The competition got a lot tougher for Richmond Secondary Schools’ top athletes as they took on their counterparts from Burnaby and New West at the Zone Track and Field Championships.
Perennial Richmond champions MacNeill Ravens took their usual big team out to Burnaby, but it was the McMath Wildcats, led by an overwhelmingly strong girls contingent, that swept all three team honours.
The Steveston school won both the Girls and Boys divisions to top the overall standings by a considerable margin. McMath’s combined point total (608) was more than double the next nearest school (305).
The Wildcats held off a strong team from Burnaby Central (195-170) to capture the boys title, while the girls completely dominated. They amassed a whopping 413 points to finish well ahead New West (138) and Burnaby Central (135).
The McMath roster features several Richmond Kajaks, including national ranked athletes Carson Bradley and Cameron Rogers. The Wildcats also did well in relay events. It added up to winning 23 of the 84 overall events.
The Grade 8 contingent was led by triple jumper Caitlyn Bradley-Tse leaping to a B.C leading 10.10 metres.
Meanwhile, MacNeill continued its strong season by placing third overall. The Ravens were led by wins in the discus events by Grace Penas and Juliana Burara, as well as Nathaniel Antiporda in the Junior Javelin throw, plus many other top finishes.
Other notable winners were Georgia Lam from McNair in the 100 and 200 metres and Steveston-London’s Merveilles Amisi in the high jump and triple jump events
Next up is the B.C. Secondary Schools Championships in Nanaimo June 2-4.
Here is the rundown of individual event winners from Richmond schools:
McMath: Sydney Bayers, Elizabeth Kennedy, Jen Lum, Caitlyn Bradley-Tse, Danielle Cosco, Macaela Bradley-Tse, Alicia Lo, Ayden Weber, Camryn Rogers, Cyrus Chen(2), Victor Radocaj, Nicholas HIgashitani, Carson Bradley(2), Serge Serbinenko, Nate Loewen, Sam Loewen.
MacNeill: Grace Penas, Juliana Burara, Nathaniel Antiporda.
McNair: Sam Williams, Georgia Lam (2).
Boyd: Raquel Jakac, Jim Bie.
McRoberts: Kyra Bates, Michelle Chan.
Steveston-London: Merveilles Amisi (2), Derek Jeary(2), Valerie Wideski.
Richmond Christian: Charity Field, Emma Wassink, Daniel Wilkinson, Brandon Jao.
Richmond High: An Yu.
