Sport Whanganui's review of college sport focuses on High School

Year 12 student Lauren Phillips was selected in the NZ polocrosse Junior U16 team, was a recipient of the NZ Polocrosse Junior U16 Scholarship to NSW or QLD Australia and was named in the NZ Polocrosse Junior U16 Tournament Team. Photo / Supplied

WHS Swimming Sports
Our school swimming sports this year at Whanganui High School were a success. It was great to see our school swimmers that belong to our Whanganui swimming club showing their hard work. House relays were the highlight of the day and it was awesome to see all our students showing school spirit.

With the Whanganui Secondary School champs being delayed until Term 3 our Whanganui High School team is looking promising because most of the team belongs to our Whanganui Swimming Club. With all the training and hard work they will be putting in leading up to the champs Whanganui High School will be ready to bring some competition.

Devon Maihi was named MVP for the WHS Juniors, while Nathan Procter was the MVP for the WHS Gold softball team. Photo / Supplied

Softball
Two high school teams were entered into the Whanganui Secondary School Softball Competition held on Monday nights. One was the WHS Junior Boys team, which placed placed fourth. The WHS Gold team was a mixed team that had to battle Whanganui City College, Whanganui Girls, WHS Juniors and Te Kotahitanga (Mixed Kura Team).
The Gold team went into the final game against a tough Cullinane College team, and pipped Cullinane for the title by one run 9-8.
WHS Juniors MVP – Devon Maihi
WHS Gold MVP - Nathan Procter.

Tournament Week

Maadi Cup – Rowing
This year Whanganui High School took a squad of 29 rowers to the New Zealand Secondary School Maadi Cup Regatta held at Lake Karapiro. We had two crews in the A Finals - our U16 coxed quad of Reeve Watson, Victoria Soutar, Awen Emmett, Eliza Maxey and coxswain Campbell Monk, and first-year novice boys in the U18 novice coxed quad Dan Guan, Eli Kuehne, Petera Rogers, George Hughes and coxswain Campbell Monk. It was an awesome campaign for our rowers here at Whanganui High School. A huge thank you to our coaches, managers and parents for their time and commitment for our students.

The boys and girls WHS volleyball teams faced some tough games at the National Secondary Schools champs in Palmerston North. Photo / Supplied

Volleyball
Whanganui High School took a boys and a girls team to the New Zealand Secondary School Volleyball Nationals in Palmerston North. It was overall a good week for them with some tough competition however our teams were able to pull through and play some good games. A big thank you to our coaches, managers and parents for all their help with our teams.

Mountain Biking
Whanganui High School were fortunate enough to have two boys compete in the North Island Secondary School champs in Auckland for Mountain Biking. These boys being Arlo Johnston and George Davey. A huge effort from these boys with Arlo smashing his 1st attempt in downhill and finishing 3rd in the U17 and 4th in the U17 Enduro and George finishing 7th in the U17 Enduro event.

Eddie Dewhirst and Caleb Squire won the Feva Class Trophy from the Wellington Centreboard Championships for Sailing. Photo / Supplied

Sailing
A huge effort from two of our Whanganui High School students Eddie Dewhirst and Caleb Squire who won the Feva Class Trophy from the Wellington Centreboard Championships for Sailing. It is awesome to see our students compete in a wide range of sports and succeed.

Polocrosse
Here at Whanganui High School we are fortunate enough to have students not only represent our school but represent New Zealand. Year 12 student Lauren Phillips is excelling in polocrosse she has been selected in the NZ polocrosse Junior U16 team, a recipient of the NZ Polocrosse Junior U16 Scholarship to NSW or QLD Australia and was named in the NZ Polocrosse Junior U16 Tournament Team. A huge achievement from Lauren.

WSS Athletics
Whanganui High School had an amazing day at the regional athletic champs held Wednesday March 17, with high school athletes dominating the sprints, hurdles, jumps and relays as well as showing well in throws. For the first time in more than 30 years WHS won the most individual titles ahead of collegiate as well as taking many of the relay titles. The five most successful athletes of the meet were all from WHS:
Maggie Jones – with an amazing eight titles, 100m, 200m, 100m hurdles, 300m hurdles, long jump and high jump, plus 4x100m and 4x400m;

Flynn Johnston - who secured the 100m, 200m and 400m and 4x400m, as well as seconds in the 110m hurdles, 300m hurdles, and 4x100m. Flynn also competed in the New Zealand Track and Field Club Nationals and won a silver in the U20 400m hurdles and made it into the finals for the 200m sprints.

Nat Kirk – won the 110m hurdles, 300m hurdles, javelin and 4x400m as well as seconds in the 200m, 400m and discus.

Coby Pye –who dominated the intermediate boys' sprints and won the 300m hurdles, 100m hurdles, 100m, 200m and 4x100m.
Emily Corcoran – took out four titles in the 300m, 70m hurdles and high jump as well as the 4x100m relay and was second in the 100m.

In a demonstration of WHS No1 status hurdle among NZ schools we took out all 10 hurdle events and in most scored the top two places. In addition, WHS had a number of 1, 2 and 3 finishes in events to clearly demonstrate our great depth, for example the senior girls 100m with Maggie 1st, Casie Glentworth 2nd and Paris Munro 3rd, or the 200m where WHS went one to four with Maggie, Charlotte Baker 2nd, Casie 3rd and Grace Walford 4th. WHS also took 1, 2 and 3 in the junior girls 100m with Emily Corcoran, Emily Hutchins, and Nevaeh Blake, the 400m Tom Gowan, Cade Knight, and Damian Hodgson and the Junior 300m hurdles with Coby, Cade Knight, and Noah Jones. Quin Harris-Campbell won the 80m junior boys hurdles.

Charlotte Baker ended the day with three titles winning the 400m, the 4x100m and 4x400m and finishing second in the 200m, and third in the 300m hurdles and long jump, while Paris Munro returned to form to take out the triple jump, and 4x100m relay and finish runner-up in the 100m hurdles and 3rd in the 100m.

The Rennie twins were very strong in the Intermediate girls' grade with Teresa winning the 100m, 80m hurdles, 300m hurdles and runner-up in the 200m and 4x100m. Sister Carrie won the long jump and 4x100m and was runner-up in the 80m hurdle, 400m and 800m.

In the boys apart from Coby, Tom Gowan won the 400m and 4x100m.
Our juniors had a great day too with Emily Hutchins taking the 100m/200m sprint double and the 4x100m as part of a relay team. Also, in the junior girls Aria Bannister won the triple and long jumps as well as taking 3rd in the shot.

Cody Campbell dominated the junior throws with titles in the javelin and discus as well as second in the shot put. Overall a fantastic day and a great way to celebrate the fifth year of the Athletics pathway programme, which will culminate this December with the "Party at the Park" at the Secondary school nationals in Inglewood. WHS is in line for its best year ever at nationals and the team is looking forward to hosting past and present athletes and supporters for a big weekend of fun and performance.