Sport: Upper Hume Champions

Cross Country Gold at Dederang

 

Congratulations to our three runners who won Gold Medals at the School Sport Victoria Upper Hume Cross Country at the picturesque Dederang Racecourse on Monday 26th May.

 

The trio, Paige-Lee Dummett, Clarence Lampa and Merlin Tzaros, all Wangaratta West Primary School alumni, make up our largest contingent of Champions at the event in some years.

 

Year 8 Dummett won her 3km race by almost a minute with a time of 12:43.05. The Wangaratta Rovers and Tigers footballer ran over a minute faster than her 2024 time when she was 4th, and beat last year’s winner.

 

Year 9 Lampa won his 3km in an epic finish by 3 seconds. Like Paige-Lee, his time (10:53.76) was over a minute faster than 2024 (when he finished 3rd), and beat last year’s winner.

 

Our 3-time Australian Champion Triathlete and Aquathlete, Year 11 Tzaros, won his 2nd straight Championship in the 5km. In the cold and rain, he cruised to a time of 16:41.03 and won by over a minute.

 

Merlin is the all-time record holder at the event in the 13-Years age group, a multiple-time SSV Cross Country State team member, was the State Silver medalist in 2022, and last year won a National Silver as part of the Victorian team at the Nationals in Tasmania.

 

Dummett and Lampa are heading to the USA in September to race as part of a touring Australian team, over a 3 week trip.

 

We also had 6 others go Top 10 - Phoebe Bosley (3rd), Murray Bushrangers footballer Kaity Ford and Jed Murray (4th), Coen Coppinger and 2024 State Bronze Medalist Cross Country Skiier Skelly Manning (6th), and Ashton Ryan (8th).

 

Others to qualify for the Hume Region stage in Benalla on June 13th, are Year 7s James Mogg (11th) and Ollie Fisher (13th).

 

We sadly only fielded half the amount of runners as 2024 (23 this year, 43 last year), which meant we couldn't defend our School Championship crown, which we won last year for the 1st time in a decade. 

 

It meant we only had a  'Team Of 3' in 4 of the 11 age groups - not enough to compete. We this year finished 5th of 8 schools, on 26 points, just behind Galen College (28), with Cathedral (69), Catholic College Wodonga (49) and Victory Lutheran College (42) the Top 3.

 

Our Year 7s led the way in the Team regard, with both teams finishing 3rd in their age group. Our strong Year 9 boys were also 3rd, and our Year 8 boys were 5th. 

 

Thanks to our team of 23 runners who were brave in tough conditions, in the most gruelling Sport event on the calendar.

 

Thanks to Sandy "Newmo" Newman for being with us, and Chris Tzaros for the great action photos.

 

Jud Mullins

Sport Coordinator