Six titles, two records

RECORD BREAKERS: The Wanganui Collegiate girls 4x400m relay team, Genna Maples, Tayla Brunger, Sophie Redmayne and Emma Osborne, set a new New Zealand Secondary Schools time in Auckland.

The Wanganui Collegiate athletics team produced a number of outstanding performances at the 44th New Zealand Secondary Schools Track and Field Championships in Auckland at the weekend winning six national titles.

Head coach Alec McNab said the relays were significant in the Collegiate medal haul with the junior girls winning both the 4x100m and 4x400m events in record times and the senior boys claiming gold in the 4x100m.

The 4x100m team of Georgina Duncan, Sophie Redmayne, Tayla Brunger and Genna Maples broke the New Zealand Schools record set back in 1980 in their heat stopping the clock at 49.514.

"They were a little more conservative in the final, but nevertheless were convincing winners in 50.27," McNab said yesterday.

The 4x400m team of Tayla Brunger, Sophie Redmayne, Emma Osborne and Genna Maples also set a new NZ Schools record posting 4.04.65.

"Two members of the team also won individual gold medals. Maples in the Junior 100m and Brunger in the 400m. Brunger's time of 57.01 broke Janine Newman's (nee Ashbridge) 25-year-old Collegiate senior record."

The senior boys were convincing winning the 4x100m relay in 42.97. The team included Cody Hemi, Luke Foster, Sam Merson and Harry Symes.

"This went to number three on the Collegiate all time rankings in an event that the school has won on eight previous occasions, McNab said.

The other gold came from young Chilean exchange student Francisco Claro in the junior boys pole vault, a new event this year.

"The busy Genna Maples also took silver in the junior girls' long jump and 200m, while Harry Symes took silver in the senior boys 200m. Steeplechasers Jane Lennox and Christian Conder took silver in their respective 2000m events."