sports Council, in conjunction with the Bahamas Softball Federation, is slated to hold the Constituency Games Softball Tournament from Tuesday, April 28 to Sunday, May 3, in the Bankers’ Field at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.

TRACK RED-LINE YOUTH

CLASSIC

THE Red-Line Athletics Track Club is scheduled to hold its Youth Track Classic on Saturday, May 2-3 at the original Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium.

The event is open to athletes from the under-7 to under-15 divisions for boys and girls. To register, persons can log onto www. CoochORegistration.com

The men will play modified pitch during the tournament, while the women will play slowpitch. For more information, persons can contact BSF president Marvin ‘Togie’ Wood at 808-7281.

Eliza Denning and Joshua Higgins emerge as national sailing champions

SAILING - from Page E1

Zarchan won the first five races and was second in the final two.

Abhijith Srinivasan came in second with a net of 10 and a total of 13 after he

won two races, got second in four more and was third in the other.

Kadeem Sweeting of the Nassau Sailing Club was the only other competitor in the field, finishing third with his net of 10 and total of 23.

He got second, three third and three fourth places. Another Olympian Andrew Lewis of Trinidad & Tobago was also on hand to assist in the event, along with local coaches Kristof Stiven and Niels Broekhuizn.

Yvana McDonald is UB Mingoes’ first full-time softball head coach

SOFTBALL - from Page E1

athletes. She was the head coach for Queen’s College. McDonald will utilise her training and coaching from the United States to help progress the women’s softball programme to be the best. “I have great coaching mentors that pride themselves on discipline, integrity,” McDonald said.

“The goal coming in is that student-athletes have pride to just everything that they do and doing everything well. I’m coming in, hitting the ground running from a mental and fundamental aspect. I am just looking for them being intentional leaders, having integrity and discipline on and off the field.”

She is looking forward to developing young ladies into being students and athletes efficiently so they can be equipped to change the world.

A tryout for the team is set for current UB students from 8-10am on Saturday, April 18, with the registration set for 7:30am at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex. There will be a tryout for UB North students at a later date.

53rd CARIFTA Games

MEDAL HAUL: Rising track and field stars compete during the 53rd CARIFTA Games at the Kirani James Athletic Stadium in Grenada. Team Bahamas’ track and field team ended up with eight gold medals, 12 silver and 10 bronze for a total of 30 for third place overall.

Photos by Chappell Whyms Jr

TRACK - from Page E8 Track and field team 3rd overall with 30

came from phenom Jazae Johnson, who also etched her name into the CARIFTA history books. In only her second CARIFTA Games appearance, Johnson,16, walked away with three gold medals (under-17 triple jump12.35 metres, under-17 long jump - 6.02 metres and under-17 4x100m relay) and one silver medal (under-17 100m dash - 11.30 seconds). In the under-17 division, in the Octathlon, Justin Shephard set new CARIFTA records in the single events such as the 400m dash with a time of 49.62 seconds and the 1,500m run with a time of 4:56.32. Shepherd also broke the overall octathlon point record with 5,387 points. Teammate Ashley

Demerittle Jr. finished second with a point total of 4,897. This was both athletes’ first time competing at the CARIFTA Games. Those moments carried on a trend from last year, when The Bahamas produced multiple record-breaking performances, including the under-17 boys’ 4x400 metre relay team setting a CARIFTA record and several national records falling across events. We also saw some exceptional performances from athletes who performed in the under-20 age group for the first time, highlighted by Eagan Neely capturing a bronze medal in the 200 metre dash with a time of 20.73 seconds. This performance came after Neely missed the first half of the track season due to a leg injury.

In Grenada, the field events once again set the early tone for Team Bahamas.

In what would be her last CARIFTA appearance, defending champion Taysha Stubbs secured the country’s first gold medal in the under-20 girls’ javelin, successfully retaining her title. She was joined on the podium by Kamera Strachan, who claimed bronze in her first CARIFTA appearance.

The overall performance reflects a team that continues to compete at a high level across multiple disciplines, especially in the under-17 division.

While the number of gold medals was lower than the previous year, The Bahamas maintained its position among the top three nations in the region.

53rd CARIFTA Games

Swimming team wins 8th straight title after ‘neck-and-neck battle’

- from Page E8

declared: “Eight straight was so sweet” as the celebrations got underway last night. “This one was a fight out of the gate. We knew coming here wasn’t going to be easy,” he pointed out. “We knew the target was on our backs for the past seven years going into this one.

“We knew this was going to be a tough one. We knew Jamaica was going to be on us. It was a fight. It wasn’t easy. But eight straight feels so sweet.”

After taking a five-point lead on day one, McPhee said they pushed it to 11 points on the second night and, on the third, they extended it to 30, which opened the door for the eight-peat.

“This was the closest one we had,” he insisted.

“We’re a small country with 3-400,000 people going

up against countries with millions.

“It just showed how resilient we are as Bahamian people. It was a real battle from out the gate. But I’m really proud of these swimmers. They really deserve it. We are now looking for nine straight next year.”

Leading the way for Team Bahamas were Kriston Joseph in the boys’ 13-14 division, Isabella Munroe in the girls’ 11-12, Isabella Cuccurullo in the girls’ 13-14 and Tristen Hepburn in the boys’ 15-17. “We had a lot of swimmers who really stepped up. I’m really proud of this team,” McPhee said. “We heard the noise in the market that we are not strong enough to win it without the senior boys, but this is for them. We did it.”

Joseph said the performance was excellent as The Bahamas led the way by winning 10 gold medals and a bronze.

“I trained hard for this. I put in the work when I didn’t want to work on those days,” he said. “I felt like I dropped times in every race. I felt it was the best meet of my life so far.”

Looking over his performances, Joseph said the 50 metre butterfly, 50m free, 50m breast, 100m free, 100m butterfly and 400m individual medley were listed as his best events.

But while the 14-year-old 10th grader at St Anne’s enjoyed winning a total of 10 gold medals, he admitted that he really wanted the 11th, but he will settle for the bronze.

The most important thing is that he did what he had to do to help Team Bahamas secure the eight straight feat. “I think the team tried hard. We knew that Jamaica was on our backs and gave it a good push and we gave it the extra edge to come out with the victory,” he stated.

53rd CARIFTA Games

Track and field team 3rd overall with 30 medals

By JONATHAN BURROWS Tribune Sports Reporter jburrows@ tribunemedia.net

TEAM Bahamas delivered another competitive showing at the 53rd CARIFTA Games in Grenada, finishing among the region’s top countries while producing key performances on both the track and field.

The team closed the meet with 30 medalseight gold, 12 silver and 10 bronze - placing third overall behind Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.

Jamaica once again led the standings with 71 medals (28 gold, 27 silver, 16 bronze), while Trinidad and Tobago secured second with 35 medals (nine gold, 11 silver, 15 bronze). The Bahamas followed in third, with Barbados fourth with 17 medals and Guyana rounding out the top five with six medals.

While the overall medal count dipped from last year’s 37-medal performance in Trinidad and Tobago, the team remained consistent across events and produced several standout moments.

Another bright side of this year’s CARIFTA Games performances was the many highlighted performances in the under-17

division from Team Bahamas, alluding to the fact that track and field development in The Bahamas is at an all time high.

One of the biggest highlights came in the relays, where the under-17 girls’ 4x100 metre team delivered a record-breaking run. The quartet of Keyezra

Thomas, Brion Ward, Taree Forbes and Jazae Johnson surged to gold while setting a new CARIFTA record with a time of 44.21 seconds, continuing the country’s long-standing strength in sprint relays. Another key performance

TRACK - SEE Pages E5

8 STRAIGHT

By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@ tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas’ 34-member team withstood the strong challenge from Jamaica to prevail as the CARIFTA swimming champions for an unprecedented eighth consecutive year.

Swimmers emerge as champions after ‘neck-and-neck battle’

Head

In a neck-and-neck battle over the four days of competition at the Pierre Samot Community Aquatic Centre in Martinique, The Bahamas completed its mission.

SWIM - SEE Page E7