Langley high school athletes combined to win 27 gold, 18 silver and 14 bronze medals at last week’s Fraser Valley track and field championships.
The meet was held May 15, 16 and 18 in Coquitlam.
Along with that came a handful of team titles and individual honours for one Walnut Grove Grade 8 athlete, David Midgley, who shared the top performer award for his age group.
Walnut Grove won the Grade 8 boys Fraser Valley banner, the Grade 8 aggregate title, the junior girls banner and the junior aggregate title and the Gators junior girls 4×100 relay team twice broke the Fraser Valley championship record.
Other highlights were the junior girls 200m race which saw Langley students take all three spots on the podium as well as having Walnut Grove sweep the podium in the junior girls 300m hurdles.
Grade 8 girls
The Walnut Grove relay team won gold in the 4×400 with a time of 4:27.37 and bronze in the 4×100 at 56.21.
The 4×400 team consisted of Rylea Keen, Sophia Wisotzki, Sianne Whibley and Veronica Robertson while the 4×100 had Robertson, Rebecca Rankin, Whibley and Joanna Jacobs.
Individually, Keen won silver in the 200m hurdles (31.96) and bronze in the 80m hurdles (14.07) and Robertson took third in the 400m (1:05.15).
Langley Christian’s Rebecca Cersluis won gold in the 3000m race with a time of 11:35.51.
Junior girls
Jordan Jacobs led the Gators with a pair of gold medals in the 100m (12.8) and 200m (26.07) while Holly Harrison was also a double gold medallist in the 80m hurdles (12.34) and 300m hurdles (46.5).
Prabhasha Wickramaarachchi won silver in the 300m hurdles (47.02) and bronze in the long jump (4.92m),
Shaunika Suriya took silver in the hammer throw (34.25m) and Samantha Matthewman won bronze in the 300m hurdles (47.2).
And in the 1500m race walk, the Gators’ Cassidy Cardle won the gold (7:36.70) going away with teammate Cayley Geddes finishing third (9:08.86).
Walnut Grove’s relay teams — consisting of Jacobs, Harrison, Matthewman and Wickramaarachchi — won gold in both the 4×100 and 4×400 events, finishing the former in 50.2 seconds and the latter in 4:09.31.
Three other Langley athletes medalled for their schools with Langley Christian’s Brooke Mussche winning gold in the 800m (2:18.11) and silver in the 400m (58.27) while Brookswood’s Dominique Ronse taking gold in the long jump (5.24m) and bronze in the 200m (27.15). Langley Fundamental’s Sheleena Wiley won silver in the 200m (26.92).
Senior girls
Megan Champoux (400m hurdles, 58.27) and Tanika Dolfo (hammer throw, 45.54m) each won gold for Langley Fundamental while Langley Christian’s Jayden Bontkes won bronze in the high jump (1.30m).
Grade 8 boys
David Midgley led the way for Walnut Grove with three gold medals, taking top spot in the 100m (11.47), 200m (23.71) and high jump (1.75m).
Nicholas Monro won gold in the javelin (39.45m) and silver in the 200m (55.96) while Jack Hardy won silver in the 300m (10:28.64).
Walnut Grove also won gold in the 4×400 (3:55.51) and silver in the 4×100 (48.53) relay events.
Both squads featured Monro, Midgley, Jakob Neufeld and John Alexander.
A trio of Langley Christian athletes also found the podium with Jordan Dickhof winning gold (discus, 31.38m) and Brady Sandes taking silver (16.2) in the 100m hurdles, one spot ahead of Seth Mangroo (17.53).
Junior boys
The Walnut Grove relay team — featuring Cam Calbick, Evan Wright, Lorenz Castillo and Richard Midgley — took gold in the 4×400 with a time of 3:39.11.
Midgley won gold in the 800m (2:05.99) and bronze in the 400m (53.78) while Calbick was third in the 1500m (4:25.01).
Credo Christian’s Ian Vandergugten won gold in the 100m hurdles, with his time of 14.32 edging out teammate Elia Farag Alla (14.84) for top spot. Vandergugten also won silver in the long jump at 5.87m
And Mountain’s Felix Allen (300m hurdles, 42.87) and Brookswood’s Druv Sobti (shot put, 13.80m) each also won silver in their respective events.
Senior boys
The Mountain Eagles led the way among Langley schools in this age group with three gold, a silver and a bronze medal.
Zach Wyatt won gold in the 2000m steeplechase, edging out his twin brother Tate at the finish line, crossing in 6:07.46 compared to 6:07.50.
Tate Wyatt added to his silver medal with a gold in the 3000m (8:49.62).
Jordan Schmidt won bronze in the 800m (1:59.89) and the Eagles also brought home gold in the 4×400 relay with a time of 3:26.62.
Langley Christian’s Adam Clay (9:11.17) and Marshall Campbell (9:13.26) won silver and bronze, respectively, in the 1500m race walk while Christian Christie earned silver in the javelin with a throw of 44.24m.
Poppy’s Ethan Foster won gold in the pole vault (3.88m) and Walnut Grove’s Will Riley took bronze in the 1500m (4:06.59).
The top eight finishers from each event now prepare for the B.C. high school track and field championships, which run June 1 to 3 at McLeod Athletic Park.
