Emma McKnight soars through the air during midget girls' long jump, at the WOSSAA track and field meet. McKnight placed fifth. (photo / Rob Ross)
Make
it three WOSSAA titles in a row
LDSS ladies take the overall team title again at WOSSAA track and field
Friday, May 20, 2016
By Rob J. Ross
LONDON, ON. - There is a commercial about the competition trying to figure out how one car company has so much success. At Lord Dorchester secondary school, it is the girls' track and field team that has their competitors wondering how they are so dominate.
For the third consecutive year, LDSS captured the girls' overall team title, at WOSSAA, held this year, at Western University. The senior girls' team were number one for their division, while the midget girls placed second.
WOSSAA RESULTS
"I get a lot of questions from other coaches about what we do, what our magic is. My response is that right now most of the talented girls at LDSS are choosing track, working hard at it and getting success," Dorchester coach James Tennant said.
"We are in a period with LDSS girls track being the best overall program in the province (despite being a small school). I'm very proud of what these kids bring to the competitions."
Of the 18 Dorchester athletes heading to the OFSAA West regional meet, May 27/28, in Cambridge, 13 are female.
The top five in each event at WOSSAA advance to regionals.
Katie Beaudry won both the senior girls' 400-metre hurdles and high jump (1.66m) titles, while finishing fifth, in the 100-metre final. Katie was also part of the senior girls' winning 4x100-metre relay team and the meet record setting women's 4x4-metre relay team.
"I was aiming for top five. I did better than I expected," said Beaudry.
At the high jump pit, Beaudry and long time rival Emily Branderhorst, of London Christian Secondary, both cleared 1.66 metres, but missed all attempts at 1.69m. Beaudry placed first, thanks to fewer overall misses at previous heights.
"I've kind of been struggling in high jump. My best is 1.67 and I jumped 1.66, so I'm happy with that. I almost made it my second (attempt at 1.69m), Beaudry said. "(For hurdles), I wanted to get out fast and hold it together when I got to the 300-metre mark. Those last three hurdles are a killer."
Katie won the hurdles by three seconds.
The 4x4 relay team, of Katie, her sister Megan, Dayna Earhart and Megan Dunn, lowered the WOSSAA record to 3:58.04.
Victoria Quance (430) takes off after receiving the baton from Hannah Vickers (444), during the midget girls' 4x100-metre relay race, at WOSSAA. (photo / Rob Ross)
The 4x1 team of Beaudry, Beaudry, Dunn and Emma McKnight, set a new school record, at 49.69 seconds.
"It's Megan Dunn's birthday (May 20), so we were going to win it (4x4) for her," expressed Katie Beaudry. "It's a pretty good birthday present."
Dunn, who placed fourth in senior women's javelin, hasn't competed in individual races this season due to injuries. A year ago she won WOSSAA junior gold in the 200 metres.
"Dunn showed she is one of the best middle distance, sprinter athletes in the province, running an open (4x4) relay split of 57 (seconds) after very limited training," coach Tennant said.
McKnight, a grade nine athlete, won the midget girls' 200 metre final in 26.73 seconds and was third in a photo finish for the 100m. The top two finished tied at 12.83 seconds, followed by McKnight, at 12.84. McKnight also landed in eighth in long jump.
Meanwhile, the midget girls' 4x100-metre relay team, of Hannah Vickers, Katie McDonald, Victoria Quance and Mikayla Vanyolai, finished second.
Christina Hertner was a double gold medalist, winning both the senior girls' shot put and discus.
"There are five girls here who I train with at Western (club team) and they are all very talented, so it was very stressful," said Hertner, on winning discus. "I worked on my footwork (the previous night), so I felt more comfortable in the circle."
Para-athlete Madison Wilson-Walker won both of her races, the ambulatory 100-metre sprint in 14.99 seconds, followed by the ambulatory 400m, in a meet record time of 3:04.6. That shaved off 13 seconds off the mark Wilson-Walker set in 2015.
"The 800 was amazing. I had a seven second PB (personal best). I ran a really good PB at Tri-County and to run another seems a little unreal to me," Wilson-Walker said. "I wasn't very happy with the 100. I'm a little bit taller in my new blades, so my stride is a little bit longer, so I still haven't gotten my technique down yet."
Her 800 time is faster than the current OFSAA record of 3:10.06.
While Wilson-Walker is aiming on returning to OFSAA, the 18-year old is also hoping for a call from the Canadian team, to attend the Paralympics, this August, in Brazil.
"I've ran standard (times) at the majority of my events, so I'm hoping to be selected."
At a recent para-meet, in Arizona, Wilson-Walker placed third in the 200m and sixth in the 100m. She also runs the 400m.
"I don't get to go a lot of just para-meets, so I was happy with the experience. I had a lot of fun."
Megan Beaudry qualified in all three of her individual races, placing second in the senior girls' 400m, fourth, in the 100m and fifth, in the 200m.
The Paul White-coached pole vault team sends five competitors: Hannah Vickers (second, midget girls, Jayden Engberts (fourth, junior boys), Victoria Quance (fifth, midget girl), Robert Foster (fifth, junior boys) and Aiden Rand (fifth, midget boys).
Megan Dunn, left, consoles Victoria Quance, following her roller-coaster of emotions during midget girls' pole vault. Initially, Quance thought she missed qualifying for the regional meet, but on a tie-breaker, learned she had advanced, placing fifth. (photo / Rob Ross)
"I didn't even know about pole vault until this year," Vickers said. "A lot of people said I should take it into consideration."
Surprisingly, senior Stephanie Muir, who placed seventh at OFSAA last year, missed advancing.
Dayna Earhart set personal best times, finishing second in both the senior women's 1500 metres (4:47.45) and 800m.
Katie McDonald was third in midget women's long jump and finished fourth in the midget women's 80-metre hurdles.
Sarah Ashby was second in midget girls' discus (25.78m), third in shot put (10.18m) and 11th, in javelin.
Finishing fourth: Zachary Earhart, senior men's 400m, Ryan Esler, senior men's long jump, Bethany Hiemstra, junior girls' 800m.
"Very happy for Bethany," Tennant said. "She made it through hard work and untimely belief in herself."
Just missing a top five qualifying berth, by one spot, were: Hiemstra, in the junior women's 1500m and Alison Granger, junior women's discus.
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