Collegiate trio catch eye of national selectors

Amy McHardy, left, and Louise Brabyn were third and sixth in the senior girls respectively at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Cross Country. Photo / Supplied

The three Whanganui athletes who were selected for the New Zealand Schools team from Saturday's New Zealand Secondary School Cross Country at the weekend must have been inspired by the successes of former Whanganui athletes featured in last week's Insight.

Whanganui Collegiate athlete Amy McHardy, third in the senior girls, was joined by Louise Brabyn (sixth in the same race) and Daniel Sinclair, who was fourth in the senior boys race. The three are part of the 16-strong New Zealand Secondary Schools paper team selected at the conclusion of the championships in Nelson on Saturday.

They have all been included in the New Zealand Schools team to compete at the Australian Cross Country Championships in Adelaide on August 27. Their selection in the paper team allows them to access a substantial travel grant towards the Australian Championships where they will be joined by a small additional group of athletes selected to join them.

These athletes include Emma Ferguson (Nga Tawa) who finished eighth. McHardy's twin sister Kate (Wellington Girls' College), who lost a shoe at the start and was left by the field, bravely gave chase to finish ninth and, with it, secured a guaranteed place in the team to Australia, a just reward for her brave run.

Daniel Sinclair was fourth in the senior boys' race. Photo / Supplied

Amy McHardy, who was second in the junior girls last year when running for Wellington Girls' College, had backed off training over the final 10 days because of a slight injury injury.

She led the field through the first 1km lap on the excellent but muddy Nelson course. She and a small group of runners including her Collegiate team-mate Brabyn fell slightly off the subsequent pace set by Zara Geddes (St Hilda's Collegiate) and Catherine Lund (Otago Girls' High School).

McHardy finally broke the shackles of the small chasing group to snatch a brave bonze 4s ahead of fourth with Brabyn 4s further back..

McHardy and Brabyn's performances laid the foundation for team successes for the WCS 3 and 6 to score teams taking silver team medals in both. Harriet Douglas in her first major cross country in bright orange new spikes to mark the occasion, was third home in 36th position. She was followed by Rosa Meyer, Pascale Bowie and team captain Lucy Monckton.

The senior boys were second in their 6 to score team event and finished tantalisingly close to a medal in the 3 to score when they finished fourth, only 4 points shy of the bronze of Havelock North High School.

The 3 to score event was won by McLeans College spearheaded by individual winner Christian De Vaal (31 points) with the powerful Westlake Boys' team in second (43 points) and Havelock North (48 points). The Whanganui Collegiate team on 52 were 22 points ahead of Wellington College in a competition featuring 21 colleges.

The Whanganui Collegiate 3 to score team saw Daniel Sinclair (4th), Toby Caro (19th – the third best Year 11 athlete in the senior field) and Sinclair's cousin James Hercus (29th) in a field that had close to 200 entries. The three athletes were joined by the Jones brothers; team captain Elliot and his younger brother Oliver and Jonah Seeds.

The other medal-winning team was the junior girls' 6 to score team that took bronze. The leading runner was Greta Darke in 15th teaming up with Hannah Byam, Zoe Broadhead, Mady Petley, Ottalie Morrah and Olivia Gilbertson.

The leading three were only nine points off a podium place to finish fourth. Year 9 athletes Byam, Broadhead and Morrah had opted to run up in the junior team (under 16) and were rewarded with a medal.

On Sunday many of the athletes returned to Saxton Field in Nelson to run in the 5 x 2 Inter Regional Kilometre Relay, an event established in 2017 in Rotorua.

Athletes from schools competing on the previous day combine in the three age groups (year 9, Junior and Senior) to run in regionally selected teams in what is a popular and competitive event.

There was a bonus for five Whanganui Collegiate girls who combined to run in Whanganui colours winning a bronze medal in the senior girls' event.

The all-Whanganui Collegiate team (WCS was the only school from Whanganui in Nelson) of Louise Brabyn, Greta Darke, Amy McHardy, Harriet Douglas and Hannah Byam ran against 15 regional combinations.
Byam still in Year 9, Darke in Year 10, Douglas in Year 11 with Brabyn and McHardy 16-year-olds in Year 12 were both surprised and delighted with their performance to round off a highly successful championship.