Year 12 Juliet McKinlay will be looking to build on a breakthrough 2024-25 season. Photo / Sport Whanganui
The Whanganui Collegiate School annual inter-house meet, held at Jubilee Stadium this Tuesday, is a timely reminder that we are getting ever closer to the start of the summer season.
The opening club night is on October 14.
Indoor events are rare in Oceania and the match format of the Collegiate event is arguably unique.
The team action through seven grades, involving relays, a pursuit (similar to cycling), sprint and distance events results in 90 minutes of non-stop action.
The tight 100m adds to the thrills and spills and the noisy supportive crowd adds excitement.
It takes a special skill to handle the tight bends but inevitably, the good athletes shine and new athletes show promise.
Above all, the team aspect excites and promotes the sport. The 2025 event was won by Grey House.
Following the indoors, I turn to Whanganui Collegiate School, continuing my preview of the season following articles on Whanganui Girls’ College and Whanganui High School.
Whanganui Collegiate has New Zealand Secondary Schools medal winners returning for the season and in addition a North Island place-getter, and as with the other schools, a further group of athletes who impressed earlier this year.
Year 12 Juliet McKinlay, who lives in Palmerston North and trains at both her home track and at Cooks Gardens, had an outstanding 2024-2025 season.
This followed her international debut at the Oceania Championships in Fiji (June 2024), when she returned with an Oceania medal in the heptathlon.
At last year’s New Zealand Secondary Schools, as a Year 11 athlete, McKinlay took bronze medals in both the javelin and 100 metre hurdles and 4th in the triple jump.
This earned her “combined event athlete of the championships” and with it a place in both the Championship and the New Zealand Schools Classic Tour Team.
In March at the Athletics New Zealand Championships, she won the under-18 heptathlon and took bronze medals in the under-18 100m hurdles, long jump and javelin and added a silver medal as a member of the 4 x 100 MWA Team.
She rounded off a great season with outstanding results in California as part of the small New Zealand Schools Team tour.
McKinlay will hope to add to her success at both Schools and Athletics New Zealand Championships as she balances higher-level hockey with track and field.
The other Whanganui Collegiate 2024 -2025 season returning medal winner is Year 12 student Hannah Byam, who took silver in the Junior New Zealand Schools 2000 metre steeplechase in December in Timaru.
She was again second in the North Island Schools under-16 2000m steeplechase in April, setting a personal best in the process.
Byam is unavailable for New Zealand Secondary Schools as she is part of the outdoor “Source to Sea” expedition in December.
As a young Year 13 next year, she is young enough to run in the Athletics New Zealand under 18s and this will be a target for the season.
Lead-up events in the term ahead and in 2026 are important steps in the journey.
I am always impressed with perseverance and Year 13 Olivia Gilbertson has overcome health and injury issues and lacked self-confidence and belief.
Gilbertson won her first individual podium finish at the North Island Schools when she finished third in the Senior Girls 2000 metres steeplechase.
In the winter she has managed to build a solid endurance base and last month she finished second in the “Mud Run” that attracted more than 300 starters.
Gilbertson hopes to build on these late successes in the season ahead helped by growing self-belief.
At the other end of the age spectrum, Year 9 Sophie Dunlop may have been near the tail of her age group field at the North Island Schools as a Whanganui representative but should be encouraged by the massive personal best in that 1500 metres which was also the fastest on record for a Whanganui Collegiate Year 9 girl in her first term.
She has former outstanding girls to emulate as her career develops.
Other young athletes to watch for as the season unfolds include Presley Bretherton (5th Intermediate Boys North Island Schools triple jump), Marcewa Kedrawaca (5th Junior Girls triple jump), Phoebe Corin (5th Junior Girls hammer and 8th in the discus, and Bailey Jones (6th Intermediate Girls discus).
A new season always sees the start of new careers and the club programme is designed to develop and nurture new talent.
It is pleasing to see new faces at the track as the season approaches.
I have been impressed with the pre-season of Noah Orlowski.
He runs technically well with a smooth and efficient gait.
I will watch with interest such athletes from all schools as the season unwinds.