Dorchester's Bethany Hiemstra (374), alongside London Saunders Amera Pratt, during the open women's 4x400-metre relay race, at the WOSSAA track and field championships, at TD Stadium. (photo / Rob J. Ross)
Friday, May 19, 2017
By Rob J. Ross
LONDON, Ont. - They continue to be the queens of the relay races.
For the past three years, Lord Dorchester has racked up the wins totalling in the double digits for the womens' relays, including winning OFSAA gold in the open 4x400-metre relay, last year and in 2014.
The trend continues this spring, as LDSS won both the senior women's 4x100-metre and open women's 4x400-metre relay races, at the WOSSAA track and field championships, May 18/19, at TD Stadium.
The top six advance to the OFSAA West regional meet, May 26/27, back at TD Stadium.
On day one of the meet, the 4x1 team of Megan Dunn, Emma McKnight and sisters Megan and Katie Beaudry, cruised to victory, winning by over a second, finishing in 49.17 seconds.
The 4x4 offered some drama during the four laps around the oval, but the foursome of the Beaudrys, Dunn and Bethany Hiemstra, still won by almost five seconds over London Central.
Receiving the baton for the third leg, with LDSS sitting fourth, 10 metres behind front running London Mother Teresa, Katie passed the three teams by the mid point of her run around the oval. Katie then passed the stick to her sister, who put LDSS in control of the race.
"I'm happy. I'm proud of us. We all ran well," Katie said. "Bethany stepped in and ran really good for us."
The most pressure fell on Hiemstra, the newest member of the team, replacing the graduated Dana Earhart. Hiemstra, who is battling a low iron count this season, ran the second leg.
"It was scary because they are all really good. I thought with the Beaudrys and Megan I'm going to look so bad," said Hiemstra, the lone Grade 11 athlete with the quartet. "They're a very supportive team. They told me to go second and it worked out well. They could get a good start (with Dunn) and then make up for what I didn't gain."
The win helped Hiemstra with an important decision.
"I was debating whether to buy a t-shirt, but now I can get one next week."
The Beaudrys and Dunn, also qualified in individual events.
Katie, who won the senior women's 400-metre hurdles earlier in the day, has been battling a lingering sore hamstring.
"I didn't know if I would be doing track this season because of my leg. I'm happy to be here,"Â Katie said. "Last week (at TVRA), I just jogged the hurdles. There were only nine of us so as long as I made it to the end I would move on. That gave me another week (to heal). I was hoping top six (at WOSSAA) but I did not think I would do that, because I have been hurt."
Due to her time from Thames Valley Region (TVRA), Katie was in the first heat at WOSSAA with slower seed times. Therefore she had to wait for the results from the second heat to find out if her 1:04.91 was fast enough.
Katie also placed second in senior women's high jump (1.56 metres), behind a meet record tying performance (1.70m), by friend and long time rival, Emily Branderhorst, from London Christian.
Dorchester's Megan Beaudry (366) finishes the senior women's 400 metres race in second place, with team-mate Megan Dunn coming in fourth, at the WOSSAA track and field championships, at TD Stadium. Both Megans finished sub 60 seconds and were the book ends of Dorchester's open women's' 4x400-metre relay team.
(photo / Rob J. Ross)
"(Megan) has been sorer than me. My leg has been healing up, but hers' is still pretty sore," Katie said.
McKnight won the junior women's 100 metre (13.69 sec.), finished second in the 200 and fifth in long jump (4.81 metres.
Dunn placed second in the senior women's 100-metre hurdles (16.58 seconds), third in long jump (5.32 metres) and fourth in the 400 metres (59.89 sec.).
Sarah Ashby took the junior women's shot put crown, with a personal best heave of 11.29 metres.
Katie McDonald qualified in three events, the junior women's triple jump (third, 10.33m), 80-metre hurdles (fifth, 13.78 sec.) and long jump (sixth, 4.78m).
Also moving on to regionals are: Victoria Quance, third, junior women's pole vault (a PB of 2.50 metres); Aidan Rand, third, junior men's pole vault (2.80m); Zachary Earhart, fourth, senior men's 400 metres (51.81 sec.); Emma Lavoie, fifth, midget women's pole vault (2.00m).
Other WOSSAA results for Beaver Nation: Colson Erb, seventh, junior men's 800 metres, eighth, 1500; Sarah Ashby, eighth, junior women's discus, ninth, javelin; Kristen Bisschop, ninth, junior women's discus; Michael McKnight, 10th, midget men's long jump; Bethany Hiemstra, 10th, senior women's 800m; Emily Patterson, 10th, midget women's 300m hurdles; Sean Reed, 11th, junior men's 400m; Matthew Vervoordel, 11th, midget men's 3000m; Sierra Scott, 11th , junior women's 800m, 11th, 400m; Eric Pettipiece, 12th, midget men's 300m hurdles; Megan Brownrigg, 14th, midget women's 80m hurdles, 14th, 300m hurdles; Carter Schiffer, 15th, junior men's shot put.