A Salmon Arm runner and a Vernon team ended up racing to podium finishes at the B.C. High School Cross Country Running Championships held Saturday, Nov. 5, at Victoria’s Royal Roads University.
Ronan Wiens from Salmon Arm Secondary’s Jackson Campus Golds captured the four-runner Para Division, covering the course in eight minutes 36 seconds. He was nearly two minutes ahead of Abeti Gutsche of St. John Paul II Academy Royals of White Rock.
The Seaton Sonics of Vernon were second in the junior boys team event, where teams used the four fastest times of their squad. Seaton’s top four – Luke Mitchell, Simon Heidt, Mavi Arora and Jacob Girard – ran a combined time of 58:35 to win silver. They were 2:30 behind the winners, Oak Bay Bays of Victoria, and 1:08 ahead of the bronze medalists, Handsworth Royals of North Vancouver.
Other Seaton members included Alexander Matthies, Aiden Canabe and Quinn Robertson.
Mitchell was the top North Okanagan-Shuswap runner in the junior boys race, finishing 43rd in a field of 238 with a time of 14:17. He was nine seconds faster than Kian Smith of Jackson, who came 48th. Heidt was 54th (14:36), Arora 63rd (14:44), Girard 87th (14:58), Matthies 179th (16:24), Canabe 200th (16:46) and Robertson was 215th in 17:08.
In the junior girls race, Payton Manzuik of Lake Country’s George Elliot Coyotes cracked the top-10, finishing eighth out of 248 in 16:13. Kiara Pighin of Vernon’s Fulton Maroons was 12th (16:16). Eula Palmer-Bird of Seaton was 32nd in 17:16.
Etoile Brown of the Shuswap Middle School Phoenix led the Salmon Arm contingent, placing 36th in 18:04. Lily Ewanyshyn of SMS was 84th (18:10) and temmate Vienne Bredick 102nd (18:23).
Eden Heckrodt of Jackson was 147th in 19:14; Keira Cadden of SMS was 154th in 19:20, Stella Bollans from SMS placed 161st in 19:29; Ellie Giesbrecht of Jackson was 187th in 19:54; Katy Calkins of SMS was 193rd (20:03); Aurealia Beaumont of SMS was 202nd in 20:21; Aliana Torre from Jackson placed 203rd in 20:26 and Madeleine Wilkie from Jackson was 235th in 22:20.
Sam Calkins led the five-member Salmon Arm Golds in the senior boys race, placing 10th out of 234 in 16:27. Jonathan Breugen was 110th (19:00), Simon Bakker 113th (19:03); Callum Orchard 156th (19:52) and Lucas Hansen 180th (20:34).
In the senior girls race, Isabella Pighin of Fulton was 34th in the field of 211 with a time of 20:39. Seaton teammates Cora Van Vliet placed 45th (21:09) and Siri Dausend was 55th (21:22).
The Shuswap Middle School Rams were 10th in the junior girls team event, and Jackson Secondary was 15th. The SASS senior boys were 12th.
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