Athletics Insight: Outstanding performances at Schools Cross Country Championships

Whanganui High School's Sean Frieslaar (right) and Neko McDougall, of Whanganui Collegiate School, were first and second at the Whanganui Schools Championships and renewed their rivalry in Christchurch.

It might be something to do with the recent successes of New Zealand middle-distance athletes such as George Beamish, Sam Tanner, James Preston and Maia Ramsden (recent winner of NCAA 1500m), or the enticement of the many American university scholarships, that has inspired the present leading runners.

There was a series of outstanding performances at last weekend’s 50th New Zealand Schools Cross Country Championships in Christchurch.

The championships returned to the QEII and Ascot Parks, the venue for the 2017 championships, close to the old QEII Stadium destroyed in the Christchurch earthquake and also Cuthbert’s Green, the venue of the inaugural championships in 1974.

The course looked easy enough at first glance, but its many small rises and changes of direction made it fast and technically challenging, especially for senior boys who ran four laps of the 1500m circuit. Organiser John Gamblin once again provided a venue fit for a national championships.

While no two courses are exactly the same, the 2017 and last weekend’s courses were similar enough to make time comparisons relevant. Sam Tanner’s winning time in 2017 was 18m 39s.

This year’s winner, Caleb Wegener (Auckland Grammar School), ran 17m 57s.

Wegener set a ferocious pace at the front of the field and he and George Wylie (Tauranga Boys’), who less than two weeks earlier had run on the track for New Zealand at the Oceania championships in Fiji, quickly opened up a significant gap on the rest of the field.

Wegener broke the deadlock on the final 1500m to win impressively in 17m 57s with Wylie finishing 18s in arrears and third-placed Sam Rickerby (Kings College) 36s further back.

Eighth place went at 19 minutes, demonstrating the depth of performance. The leading Whanganui runner was Oliver Jones in 47th position who was pleased with his performance.

Jones, who has shown steady improvement all year, realised how fast the first kilometre was and eased slightly knowing that, although he was in good form, it was at a pace that would have consequences.

Although nine places lower than in Palmerston North last year, the time was faster and the general performance superior. Tauranga Boys’ College took the six-to-score title, breaking a 26-year drought going back to when present New Zealand Schools treasurer and cross country manager Brad Smith was in the Tauranga team.

New Plymouth Boys’ High School were second with Auckland Grammar School in third place. Auckland Grammar won the three-to-score title from New Plymouth Boys’ High with Tauranga third and, for the first time in many years, Westlake Boys’ High School did not make the podium. North Harbour College gained consolation by taking the junior boys three-to-score and six-to-score gold medals.

For the first time in a decade, Whanganui Collegiate School did not return with a medal, although they came close in the junior girls six-to-score, finishing fourth only 24 points shy of the bronze Craighead Diocesan School team (Timaru) — 289 points to 313 points respectively. Hannah Byam was the best individual Whanganui Collegiate runner through all grades, finishing in 20th place.

Tilly Darke and Zoe Broadhead, in 44th and 45th place respectively, helped the team take sixth place in the three-to-score teams event, with Alaska Humphrey, Sophie Cranstone and Millie Boden-Cave (the latter two are still in Year 9 and ran up a grade) making up the six-to-score team who came so close.

The well-performed Boh Richie (St Peter’s School Cambridge) won the senior girls race (14:08) narrowly from Lisa Hellyer (Onehunga High School) and Scarlett Robb (St Cuthbert’s) with only 7s separating the three medal winners.

St Cuthbert’s College, which has a proud cross country record, won the six-to-score team event and was the leading New Zealand school in the three-to-score, with Brisbane Athletics the leading team. Nga Tawa were fourth in the six-to-score team.

In the Year 9 boys race, Sean Frieslaar (Whanganui High School) in 49th was just 3s and one place higher than Neko McDougall (Whanganui Collegiate School). McDougall narrowed the gap between Whanganui Schools when they finished first and second.

They both show real promise by the manner of their runs in a strong field. It is interesting to note that Daniel Sinclair (WCS), who finished second in the seniors last year, was 52nd at his first New Zealand Schools in 2019.