It may have been a cold and wet day for track and field at Hillside Stadium in Kamloops Thursday, May 19, but it did not dampen the competitive spirits of the athletes competing in the Okanagan Track and Field Championships.
The event featured athletes from Grades 8 to 12. The top four juniors and seniors in each event qualified for the provincial championships June 9-11 in Langley.
The Vernon Christian School Royals came home with great results and some personal bests.
The Royals were again led by the junior boys 4×100-metre relay team as they placed second with a time of 49.01 seconds. Lead runner Jaden Overend had a solid start followed by a great run by second Isaac Gauthier who passed two runners down the straightaway. Zack Barry rounded the corner strongly and closed the gap on his competitor before handing off the baton to the anchor, Ben Tishenko, who came up just short at the finish line losing to the Rutland Senior team by half a second.
In individual competition, Tishenko placed second in the junior boys high jump with a personal best at 1.7m and second – also with a personal best – in the 100m sprint at 11.93 seconds. He also claimed third in the long jump with a leap of 5.32m. Overend crossed the finish line into fourth place in the 1,500m while Barry rounded into fourth in the long jump with a personal best 5.08m
Senior athletes also finished strong, as Victoria Barry claimed fourth in the 200m and fifth the 200m sprints, and Hendri Redelinghuys placed fifth in the 100m with a time of 11.93 seconds, and fifth in the long jump.
Grade 8s were led by Stefan Schuch who placed second in the long jump at 4.22m, and Gabi Koebel claimed third in the 400m, fourth in the 200m, and seventh in the 100m. Andrea Beaumont blazed her way to a fifth-place finish in the 800m and sixth in 100m.
Vernon Secondary School Grade 8 athlete Ayden Mcdonald won the 100- and 200m races and should advance to the provincials. Grade 8 qualifying is based on times across the province NOT in the top-four of the event so they have to apply to get in to the B.C. finals.
Anderson Bicknell of VSS was third in the junior boys 200m, and Louisa Suergit was third in the junior girls 800m. Both advance to the provincials.
Also running to Langley is the VSS junior boys 4×100 relay team of Cisko Hove, Jonah Lee, Mcdonald and Bicknell, who finished third behind VCS.
Fulton Secondary’s Ashton singh Takhar and Nicholas Newman each qualified in two events. Newman was second in both the junior mens discus (30.95m) and shot put (10.85m), while singh Takhar was second in the senior mens 1,500m (4:38.21) and 800m (2:08.19). Both qualify for the provincials.
Other North Okanagan school results (those qualifying for B.C.’s in bold):
ARMSTRONG
PLEASANT VALLEY SECONDARY
Ryder Barth, junior boys discus, fourth (25.80 metres);
Jed Siddons, senior boys long jump, second (5.75m);
Ila Isaac, junior womens high jump, 1st, 1.40m;
Tomas Subias, junior boys 1,500m, third, 5:03.04;
Joselynn Vigure, junior womens high jump, 5th, 1.25m
Isaac, junior women 1,500m, fifth, 5:41.34;
Siddons, senior boys 100m, seventh, 12.03; senior boys 200m, fifth, 24.69;
Maddox McNamara, junior boys 200m, seventh, 26.61;
LEN WOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL
Anna Melvin, Grade 8 womens 100m, second, 13.77; Grade 8 women 200m, second, 28.80; Grade 8 women javelin, second, 20.08m;
Mikayla Wiebe, Grade 8 womens high jump, fifth, 1.20m; Grade 8 womens long jump, ninth, 3.09m;
COLDSTREAM
Kalamalka Secondary
Hunter Adams, Junior Mens 800m, first, 2:24.47;
Liam Reid, Junior Mens 800m, third, 2:27:31;
LAKE COUNTRY
GEORGE ELLIOT SECONDARY
Finley Bergmann, junior mens long jump, first, 5.51m; junior mens triplejump, third, 10.81m;
Marnu Kritzinger, junior mens long jump, first, 11.17m;
Zoe Wiens, junior womens 400m, fourth,1:10.19;
Steph Millar, senior womens 1,500m steeple chase, second, 6:18.41; senior womens 400m, fourth, 1:05.01; senior womens 800m, second, 2:36.91;
Hailey Millar, junior womens 400m, seventh, 1:12.56;
Sammi McWhirter, Grade 8 womens javelin, first, 20.88m; Grade 8 womens triple jump, third, 5.52m;
Jasper Spitz, junior mens 200m, ninth, 31.67;
LUMBY
CHARLES BLOOM SECONDARY
Brooklyn Kineshanko, senior womens discus, third, 20.94m;
Kineshanko, senior womens javelin, sixth, 23.38m;
Kaitlyn Andrews, Grade 8 womens 100m, sixth, 14.29; Grade 8 womens 400m, first, 1:09.93;
Connor Le May, Grade 8 mens 100m, eighth, 13.75; Grade 8 mens long jump, third, 4.27m;
Kennedy Bzowy, Grade 8 womens 400m, sixth, 1:19.43;
VERNON
CLARENCE FULTON SECONDARY
Rebecca Smith, Grade 8 women high jump, fifth, 1.20m; Grade 8 women long jump, eighth, 3.19m;
W.L. SEATON SECONDARY
Mya Koleba, junior women triple jump, third, 8.74m; junior women long jump,fifth, 4.13m;
Alexander Matthies, Grade 8 mens 200m, seenth, 1:16.50; Grade 8 mens 800m, seventh, 2:57.37; Grade 8 mens 1,500m, fifth, 5:45.87;
Isla Boyle, Grade 8 women 1,500m, fifth, 6:50.01;
Sierra Taylor, Grade 8 women high jump, seventh, 1.15m; Grade 8 women long jump, seventh, 3.20m;
Ruby Kaltiainen, junior women 200m, 11th, 32.73.
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