College Sport: NGHS's Lee captures national medal

Podium Time: The East Coast North Island silver medal-winning crosscountry relay team from left Nina Boesch, Brooke Morrison, Briana Irving, Alia Wentz and Brianna Lee.

Hawke's Bay's national track titleholder Brianna Lee showed her versatility by taking bronze in the national secondary schools crosscountry on Saturday at Christchurch's Ascot Golf Course.

Lee's coach at Napier Girls' High School, Sheila Smidt, said Lee ran a superb race in the junior girls' grade to place third to Waikato sensation Charli Miller and Wellington's Esther Kozyniak.

For Smidt it was her first individual medallist in the national schools race in 20 years of trying and she was understandably rapt with the performance.

Gisborne Girls' High's Briana Irving finished fifth in the same race giving the East Coast region a great result.

Spearheaded by Lee, the Napier Girls' juniors took silver in the six-to-count team race with Brooke Morrison 29th, Nina Boesch 31st, Samara Eggars 51st, Kate Stewart 59th and Britney Murphy 79th. Lee, Morrison and Boesch counted for their school in the three-person teams race, adding bronze in that one to their six-person silver.

And there was more success to come on Sunday when the interprovincial relays were held on the same course. Teams of five raced in each grade over a 2km course demanding greater speed than the day before and the ability to back up from the hard individual run.

For the junior girls representing East Coast Lee led off, her 7:06 time bringing the team through in second place. Irving ran a brilliant leg in 7:13 to seize the lead. Boesch's 7:31 had East Coast holding second and Woodford House's Alia Wentz ran leg four in 7:43, being passed by individual silver medallist Kozyniak .

Then it was all on Morrison to bring the team home, which she did, running what coach Smidt called an awesome leg in 7:46 to win East Coast North Island the silver medal.

Wellington were the winners and Waikato/Bay of Plenty placed third.

In the other grades where East Coast could field teams results were all pleasing. The year 9 girls placed fifth, the junior boys sixth and the senior boys seventh equal.

Coming in the top 50 at nationals represents a huge achievement for runners so a huge well done to those who achieved that.

Results:
Year 9 Girls: Charlotte Lancaster NGHS 37th, Paige Archer NGHS 52nd.
Year 9 Boys: Sam Elliott NBHS 23rd, Jamie Denton NBHS 55th.
Junior Girls: Lee NGHS 3rd, Irving GGHS 5th=, Wentz WOOD 24th, Boesch NGHS 31st, Eggars NGHS 51st.
Junior Boys: Mitchell Snell LIND 5th, Max Taylor NBHS 15th, Oliver Marshall NBHS 46th.
Senior Girls: Ginny Gibbs WOOD 28th.
Senior Boys: Bradley Christison NBHS 18th, Kane Elms SJHS 24th, Mark Day SJHS 37th.
- Steve Armon