Western Bay of Plenty schools shared the accolades at the New Zealand Track and Field Championships, reflecting the benefits of having excellent coaching and the All Weather Athletics Track at Tauranga Domain.
Individually, the stars were Mount Maunganui College's Kodi Harman, who not only set a new Senior Boys 200m record of 21.39 seconds, winning the event with ease, he made it a double with the 100m, which was won with the same ease.
Several weeks ago, Harman looked like he would not be ready.
However, with racing both on the track and beach sprint events, coach Todd Blythe, a one-time New Zealand National Junior Men's 100 record holder, must now wonder how good his young charge will be. Blythe's trademark fast start is also part of Harman's attributes. Sophie Millar was eighth in the Senior Girls 400m for Mount College.
Like Harman, Tauranga Girls' College's Amy Robinson won the Junior Girls 100m title in 12.52 seconds to double with an impressive long jump victory, with 5.45m marked by the best four distances in her competition. It was backed up by second in the 80m hurdles, when finishing second to Hamilton Girls' High School's Mikaela Jefferson, who recorded 11.99 seconds to Robinson's 12.02 seconds.
Robinson would also medal in the Junior Girls 4x100m relay with silver and 4x400m relay with bronze.
Robinson's teammate Abby Goldie was second in the 200m and third in the 100m, while also in the second placed 4x100m relay.
Jessica Bitcheno was a solid third in the Junior Girls 800m. In the associated Road Race Championships, Tauranga Girls' College were second in the 3 Person Teams Race, led by Casey Blackwell in sixth position with Simone Rockliffe and Tayla Forward, and fourth in the Junior Girls 3 Person Teams Race, led by fourth-placed Isabella Kirk.
Julian Oakley was the star of the Tauranga Boys' College team, with a deserved victory in the Senior Boys 1500m, which was his fifth race of the weekend. His speed and determination was his greatest asset, after having to back up from second in the Senior Boys 800m. where he had let Cullinane's Brad Mathas dictate the terms of a tactical race, which did not suit Oakley. Oakley ran the final leg of the 4x400m relay in 49.47 seconds, which saw the team of Michael Goldie, Alex Colvin and Matt Strange take the bronze medal. Goldie placed sixth in both 100m and 200m finals, while Colvin was fourth in the Senior Boys Long Jump. Scott Croasdale was sixth in the Junior Boys 800m. Daniel Hintz completed the Year 9 Cross Country/Road Championship double with victory in the 3km Road Race, to lead his team to the double in the 3 and 6 Person Teams races. The team was Hintz, Aaron Fredheim, Andrew Robinson in the 3 Person, with Mitchell Ferguson, Harrison Mossop and Cameron Wells completing the team.
Melissa Beeler of Te Puke High School finished a brave fifth place, falling 1200m after the start of the Senior Girls 4km Road Race. In the leading group, a rival clipped her feet, sending her crashing on to the concrete Westpac Stadium carpark. She fought her way back to fourth place to get overtaken in the run to the finish line. However, along with Harman and Oakley, she was named in the 2011 New Zealand Secondary Schools team as a member of the Road Running team.
Luke Davison was the best of Bethlehem College's athletes, with fifth in the Senior Boys 110m Hurdles and sixth= in the High Jump.