15 Whanganui Collegiate runners won 19 bronze medals at the NZSS Cross Country Champs in Hawera

Louise Brabyn was best of the Whanganui Collegiate runners relishing the cold, wet conditions in Hawera to claim three bronze medals at the NZSS Cross Country Championships on Saturday. Photo / Josephine Perkins

There was a bronzed look to the athletes returning from the New Zealand Secondary Schools Cross Country from Hāwera on Saturday, but that was nothing to do with sunshine.

The championships were held in persistent, cold rain from start to finish. The bronze look came from a total of 19 bronze medals shared by 15 Whanganui Collegiate athletes.

Fifteen-year-old Louise Brabyn, who had shown such promise back in April at the North Island Track and Field Championship with personal bests over 1500m and 3000m made a major step up in the mud in Hāwera.

Brabyn was in close contact with the leading group throughout the 3000m race over the muddy paddocks around the A&P Showgrounds in Hāwera. She entered the final 300m on the grass racetrack in Hawera in a medal position, having negotiated "Hospital Hill" but then lost momentum with a slip.

Third place was, however, safe and following in the footsteps of her sister Ana, who snatched bronze in a sprint finish in Timaru at the last edition two years ago (2020 was cancelled because of Covid). There was daylight back to 4th.

Brabyn gained two further bronze medals in the three-to-score team with Mady Petley and Theodora Gempton. These three also took bronze in the six-to-score teams joined by Rosa Meyer, Franca Morrah and Sofia Booth.

Whanganui Collegiate girls were well represented in Hāwera by 22 athletes (10 per cent of the total girls' roll) and were slightly the largest girls contingent, one more than New Plymouth Girls High School.

The girls were rewarded with a further team bronze from the Year 9 six-to-score team. The team of Vanni McDougall, Maia Lupton, Greta Darke, Rebecca Boden-Cave, Sophie Trott and Kate Macpherson will have gained valuable experience, including choice of footwear, in the conditions in Hāwera. The first three named finished 7th in the three-to-score team event.

Team captain Mackenzie Morgan has recovered well from injury and although the course did not suit her, she should be encouraged by her 20th position in a very strong field with many well-performed runners, including schools' Internationals behind her.

Ana Brabyn, who also would have preferred dry firm conditions, was next Whanganui Collegiate runner home in 30th position. The six-to-score team finished 5th with the three-to-score team 7th, both were close to podium finishes.

The leading Whanganui district runner was Emma Ferguson running for Nga Tawa who finished a highly creditable 13th, tantalisingly close to the top 10. Fergusson ran strongly in the Regional Relay team that finished 8th.

George Lamber has clearly rediscovered his form, finishing 4th in the Senior Boys. He stuck with the leading group throughout to get into medal contention a kilometre from home in the 6000m race but had to settle for a hard-fought fourth. His sister, Sarah, had filled the same position in Timaru two years ago.

Lambert's efforts saw him recalled to the New Zealand Team, having run in Wollongong (New South Wales) two years ago, which was the last cross-country team to leave our shores with the cancellation of ISF World schools in April last year.

The 2020 Australian Schools Championships (New Zealand usually sends a team) was also cancelled last year and New Zealand will not take the risk of sending any team to Australia this year. Lambert was joined by Daniel Sinclair, who was eighth earning a top 10 certificate and a place in the eight-strong New Zealand paper team.

The efforts of Lambert, Sinclair and triathlete Hunter Gibson (59th) secured a team bronze in the 3-to-score team event. Behind the Whanganui trio were a further 18 teams, including large schools with strong cross-country traditions including Wellington College, New Plymouth Boys High School, Auckland Grammar School, Palmerston North Boys High School, Christchurch Boys High School and Tauranga Boys High School.

The team event was won by McLeans College from holders Westlake Boys High School by just one point (21 to 22). Whanganui Collegiate were well back on 71 points, 14 points ahead of Wellington College. Wellington College reversed their place finishing in bronze medal position in the six-to-score event with Whanganui Collegiate 4th.

Toby Caro (Collegiate) had a great debut finishing 16th in the Junior Boys. Charlie Anderson (Cullinane College) was the leading Whanganui runner in the Year 9 race (45th).

He and brother Jacob ran with Caro and two other Collegiate runners in the relays the next day finishing 8th against strong large regional combinations a similar position to the other three Whanganui teams.

Next year's championships return to Nelson for the fourth time. The first event there was in 1976.