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Sunday 21 June 2015

2015 National Secondary School XC Championships Gladfield Golf Course, Mosgiel Sat 20 Jun


Conal Wilson, winner of the Senior Boys 6000m race. He follows in the footsteps of brothers Declan and Finn both of whom have won the coveted Senior Boys title,


Individual Results
Three Person Team Results
Six Person Team Results
Athletics New Zealand Race Report


The organisers of this event were dead lucky to get a relatively fine day between the front that earlier in the week brought snow, rain and strong winds and the new cold front due to come through the day after the races.  The races were run on the pristine turf of the Gladfield Golf club course and offered spectators a great view of the action as the competitors navigated the flat and hilly sections of the course.

When you watch these races you know you are seeing the future of the sport.
The closest races of the day were the Year 9 Boys and Girls 3000m events with only 3 seconds separating 1st and 2nd.

In the junior races Hannah O’Connor led from start to finish and was unchallenged as she ran a mostly solo race to capture Girls 3000m title.  Isaiah Priddey on the other and had to work hard on two laps to beat off the challengers but at the finish line had a 5 seconds gap on his nearest rival.
 
It could have gone any way in the Senior Girls 4000m race with Isabella Richard, Kelsey Forman, Ari Graham all looking good. But in the end the strength of Richards showed through over the hilly sections and she cruised home 7 seconds ahead of Forman with Grace Wood 23 seconds back in 3rd place.

The Athletics New Zealand preview of the Senior Boys race identified a number of possible contenders for the race title including Daniel Hoy, Conal Wilson, Leo Roper, Finn Mason, Cameron Avery, Michell Small, James Mason and a clutch of other well performed runners. As expected these athletes featured in the leading group, but it took several laps for Conal Wilson and Daniel Hoy to whittle this down to the two of them.  On the last lap Wilson, who has had his own running misfortunes, used his superior strength and speed to move clear of Hoy and secure a comfortable win.

Wilsons win replicated wins in this event by his two brothers Declan and Finn in previous years thereby establishing a unique in secondary school athletics. The win also makes up in a small way for the misfortune he experienced two years ago which landed him in hospital for a week after a running race start incident 

 Year 9 Girls (3000m)
11.21 Phoebe McKnight, Hutt Valley High School
11.24 Liliana Braun, Cashmere High School
11.46 Kirstie Rae, Wellington east Girls College

 Year 9 Boys (3000m)
10.47 Noah Macdermid, Awatapu College
10.50 Jaxon Taylor, Southland Boys High School
10.51 Murdoch McIntyre, Westlake Boys High School

Junior Girls (3000m)
11.07 Hannah O’Connor, sacred Heart Girls College
11.43 Amelia Perrson, Christchurch Girls High School
11.49 Tessa Hunt, Wellington east Girls College

Junior Boys (4000m)
13.47 Isaiah Priddey, Hamilton Boys High School
13.52 Kalani Sheridan, Nayland College
13.55 Samuel Tanner, Bethlehem College

Senior Girls (4000m)
15.15 Isabella Richards, St Kentigern College
15.22 Kelsey Forman, Wellington east Girls College
15.38 Grace Wood, St Kentigern College

Senior Boys (6000m)
20.10 Conal Wilson, Auckland Grammar School
20.27 Daniel Hoy, Westlake Boys High School
20.31 Harry Ewing, St Peter’s School




Conal Wilson #160 (Auckland Grammar School) 1st, Daniel Hoy #898 (Westlake Boys High School) 2nd Senior Boys 6000m

Isabella Richards #672 (St Kentigern College) 1st, Kelsey Forman #875 (Wellington East Girls College) 2nd, Ari Graham #603 (St Andrews College 4th Senior Girls 4000m

Isaiah Priddey #295 (Hamilton Boys High School) 1st Junior Boys 4000m

Hannah O'Connor (Sacred Heart Girls College) 1st Junior Girls 3000m

Noah MacDermid #163 (Awatapu College) 1st Year 9 Boys 3000m

Phoebe McKnight (Hutt Valley High School) 1st Year 9 Girls 3000m