At the beginning of April, a group of dedicated athletes travelled to Nelson to represent our school at the South Island Secondary Schools’ Athletics Championships. The event was a true showcase of talent, determination, and team spirit. Our athletes competed across a wide range of track and field events, achieving personal bests, qualifying for finals, and placing amongst the best in the South Island.
A huge thank you must go to Jay Jolly, who volunteered as our parent helper for the trip. Jay did an amazing job of looking after the team, also with Brent Morrison (staff).
Standout Performances and Personal Bests
In the sprints, Charlie Pockson impressed in both the 100m and 200m Under 15 events. He clocked a personal best of 11.93 seconds in the 100m prelims, just missing out on the final by the smallest of margins. He improved his 200m from the heat time to 24.45 seconds in the final, finishing 7th. Charlie also secured 2nd place in the Under 15 Boys’ High Jump with a leap of 1.70m, sharing the podium with Eshan Raja, who also cleared 1.70m to claim 3rd. This was a fine effort by both these boys.
Lily Morrison was a standout in the Under 16 Girls division. She placed 2nd in the 100m with a time of 12.92 seconds, achieved 3rd in the Long Jump with an outstanding 5.03m leap, and finished 6th in the Triple Jump with 9.47m – a fantastic all-round performance.
Sienna Kiesanowski showed her versatility, reaching the final of the Under 15 Girls 100m and finishing 5th with 13.30 seconds, placing 3rd in the 80m Hurdles with a personal best of 14.42 seconds, and taking 4th in the Long Jump with a leap of 4.66m. She also played a key role in the Girls Under 16 4x100m Relay team.
Sophie Jolly also shone in the middle-distance and field events, placing 6th in the 800m (2:39.13), 7th in the Discus Throw (19.09m), and 7th in the High Jump (1.35m), contributing solid performances across three disciplines.
In the Under 16 Girls’ High Jump, Makayla Krahagen earned a personal best of 1.40m, placing 8th – a great achievement to make the top 8 in a competitive field.
Lucas D’Abbs competed in the Under 19 Boys’ Long Jump, placing 9th with a solid jump of 5.29m.
Senior athlete Jack Brown delivered a strong showing in the Under 19 Boys’ events, placing 5th in the High Jump (1.80m) and 5th in the Triple Jump with a distance of 11.59m. His experience was a steadying presence for our younger athletes.
In the relays, our Girls’ Under 16 4x100m team (Elina Seuamuli, Lily Morrison, Sophie Jolly, and Sienna Kiesanowski) sprinted to a superb 2nd place with a time of 53.46 seconds – a season’s best. The Boys’ Under 19 team (Lucas D’Abbs, Jack Brown, Eshan Raja, and Charlie Pockson) also had a strong run, finishing 5th in 49.34 seconds.
This year’s South Island Champs were not just about placings, but about growth, camaraderie, and representing our school with pride. Whether it was setting personal records, making finals, or giving everything on the track and field, every athlete contributed to a memorable experience.
Congratulations to all the athletes involved you did yourselves and our school proud.
