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Head coach of St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) Marvin James is expecting a better finish at the upcoming Boys and Girls' Athletics Championships (Champs) as he seeks to improve on the respective sixth- and 16th-place positions for the boys and girls at last year's event.

James' athletes had a good showing at the Carifta Trials last weekend, and he is confident that this will continue at Champs, which will take place from March 28 to April 1.

"After last year's placings, I expect big improvement this time around, as we are aiming for a top-five finish for the males and top 10 for the females," said James.

"The performance of (Habiba) Harris in the under-20 girls' 100 metres hurdles, where she surprised the classy Alexis James, will surely lift the performances of the other girls, as competing against Class I athletes, she came out on top, and this will definitely inspire the others.

"Habiba is expected to lead the way here, and others like Chloe Palmer in the jumps in Class II, along with Richelle Stanley in the long jump and Rojrika Campbell in the high jump in Class I should score quality points," he continued.

James, who took over the leading coach role from Reynaldo Walcott at the Santa Cruz-based institution two years ago, is also expecting top performances from his boys.

"Going into Champs, several of the guys produced personal bests in their respective events, and I expect the trend to continue at Champs.

"At the Carifta Trials (Tramaine) Todd clocked a personal-best 10 58 seconds to win the under-17 boys' 100 metres; Jasuana Dennis finished second in the under-20 boys' 400 metres in a personal-best 46.80 seconds; while middle-distance athletes like Joaquan Miller and Barrain Smith also did well. The expectation is also high for Shamer Blake in Class I hurdles, while all relay teams should do well," James said.