Hume Region Athletics - 

7 Win Gold & Qualify for State Championships

A 19-strong contingent of our top athletes had a significant and historical day of success at the Hume Region Track & Field Carnival in Albury last Thursday 5th October

Having qualified by winning either 1st or 2nd place at the Upper Hume stage in September, our athletes this time competed against a total of 35 schools from as far away as Seymour, Shepparton, Tallangatta, Mansfield, Yea, Mt Beaty, Bright, Cobram, Yarrawonga, Benalla, Beechworth and Rushworth, all vying for a spot at the State Championships in Melbourne.

Despite the odds, our 19 athletes picked up 6 Gold, 2 Silver, and 5 Bronze medals, our biggest haul in a while (we won 2 Gold last year).

A massive congratulations go out especially to the Gold Medallists – Jeremy Bagley, Milly O’Kane, Jye Laxton, Tom Ford, Lachlan Barbour, Harvey Cook and Lachlan Suffield. These 7 will now compete in the Victorian State Track & Field Championships in Melbourne on Monday 16th October at Lakeside Stadium in Albert Park.

Special mention to Usual Guns in Year 10 boys Tom Ford & Jye Laxton who were the individual standouts on the day, coming home with 2 Gold Medals each, and both medalling in every event they were in.

Tom had a monster of a day. He won Gold in his Triple Jump, his 11.62m effort 69cm longer than his Upper Hume best, and won by 48cm from his Victory Lutheran Wodonga rival. Tom also picked up Silver in the Discus, Bronze in the 800m, and then Gold as part of the 4x100m Relay team which won by 2 metres. An outstanding effort across a range of disciplines, Tom again cemented himself one of the great all-round athletes, and people, the school has had in recent years. 

Jye had an epic battle against a Broadford Secondary College lad to win his High Jump on a countback, equalling his Upper Hume leap of 1.65m. He followed up with a Bronze in the Long Jump, jumping 5.40m, 7cm short of his Upper Hume result. Like Tom, he then secured his 2nd Gold in the Relay with a pivotal sprint on the back straight.

Year 7 boy Jeremy Bagley was our youngest Gold medallist, throwing his Javelin 27.39m into the wind but 7m further than his previous result at Upper Hume, this time beating his Greater Shepparton Secondary College rival by almost 4 metres. Wonderful to see new Year 7 talent scoring a spot at a State Championship.

All-round star Milly O’Kane won her Javelin event by 12cm over a rival from Corryong College, throwing 21.51m, 1.42m further than Upper Hume. The Year 8 champ also collected Bronze in the Triple Jump, however her 8.62 jump was 60cm shorter than her Upper Hume jump, which would have won her Gold this time by 20cm to put her in her two individual events at the State Champs.

Lachy Barbour of Year 11 was another to outgun his Upper Hume result, hurling his Discus over 4 metres further than September, his 29.48m winning him his Gold by almost 5m over his Wodonga Senior Secondary College nemesis.. 

Harvey Cook and Lachlan Suffield chimed in late in the day, teaming up with Tom & Jye in a 4x100m Relay team which led all the way after a strong Suffield start, with Tom bringing it home to win by 2m to Rutherglen High School, with Greater Shepparton & Yarrawonga P-12 even farther back.

Our other Year 7 medallist, Jansen Robles, was so close to winning Gold as well. He threw 11m in the Shot Put, over a metre further than his Upper Hume hurl, and fell just 15cm short of a powerful Greater Shepparton SC boy who would have had close to 30kg on him and looked like he was 18 years old.

Other medallists included Year 10s Wirra Gilson in his 1500m and Imogen Robinson in the Shot Put, and the 15 Boys Relay team of Year 9s Sonny McCormack, Cooper Hardman, Kade Hadley and Cameron Sgarioto. Cam’s medal provided another nice bit of W.H.S history, as when perusing the all-time records at the State Championships, there is one Wangaratta High School student on the list, Deborah McLaughlin, whose Long Jump record set as a 17 year old in 1992 still stands 31 years later, and who happens to be Cameron’s aunt.

Thank you to all of our competitors, all of whom were outstanding across the day in all regards. Next year we hope to improve again on our Athletics results. We are seeking especially, “hidden gems” who are gun athletes that haven’t come forward to compete. We know we have many such kids, and we want to unearth them.

Thanks also to our legendary long-time Sport Coordinator Mrs Newman for coming up to what was her 25th and final Hume Region Athletics carnival. What a champion she has been for our school.

• Jud Mullins