Nanaimo high school athletes are on the right track as they prepare for provincials.
The city can boast a handful of Island track and field champions who will now get to move on to the B.C. High School Track and Field Championships in Nanaimo from June 6-8.
The Vancouver Island championships were held last week at Port Alberni’s Bob Dailey Stadium.
One of the top results from a high school senior at the competition was put forward by Dover Bay Secondary’s Nolan Galloway, who won the Island championship in the 800-metre race. Victor Doniol-Valcroze of Nanaimo District Secondary School won the senior boys’ 400m hurdles race and Kynan Shurniak, also of NDSS, won the senior boys’ 2,000m steeplechase. Among senior girls, Katelyn Putz of John Barsby Secondary won the senior girls’ hammer throw with a 44.41m toss and Lydia Paris of NDSS won the senior girls’ 400m hurdles.
In junior competition, Dover Bay’s Rhys Beaudoin won three Island championships in the 800m, the 1,500m, and the 1,500m steeplechase. Gavin Esleyer of Wellington Secondary won the 400m and Tessa Bell of NDSS won the long jump.
Grade 8 competition saw Carter Cunning of Cedar Secondary win the Island championship in the 800m and Levi Haab of Nanaimo Christian School win the 200m hurdles. Brooklyn Chase of NDSS won the Grade 8 girls’ shot put.
Other Island championships were captured in relay races. Nanaimo District’s senior girls won the 4x400m relay, Dover Bay’s junior boys won the 4x100m, and Dover’s Grade 8 girls won the 4x400m.
Top performers from Islands now get to be part of a huge event – high school provincials at Rotary Bowl stadium. Wanda Urbanowicz, head coach of the Nanaimo Track and Field Club, said more than 2,600 athletes are expected, not to mention family members and coaches.
“This will be the biggest track meet most kids will ever see. It’s probably one of the biggest ones in Canada,” Urbanowicz said.
She said high school provincials are always fun because athletes who aren’t affiliated with track and field clubs sometimes seem to “come out of nowhere” and contend. Spectators can see everything from Rotary Bowl’s bleachers, the coach said, and everywhere they look there will be outstanding athletes.
“It should be super exciting,” Urbanowicz said. “There’s just so many great athletes and ours are super excited to be part of it in front of their home crowd.”
Top-three individual results from Island championships include:
Grade 8 - Charleigh McLeod, Cedar, third, 100m, second, 200m; Megan James, Barsby, second, 800m, third, 1,500m; Brooklyn Chase, NDSS, first, shot put; Carl Casilon, Dover, third, 100m, second, 200m, third, long jump; Carter Cunning, Cedar, second, 400m. first, 800m; Ryan Luch, NDSS, third, 800m; Levi Haab, Nanaimo Christian, first, 200m hurdles.
Junior - Danaea Brand, Nanaimo Christian, third, 100m, third, 200m; Ava Gauthier, NDSS, second, 800m, second, 1,500m steeplechase; Tessa Bell, NDSS, first, long jump, second, triple jump; Charlotte Shepherd, Dover, third, hammer throw; Lucas Acosta, Dover, second, 100m; Gavin Esleyer, Wellington, second, 200m, first, 400m; Rhys Beaudoin, Dover, first, 800m, first, 1,500m, first, 1,500m steeplechase; Mitchell Gauthier, third, shot put.
Senior - Haley Martin, NDSS, second, 400m, second, 400m hurdles; Brea Gillette, NDSS, third, 800m, third, 1,500m; Arieta Sadlikova, Wellington, third, 3,000m; Lydia Paris, NDSS, first, 400m hurdles; Katelyn Putz, first, hammer throw; Nolan Galloway, Dover, second, 400m, first, 800m; Victor Doniol-Valcroze, NDSS, first, 400m hurdles; Kynan Shurniak, first, 2,000m steeplechase.
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