QGSSSA track and field championship thriller
Records tumbled as the Moreton Bay College sporting juggernaut rolled on at the esteemed QGSSSA track and field championship today at QSAC. Full report here.
Local sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The Moreton Bay College juggernaut rolled on, with the bayside school claiming a remarkable eighth QGSSSA track and field championship today at QSAC.
The esteemed schoolgirl sporting event saw St Peters Lutheran College push hard for an history first ever Stephens Cup, but ultimately champions MBC deflected their surge with a dynamic relay performance late in the day. MBC won by a mere 10.5 points.
IN PICTURES - MEGA PHOTO GALLERY OF THE ACTION HERE
Saints led all day until the relays, but MBC’s sprint depth inched them ahead of their rivals.
St Peters did win the last two relays of the day - the 17 Years Div A and B - which would have tightened up the race to the winners podium even more. Could it have been more dramatic?
And St Aidan’s finished like a freight train, climbing to third.
Adding to the drama were a remarkable 14 new records.
In the race for the Del Mellefont Trophy, new Clayfield College coach Eric Brown, a world renowned jumps mentor who coached Australians to Olympic and Commonwealth Games medals, had an immediate impact in his first year with Clayfield College.
FINAL STANDINGS, Stephens Cup
MBC 977.50, St Peters 967, St Aidan’s 810, BSHS 799.50, St Margaret’s 753, BGGS 696.50, IGGS 607.50, Somerville House 531.50, St Hilda’s 488.50, Clayfield College 332
Del Mellefont Trophy winner: Clayfield College.
The 14 records included St Aidan’s Zara Hagan’s blistering 11.92 second effort in the 16 years 100m dash.
St Peters Lutheran College’s Isabelle Palmer also strode to new mark in the 16 years 90m hurdles. She crossed the finish line in 13.87, surpassing by some distance the previous mark of 14.11.
Wow, it was some performance.
Also early in the championship meet St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School’s Clara Best soared to a new record in the 12 years and under high jump, finding a lofty mark of 1.58m.
RELATED LINKS
HERE’S 70 KEY ATHLETES TO WATCH AT THE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Then in the 17 years shot put Rose Mulligan (BSHS) could not have been more impressive in setting a new record after throwing 14.19m, ahead of the old record by .09m.
A fourth record was snared by MBC’s Alyssia Gordon in the 12 years and under 100m Div D, winning her 100m in 14.13 seconds.
The 15 years discus also saw another record, this time by BSHS’s Saskia Josipovic (43.05m) while who school mate Riley-Jay Henry-Purcell (45.14m) was another record breaker. That was a monster discus effort in the Div A, 15 years. What a meet it was.
Still the records came during the afternoon, with St Aidan’s Eloise Nealon’s 200m time of 26.59 seconds in the 14 years an amazing run, while St Hilda’s Dior Scholz was on fire in her girls 17 years 100m dash to claim a new record. Her time was 24.38. Dior beat a record which had stood since 1999.
And in the 800m Div A 12 years, St Peters Lutheran College’s Clarie Riot broke an old mark 2:23.36.
Late in the meet Rose Mulligan (BSHS) threw 37.64m to win the 17 years discus and the the MBC 12 years Div 4x100m team of Alyssia Hordon, Houstand Paea, Luka Templeman and Quinn Byrne broke the record.
Then St Peters 4x100m relay team of Brogan and Tayden Tomich, Lucie Basset-Rouge and Zoe Chester combined in the 17 years Div B, and finally the Saints foursome of Jazelle Carter, Charlize Davey, Keira McGregor and Jessica Harrison claimed a Div A 17 years record.
It all came down the relays, with MBC making up ground with each event. But would it be enough?
MBC won the 12 years Div A and B, then St Peters returned serve to win the 13 Years Div B and Div A. It could not have got any closer.
MBC then placed third in the 14 year Div B while Saints were fifth, and MBC were second in the 14 year Div A while St Peters were fourth.
MBC continued to push hard for victory with a second placing in the 15 years Div B and third in the Div A.
Saints finished hard in the 17 years, winning both the DIv A and B in record breaking times.
In the morning just on 8am, the championships started early in startling fashion with a high class 3000m open event claimed by Moreton Bay College’s Kobi Walker from St Margaret’s Isabella Harte.
Walker made her move 200m from home when she hit the front for the first time, holding her finishing burst to the line.
The gutsy Harte maintained her form but could not regain the lead.
It was a fabulous event which saw Harte, Walker, third placed Gabrielle Schmidt (St Peters Lutheran College), Zoe McElwaine (BGGS) and Gwen Watson (BSHS) in a pack of five for a long period.
The hurdles were a series of thrilling races. BSHS’s Jessica Austin started them off in the 13 years but beating second placed Libby Robinson (BGGS), and then MBC’s Chloe Munro could not have been more impressive, claiming her 14 years 90m event from the long riding Ashley Blackman (St Margaret’s).
St Margaret’s were on the podium again in the next event, with Georgia Hopwood mighty in winning the 15 years from Oliva Hine (Somerville House) and third placed Ava Jacobsen.
Then came Palmer’s tremendous record breaking burst in the 16 years, with Annika Jensen (Somerville House) second and BGGS’s Luxe Godfrey-Asseraf flashing home for third. It was some run from Godfrey-Asseraf.
BGGS’s Chiamaka Ekeocha was impressive in winning the 17 years 100m hurdles.
The gruelling 1500m events were kicked off in style by the impressive St Peters Lutheran College student Claire Riot, a national cross country medallist who won in the 12 years and under by metres from a fast finishing MBC athlete Keilani Kratzmann.
Kratzmann’s finishing burst forced Riot to raise her stride as she reached the winners post.
Third was a gallant Somerville House athlete Miranda Bowen.
The 13 years was claimed by MBC’s Ruby Harris from Ava Johnston (BSHS), with third place to Lilja Jonsdottir (St Peters).
It was a thrilling finish in the 14 years 1500m, with the classy Emma Fryga (Som) finding enough to edge out Emily Boyd (BSHS) and Ava Thompson (St Margaret’s) in what was a race in three.
The Moore named lived on in the 1500m, this time with young Zara doing her best in a second placed effort for BSHS. But it was MBC’s impressive Chloe Bowen who got the chocolates in a winning performance.
When the 16 years event swung around, BGGS’s Jemima Morton lifted herself to great heights - and she needed to - such was the challenge from Somerville House’s Jemma Wilson.
Down the home straight they went, with Morton easing away from Wilson in a great race.
Then in the 17 years 1500m, St Peters Gabrielle Schmidt scorched the track to win from MBC’s Kobi Walker who refused to die after Schmid had pulled ahead.
Third was the grand campaigner Harte from St Margaret’s.
The 100m were dynamic affairs, and the Boyd twins of St Aidan’s won their 100m races - Aurelia, claiming Div A and Amelie Div B in the 14 years.
It was a great race in the 15 Years Div 1 when Aiyana Pritchard (St Peters) ran hard, but not enough to defeat MBC’s lightning quick Holly Bradford.
Blind and you might have missed Zara’s Hagan’s withering performance in the 16 years 100m, with the St Aidan’s student blazing away to beat Isabelle Palmer (St Peters) who was having a great meet.
St Margaret’s Ebony Okonkwo added to the quality of the field with her third placed effort.
Gosh Hagan was quick today.
There was also a super quick time from Keira McGregor (St Peters) and although she did not sub 12 seconds, it was a grand effort in the 17 years girls. She beat Doir Scholz of St Hilda’s School who was magnificent for second.
Congratulations to the Super Five, multi class sprinters Phoebe Finlay (St Aidan’s), Emma Clayton (St Hilda’s), Holly Warn (St Hilda’s), Charisse Sham (Clayfield College) and Fallon Unwin (IGGS).
In the Div A 12 years, Eloise Nealon (St Aidan’s) and MBC’s Paea Houstand (MBC) went one-two, while in the 13 years Div A Elyse Rollison sped to first place. Well done to her.
The spectacular 400m races started with big efforts from St Margaret’s pair Zara Ferguson (13 years) and Charlize Heathcote (14 years), with Ferguson winning and Heathcote coming second to Taylah Hazell (MBC). Third in the 14 years was IGGS’s Lily Graves.
In the 15 years 400m, Carissa Graham (BGGS) had the event all to herself, with Zara Heath (BSHS) second and Summer Phillips (St Peters) in third place.
The 400m action did not stop there, with Jemima Morton (BGGS) outstanding in the 16 years, while in the17 Year the champion Jazelle Carter got the job done ahead of Arabella Dickfos (St Aidan’s) and Lilly Horsburgh (BGGS).
The 200m were bumper track events.
It all started with Eloise Nealon’s record as mentioned earlier, and was then was booked ended by the speedy Dior’s new mark in th 17 years.
In between Palmer’s run meet continued with a second placing to the express Zara Hagan, Holly Bradford won again for MBC and Aurelia Boyd dashed to victory in the 14 years 200m.
At the business end of the meet, just ahead of the relays, the 800m were crucial as to who was going to claim the Stephens Cup.
The series of 800m events kicked off with the 12 years B division where Moreton Bay College made inroads on St Peters lead by winning. Luka Templemann was first, St Peters Zoe Renton second and Carys Larder (BSHS) third.
St Peters then fought back to win the 12 years A divisions, with Clarie Riot coming first, and also claim the 13 years B Division courtesy of Charlotte Wallace. Second was Matilda Furness (Somerville House) who ran herself to a standstill, and third was a brave Georgiana Richardson (St Margaret’s).
MBC were on top in the 13 years A division, with Ruby Hazell storming to victory for MBC from Ferguson (St Margaret’s) and Eve Hendy-Mowat (Somerville).
BSHS’s Emily Boyd was upright and powerful in her run to the line to win the 800m 14 years B division, beating Saints Ava Knox and MBC’s Taylah Hazell.
The Div 14 A division was claimed by Emma Fryga was first from BSHS’s Georgie Burg and Sienna Barr (St Peters).
All the action kept rolling along in the 800ms, with BSHS’s Chloe Johnston bold in her 15 Years B Div win, while in that age group’s A Div MBC’s Chloe Bowen was first from Zara Moore (BSHS) and third placed Coco Fidler (St Margaret’s).
MBC’s surge continued in the 16 years age group, with Monica Herremans winning the B Div from Usha Thakur and Ella Knox. It was one of the races of the day and none of the girls had any more to give by the end of the race.
The Div A was a fantastic race, with St Peters Milla Roberts winning from Jemma Wilson (SOM) and Matilda Lee (St Aidan’s), and Saints then claimed the Div B year 17s courtesy of long striding Gabrielle Schmidt, a proven performer.
But the was the best race the last of the 800m showdowns? Maybe, as MBC’s Mia McGrath (first) and Saints Jazelle Carter (second) ran themselves into the ground in the Div A 17 years.
Revealed: Four words that inspired Qld teen sensation’s meteoric rise
In one of the first interviews of his already mind-blowing career, Queensland teen sprint sensation Gout Gout reveals exactly what has spurred him on the track to becoming Australia’s fastest man – and possible greatness.
8 Qld rugby rookies you have to know about: Reds schoolboy on roving mission
A Reds-signed schoolboy who made an impression in the Super Rugby Under-16s competition has been named in the Australian U16s squad, alongside seven other Queenslanders. More here on who was picked and why.