We have been extremely fortunate with the weather this Cross Country season, and Saturday was no different. The sun shone across the Pentland Hills onto Lake Dewar, our venue for this week’s competition. This week was a chance for our Intermediate and Senior athletes to compete at the same venue as next weekend’s Regional event.
The Under 11 and 12 athletes opened the morning’s competition, lining up for their 2km course event. Bacchus Marsh Under 11 athlete Dushan Baniluk pinched the win, while Lachlan Simons (BM) continues to narrow the gap, with a mere 1 second separating the two boys this week.  Myah Estlick (BM) was declared the winner for the Under 11 girls while Melton’s Mataya Letham was the victor for the Under 12 girls. Rajkamal singh Virk (Melton) was the only athlete in this event to record a personal best result – well done, Rajkamal.
Next up were the Under 9 and 10 athletes for their 1.5km event. Iyla Robinson (BM) was the clear winner once again, taking the Under 10 girls’ victory, while Zeke Horne (BM) claimed the win for the Under 10 boys. Anni Clarke (BM) and Joshua Askew (BM) were the first placegetters for the Under 9 boys and girls. Well done to James White (BM) who recorded the only PB for this event.
The third race for the morning saw the Under 7/8 athletes contesting a 1km loop. Melton’s Harry Wark led the field out with a fast start to the race. Emilia Ibrahim (BM) sat in tight behind Harry for the entire race and a sprint finish saw .3 of second separate the two on the finishline. Tait Ash (BM), whose continued grit and determination, saw him rewarded with the Under 7 victory while Rylee Robinson (BM) scored another victory for the Under 7 girls.
The Under 6’s welcomed the return of Hendrix Wake (BM) after a period off with illness. Although Mckinley Wilson led for the majority of the 500m race, it was a fast-finishing sprint from Hendrix and a dip on the line that saw him claim a .3 second win over Mckinley. Congratulations to Mckinley who ran a PB time of 2:25.83 mins. Annabelle Menzies (BM), also with a fast finish, was likewise rewarded with a PB result.
The final event for the morning was the Open age athletes racing over 3kms. Alexis Johnston (BM) was the clear winner whilst Mackenzie Estlick (BM) was 2nd home with Sam White (BM), easing his way around the course, claiming the minor placing.
Next week will be the Regional Cross Country Carnival to be held at Lake Dewar, Myrniong. Good luck to the 17 BMLAC athletes competing at Region – Under 9’s athletes Joshua Askew, Angus Norman, Mitchell Tung will form a team, while Anni Clarke will be our sole Under 9 girl. The Under 10’s will have a team of Zeke Horne, Logan Simons, James White and Ben Wooding (top 3 official team). Iyla Robinson will represent the Under 10’s. Mayah Estlick and Dushan Baniluk will compete in the Under 11 event while our Under 12 boys Patrick Lovett and Lachlan Simons will go head to head over the 2kms, as will Lily Norman. Open age athletes Alexis Johnston (Under 13), Sam White (Under 15) and Elise Cooke (Under 16) will be representing the Centre over 3kms. Our junior athletes will have the week off.
As we are hosts for this event, we would appreciate help on the day with setting up and running the BBQ. This is a fundraising event for our Centre so if your free to lend a hand, pop on down to Lake Dewar next Saturday morning.
Program
10.00am – 10.45am Walk the Course
10.00 am Officials/Team Managers report to assembly area for a brief meeting
10.45 am Marshals into their positions
10.50am Call Room, 11.00am event – Under 9’s – 1.5km
11.00am Call Room, 11.10am event – Under 10’s – 1.5km
11.10am Call Room, 11.20am event – Under 13/14/15/16 Girls – 3km
11.25am Call Room, 11.35am event – Under 13/14/15/16 Boys – 3km
11.50am Call Room, 12.00pm event – Under 11’s – 2km
12.00pm Call Room, 12.10pm Event – Under 12’s – 2km
