NEWS PHOTO SEAN ROONEY - A runner takes the lead in a relay event at the South Zone junior high track and field championships at Rotary Track Tuesday.
The junior high track and field season came to a close Tuesday with the South Zone meet at Medicine Hat’s Rotary Track.
Visiting schools claimed the four team titles, but plenty of hometown athletes had great showings including a few zone records.
Alexandra’s Tesema Veurink won a midget boys aggregate title, winning three gold and three silver medals. He won the 400 metre sprint, was second in the 100 and 200 metre dashes, then won javelin by more than four metres.
Veurink wrapped up the day with a zone record, the team including Aaron Kruger, Michael Mamona and Devin Marshall destroying the old mark by 14 seconds. Their time of 3:57.13 won by nearly a minute, and came on the heels of Alexandra’s girls team of Jaivyn Barabe, Whitney Parker, Baylie Grunewald and Jill Hullah setting a 4×400 record of their own, 4:48.35.
Veurink was also part of a second-place 4×100 metre relay finish along with Elias Eisenbarth, Brody Fink and Ryithe Stuber.
In bantam girls, Zaynna Wiloughby of Crescent Heights set a new 80 metre hurdles record with a clocking of 13.40 seconds. Wiloughby also won the 100 metre dash and was second in long jump, while Barabe took the 400. Dr. Roy Wilson’s Kamryn Reid won the bantam girls javelin and Hullah the 80 metre hurdles.
Parkside’s Jayda Currence set a new midget girls discus record with a 30.79-metre effort. Antonina Dumanowski won the midget girls 100 metre final and was second in the 200.
Notre Dame’s Bree Becker was the juvenile girls 800 metre champ, while teammate Abree Toews topped the high jump event.
While Veurink led the overall midget boys standings, Roy Wilson’s Jamie Vos had the best long jump.
In juvenile boys, Alexandra’s Kruger tied two other athletes atop the aggregate standings. He won the 800 metre race in a close finish, his finishing kick a factor after he’d taken third in the 100. He also won the 400.
Seven Persons’ Shae Halladay set a new juvenile boys high jump record at 1.82 metres, Alexandra’s Dylan Callan threw the shot put 14.74 metres for a new zone mark, while brother Aayden Callen’s 45.36-metre discus throw was also a record.
Aayden also showed his running chops, helping Alexandra win the 4×100 relay in a photo-finish over Raymond with Kruger, Mamona and Ahmed Mohamed.
Raymond took home the 4J banner, Magrath the 3J, Seven Persons the 2J and Gilbert Paterson the 1J.
