Whanganui Collegiate boys Blake and Leo win North Island Schools gold

Blake Hogan and Leo Hanna, centre, with coach Tyler Scott after winning the Under 16 Boys double sculls at the North Island Secondary School Championships at the weekend.

The Collegiate boys doubles sculls crew of stroke Blake Hogan and Leo Hanna had the biggest smiles of the local schools contingent at the 2018 Aon North Island Secondary School Championships on Lake Karapiro at the weekend.

Hogan and Hanna, under coach Tyler Scott, won the only gold for the Whanganui and Marton students from five schools competing at the championships.

They took out the Under 16 A Final in 7m 6.27s, a comfortable margin from the runnersup crew from Hamilton Boys High, while the Takapuna Grammar crew was third.

The win was the highlight among the five medals won by Collegiate rowers at the weekend.

Hogan (stroke) and Hanna also teamed with Tim Haldane, Darien Parsons and cox Hugo Dalgleish to earn a bronze medal in the Boys Under 16 coxed quad, finishing nearly six seconds behind the winning Hamilton Boys High crew, with Auckland Grammar second.

Loftus Stanford took silver in the Boys Under 18 singles sculls, coming in just over two seconds behind the winner from Cambridge High.

Jamie Harris had a good weekend, as she took bronze in the Girls Under 18 single sculls behind two Westlake Girls rowers, which followed on from teaming with Laura Francis to claim bronze in the double sculls, behind the Onslow College winners and the Westlake Girls runnersup.

Whanganui High School rowers finished with a three medal haul from the championships.

The highlight was the silver in the Girls Under 16 coxed quad sculls, claimed by Zeah Brewer (stroke), Mikayla Manville, Niamh Murphy, Ella Dudley and cox Niamh Mullany in a race where the winning Tauranga Girls crew dominated the field.

Levi Carroll was third in the Boys Under 18 single sculls, coming in 2-4s behind Stanford and the Cambridge High winner respectively.

The WHS Girls Under 17 coxed quad sculls also waved the school flag with their bronze medal, claimed by Brewer (stroke), Niamh Monk, Jaimee Bridger, Manville and cox Mullany.

Cullinane, Nga Tawa and Whanganui Girls College also sent representatives.

The WGC group had a noteworthy performance by picking up a Top 5 placing in an A Final for the first time in many years.

Piper Neil (stroke), Leigha Stormont, Bella Duncan, Brittney Robertson and cox Siena McLean finished fifth in the Girls Under 18 novice coxed quad sculls.