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South Surrey high-schoolers land on B.C. track-and-field podium

BC Track and Field Championships held at Langley’s McLeod Athletic Park
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White Rock Christian Academy’s Niam Zbitnoff competes in senior boys high jump Friday at BC High School Track and Field Championships in Langley. (Nick Greenizan photo)

Semiahmoo Peninsula athletes found themselves standing on plenty of podiums last week in Langley, as McLeod Athletic Park served as host venue for BC High School Track and Field Championships.

While top-five finishes were scattered across all seven South Surrey/White Rock schools – including the two newest, Grandview Heights Secondary and Saint John Paul II Academy – the Elgin Park Orcas finished at the top of the heap.

On Monday, after all the scores were tabulated, Elgin Park was named the top overall junior team, with both junior boys and girls results taken into account.

Maella Hodgson led the charge with a gold medal in junior girls 3,000-m and a silver in the 1,500-m, while also adding a fourth-place finish in the 800. James Hodgson, meanwhile, won gold in the junior boys 1,500-m steeplechase while also placing fourth in the 3,000-m.

Isaac Baker won silver in senior boys 2,000-m steeplechase while also finishing fourth in the 1,500-m; Ben Carr scooped a bronze medal in the senior boys high jump; Kate Hwang won bronze in senior girls pole vault; Connor Nicol won gold in junior boys 3,000-m; Amrita Sidhu won silver in junior girls 80-m hurdles, while three others scored top-five finishes: Kerlinda Chatwin in both the senior girls 100-m and triple jump, Evia Chen in Grade 8 girls long jump and Kaelem Dumont in senior boys 800-m.

Earl Marriott Secondary athletes to finish with top-five performances were Hudson Irvine, who won gold in the senior boys 800-m and bronze in the 400, while Connor Fong was fifth in the Grade 8 boys 100-m and Colton Plummer was fifth in senior boys 400-m.

• READ ALSO: Semiahmoo Peninsula athletes shine at South Fraser Track and Field Championships

Southridge School was led by Rachel McDonald, who won a silver medal in junior girls steeplechase and bronze in the 3,000-m, while teammate Ava Eichhorst was third in junior girls heptathlon and fourth in high jump.

Grandview Heights Secondary’s Deven Merrero was first in senior boys javelin – winning the school’s first-ever medal at track-and-field provincials.

Semiahmoo Secondary had four top-five showings to speak of, led by Boston University-bound Caiden Lee, who won double gold – in the senior boys 1,500- and 3,000-m races.

Teammate Mackenzie Hack won gold in the senior girls 1,500-m steeplechase and was fourth in the 3,000-m, while Cayden Arnold won silver in senior boys pole vault. Steven Brittain rounded out the top finishes, placing fifth in junior boys 800-m.

Saint John Paul II Academy also brought medals home, led by Mya Bernett, who won silver in Grade 8 girls 100-m and was also part of the school’s gold-medal winning 4x100 Grade 8 girls relay team, which also included Samantha Wood, Mia Beliveau and Carys Prout.

Elsewhere on the track, Abeti Gutsche won two medals after finishing second in the Special Olympics 100-m and third in the 400-m, while teammate John Diego won silver in Special Olympics shot put.

Matthias Dee was fourth in the junior boys 300-m hurdles to round out the top-five showings from the South Surrey school.

White Rock Christian Academy - which has found itself with plenty of medal-winners at the Surrey and South Fraser meets earlier this spring – had two top-five finishes: Alecia Palmer was fourth in Grade 8 girls pentathlon, and Bennett Rehman was fourth in the Special Olympics 400-m.

Holy Cross Regional High School – which has a number of Semiahmoo Peninsula students on its roster – got top five performances from Cora Clendenin, who was fifth in Grade 8 girls 400-m; Iyima Fagbamiye, who won bronze in junior boys 100-m; Lucas Gatbonton, fourth in senior boys 1,500-m race-walk; Meghan McCash, fourth in Grade 8 girls javelin; Claire Nichol, fifth in senior girls 100-m hurdles; Claire Pakulak, fourth in junior girls high jump and Mbunya Tatch, who was fifth in junior girls triple jump.

Also, L.A. Matheson Secondary runner Yemane Mulugeta – who is a member of the South Surrey-based Ocean Athletics Track Club – won two bronze medals, in senior boys 2,000-m steeplechase and the 3,000-m run.



sports@peacearchnews.com

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