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While the Kelowna Owls — current and future — ran away with overall team titles, Okanagan Mission Huskies made the most impactful strides individually at the annual Central/South Okanagan Zone Track and Field meet this week.
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Muriel Stroda and Tatum Wade of OKM were among five girls to claim three individual wins and contribute 30 points to their team total at the Apple Bowl. Huskies teammate, Kali Halvorson, added two wins and a second-place finish to earn 28 points and also earned a berth at the Okanagan Valley championships being held in Kamloops on Monday.
In the boys’ competition, OKM’s Camden Elkin leaped and threw his way to three victories in senior events while Max Gainey of the Huskies contributed two wins and a runner-up finish.
Stroda, a silver medalist at the 2018 B.C. School Sports provincial heptathlon championships, once again displayed her versatility by winning the senior girls long jump at the zone competition that attracted nearly 370 athletes. She won the long jump with a leap of 4.96 metres, the 100-metre hurdles in 15.44 seconds and the javelin with a throw of 28.26 metres.
Possibly better known for her exceptional exploits on the basketball court, OKM’s Wade made her mark on the track as well on Tuesday, running away from the field and to first place in the junior girls 800 metres with a clocking of 2:32.06, the 1500 metres in 5:10.92 and the 1500-metre steeplechase in 5:49.60.
The Huskies’ Halvorson earned her two first-place finishes in the junior girls shot put (10.35) and the hammer throw (33.59) while claiming second place behind Cally Melnyk (23.74) of Aberdeen Hall in the discus with a throw of 23.17 metres.
OKM’s Elkin measured 5.71 metres to win the junior boys long jump and followed up with a mark of 12.12 metres to capture the triple jump title while taking first place in the discus with a heave of 32.25 metres.
Gainey added 28 points to the OKM total by winning both the Grade 8 long jump with a leap of 4.71 metres and the 100-metre hurdles in a time of 18.13 seconds. His runner-up finish came in the high jump where he placed second (1.55 metres) behind Rutland Middle’s Michael Hutchinson (1.58).
The KSS Owls, representing the largest school at the meet, claimed the junior and senior combined (boys and girls) team championships, led by speedsters Emma Cannan and Caeleb Schlachter.
Cannan, a four-medal winner at the 2018 B.C. Summer Games, ran to first place in the 100-, 200- and 400-metre junior girls races this week despite nursing a minor injury. She breezed to victory in the 100 with a time of 12.49, the 200 in 26.11 and the 400 in 1:01.34.
In the junior boys competition, Schlachter matched Cannan’s performance in the 100- and 200-metre races with impressive wins for the Owls. The Grade 10 student/athlete crossed the 100 finish line in 11.31 seconds while winning the 200 in 22.67. Teammate Noah Gross was second in both events with times of 11.45 and 22.93 respectively.
Schlachter added a second-place finish by placing second in the junior triple jump with a distance of 12.11 metres while he and Gross led the Owls to first in the 4x100-metre relay that also included Aiden Vint and Xavier Cameron.
The KLO Cougars, many of whom will eventually attend KSS, led all 13 combined teams (boys and girls) in the Grade 8 competition. Tyson Carr set the pace for the boys with three wins, as did female athletes, Breah Bridge and Elise Drake.
Carr, last year’s B.C. Athletics pentathlon champion as a 13-year-old, finished first in the Grade 8 400-metre dash with a time of 58.17; led the field of nine in the 800 with a clocking of 2:16.56 and hurdled to first place over 200 metres in 27.22.
Bridge went the distance to claim a trio of first-place finishes for the Cougars at the zone meet. She won the 3000 metres for Grade 8s with a time of 12:22.07, crossed first in the 1500 metres (5:38.62) and led a field of six in the 800 metres in 2:46.92.
Drake did the heavy lifting for the KLO Grade 7 girls’ team that finished third behind George Elliot and Dr. Knox. She won the shot put (8.99), discus (26.78) and javelin (19.42) to contribute 30 points to the Cougars’ cause.
The top three finishers in each event (Grade 8s, juniors and seniors) qualified for the Valley championships in Kamloops on Monday and will be vying for one of four Okanagan berths in each event at the B.C. School Sports provincial championships being held in Kelowna for the first time May 30 to June 1 at the Apple Bowl
About 2,400 athletes representing about 330 schools from across the province will compete in 124 track and field events.
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Top Individual Performances
GIRLS
BOYS
Top 5 Teams
Combined (boys and girls) Scores
Grade 7
1. Dr. Knox Middle 235 points
2. George Elliot 149
3. Const. Neil Bruce 147.5
4. Springvalley 145
5. KLO Middle 115
Grade 8
1. KLO Middle School 314 points
2. Dr. Knox Middle 219
3. Skaha Lake 116
4. Const. Neil Bruce 112
5. Springvalley 78
Junior
1. Kelowna Secondary 274
2. Okanagan Mission 220
3. George Elliot 139
4. KLO Middle 135
5. Rutland Secondary 112
Senior
1. Kelowna Secondary 243
2. George Elliot 150
3. Rutland Secondary 106
4. Mt. Boucherie 80
5. Penticton 73
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