Upper Hume Athletics - Albury
Record Breaking Day @ Upper Hume Athletics in Albury
Our students put on a great display at the Upper Hume Athletics Carnival last Thursday 7th September at the Les O’Brien Athletics Complex in Albury.
After extensive competition at school to decide our School Champions at each event via P.E classes, our Sprint Carnival and other events, there wasn’t a single seat left on the bus as a monster contingent of 57 students made their way up the highway to compete against the best from the 8 other schools in the Upper Hume area from Wangaratta, Wodonga & Myrtleford.
Overall our athletes won 15 events, were runner-up in 8 events, and 3rd place in 18 events. 20 athletes, after finishing 1st or 2nd, have qualified for the next stage (Hume Region) which is back in Albury on Thursday 5th October. State is the next stage after that.
A massive individual highlight was Merlin Tzaros who, after winning the 3000m event which was open age, blitzing the field of runners many of whom were older than him, then
broke the 1500m 15 Boys record by 2 seconds. He now has 2 Upper Hume records, having broken the 3000m Cross Country record in 2021 up in Myrtleford when in Year 7. He also has an Upper Hume record from Primary School, making it 3 total. If not for the Lockdowns seeing some events cancelled in 2021 and 2022, he would likely have more.
Merlin becomes our 30th record holder, just the 3rd in the last decade, and only two others ever in the history of the school (Xanthea Dewez from the early 2010s, and Bree Spasojevic from the early 1990s) have more Upper Hume records than he does. The all-time list of W.H.S record breaker is interesting reading.
In other great individual feats, Tom Ford won the overall Age Group Champion in the 16 Boys age group, going one better than last year when missing out narrowly. The gun all-rounder this year won 3 individual events (800m, Triple Jump & Discus), was part of the winning 4x100m Relay team, and got a 3rd place in the 200m.
The other standout was Milly O'Kane, who finished Runner-Up in herAge Group Champion award for the 15 Girls. Milly missed by just 2 points, and would have won if not for missing two of her events due to not hearing the marshalling announcements. This is another accolade for Milly who has this year won an Ovens & King League Netball Best & Fairest & MVP award, as well as being our best player in sports teams such as Badminton, Football, Netball & Basketball.
We had 3 others who placed in their Age Group Champion. Jye Laxton was equal 2nd in the 16 Boys, having won the High Jump & Long Jump plus the Relay, and getting a 3rd in the 100m. Casey Sheppard was 3rd in the 14 Girls Age Group after winning the 200m. Claire Christison was 3rd in the 16 Girls having placed in the 100m, 200m and Long Jump.
Other students to win an event included two Year 7 boys in Jansen Robles (Shot Put) and Jeremy Baguley (Javelin), Year 8 Emily Swinburne (Shot Put), Year 10 Wirra Gilson in his 1500m, and finally the 16 Boys 4x100m Relay team of Lachlan Suffield, Jye Laxton, Harvey Cook and Tom Ford. It’s a big feat to win any Upper Hume event, so congratulations to all of these winner.
Special mention to Milly & Casey (and Isabelle Christison & Angela Keenan who both competed in Albury as well), who the day after, would be in the car at 5am heading to Melbourne for the State Badminton Finals as part of the Year 8 team.
Thanks Morgan Clark & Newmo for coming up, and the many parents who were there as well a support, some of whom took their kids by car in order to allow more competitors to have a seat on the bus and hence be able to compete.
We couldn’t speak highly enough of the quality of the kids that were there, or their manners, respect & behaviour across the day. An outstanding day from a wonderful group of young people.
- Jud Mullins
