Club News

The following Olympic members are off to NZ Secondary School Cross Country Champs this weekend to compete at Dunedin's Gladfield Gold Course in East Taieri on Saturday.

• Josh Nairne
• Liam Kennedy
• Seamus Kane
• Michaela Walker
• Phoebe van Boheemen
• Izzy Hegan
• Amelia Harris

Good luck!

Here is the Athletics New Zealand preview of the event:

Daniel Hoy and Kelsey Forman likely to shine at the Schools cross country

Daniel Hoy of Westlake Boys High School will be wanting to go one better than his second placing last year in the senior boys’ 6000m at the New Zealand Secondary Schools cross country championships to be held at Dunedin’s Gladfield Golf Course in East Taieri on Saturday.

Hoy easily won the Auckland schools championship from Conal Wilson (AGS), Leo Roper (Macleans) and fellow Westlake student Finn Mason. These three will also be up with the pace in Dunedin along with Cameron Avery of Cashmere High School last year’s junior winner Michell Small of St Andrews and James Uhlenberg of Sacred Heart Auckland.

The event has attracted one of the strongest fields for some time with national junior steeplechase champion Jack Beaumont of Central Southland College, Bradley Christison of Napier Boys High, Angus Bailey of Burnside High, James Preston and Tom Caughley of Scots College, Harry Ewing of St Peters School Cambridge, Joseph Clark of Westlake, Christian Conder of Wanganui Collegiate, Tom Moulai of St Bede’s, Cameron Low of St Kentigerns, Daniel Hintz of Tauranga, Oli Chignell of John McGlashan College, Kyle Smith of Taupo nui-a-Tia College and Goiteom Gebremedihin of Papanui entered.

Kelsey Forman has won all before her this winter and is shaping up for a bold showing in the steeplechase at the world youth championships in Cali Columbia next month. Forman should find the senior girls’ 4000m around the golf course to her liking and is expected to maintain her record this year. Isabella Richards of St Kentigern third in the senior race last year returns along with the junior winner in Palmerston North last year Ari Graham of St Andrew’s.

Also in the hunt for a podium placing will be Grace Wood of St Kentigern, Grace Ritchie of Waikato Diocesan, Harriet Bush of St Margaret’s College, Alice Bird of Wanganui Collegiate, Sophie Rees of St Cuthberts, Maiya Christini of St Mary’s Auckland, Izzy Hegan of Wellington Girls’, Brodie Edwards of Waimea Arianna Lord of St Peters, Georgia Clode of Baradine and Phoebe Van Boheeman of Queen Margaret College. 

Isaiah Priddey of Hamilton Boys’ should win the junior boys 4000m. Last year he was second and he should hold on for the win this year ahead of fellow pupils Sam Montgomerie and Connor Tristram, Max Spencer of Rathkeale, Max Karamanolis and Liam Chesney of St Patrick’s Kilbirnie, Stuart Hofmeyr of Westlake, the year nine winner last year Samuel Tanner of Bethlehem, Alexander Hull of Kerikeri and Nikolai Allen of St Patricks Silverstream.

Mya Graham of St Andrews, Isabella Robinson of St Cuthberts, Louise Daly of Marian College, Hannah O’Connor of Sacred Heart Girls New Plymouth, Olivia Corrin of Gisborne, Brookelyn Varney of Rosehill and Akeira Worthington of Christchurch Girls are the leading runners in the junior girls 3000m.

The year nine boys 3000m should be fought out by Sam Duncan and Finn Ward of Auckland Grammar, Wilhelm Muller and Sairaj Kuvelkar of Macleans and Noah Macdermid of Awatapu. While the leading contenders in the year nine girls 3000m are Phoebe McKnight of Hutt Valley High School, Krystal Clark of Macleans, Zaria Ireland of Epsom Girls, Natalia Lunny of Rangitoto and Emily Hacket Pain of St Cuthberts. 

A total of 824 runners from 112 secondary schools have entered with Auckland Grammar School having the largest team of 60. Also seven para-athletes will be competing from Rangiora High School, Kings High School and St Andrew’s College.