SCHOOL SPORT VICTORIA - STATE FINAL

Track & Field Championships

On Monday 20 October, eighteen students proudly represented Catherine McAuley College at the School Sport Victoria State Track and Field Championships, held at Lakeside Stadium in Albert Park.

The team arrived at 9.00am to a very wet track, with rain falling on and off until around midday. It was a challenging start to the day, with athletes needing to carefully navigate the slippery conditions. The first event was the hurdles, which were particularly difficult due to the wet surface.

Thankfully, the sun came out after lunch and the conditions improved, allowing students to settle in and give their best performances.

Congratulations to all students who qualified for the State Finals. Regardless of placings, each athlete should be proud of their achievement in reaching this level and representing the school.

A special mention goes to Mila Childs, who was outstanding on the day. Mila became the SSV State Champion in the 14 Year Girls Long Jump, jumping an incredible 5.25m and finishing 0.51m ahead of second place. She also competed in three other individual events and finished on the podium in all of them. Her Triple Jump of 10.55m earned her the title of State Runner-Up, and she claimed third-place medals in both the 200m and 400m finals. To finish off her huge day, Mila ran the second leg in the 14 Year Girls Relay, helping the team secure the State Runner-Up title.

April Wainwright also ran her way to an individual podium finish in a determined and well-executed 800m final, finishing in third place with a time of 2:29.68.

Grace Mulqueen, now officially crowned our long-distance queen, delivered two outstanding performances at the State Championships. In the morning, she tackled the 3000m with grit and determination, finishing 6th with a personal best time of 10:51.04, despite the slippery conditions. Later in the day, Grace returned to the track for the 1500m final, where she ran another strong race, finishing 4th with a time of 5:03.29. Her consistency and resilience across both events truly earned her ‘new’ title.

The 14 Year Girls 4 x 100m relay team put on an exciting performance. Marlie Skinner got the team off to a strong start with a powerful launch from the blocks. Mila Childs followed with a fast and focused run down the back straight, setting the team up well for a smooth baton pass to Sienna Raco, who handled the curve with confidence. The final handover to April Wainwright was clean, and although Maribyrnong College had built a strong lead, April held her ground and fended off a late challenge from Balwyn High School. Her determined finish secured the team a well-earned State Runner-Up title.

The 15 Year Girls Relay team, made up of Lilly Teuma, Imogen Brown, and our two younger athletes Etta Place and Abby Colt, ran a fantastic race to finish fifth overall. This was an outstanding effort, especially considering two of the team members were competing above their age group. Their determination and teamwork were evident throughout the race, and they should be incredibly proud of their performance.

The final event of the day for CMCB was the 17 Year Girls relay. The team had patiently waited all day for their event, with a start time of 6.32pm. The team finished in 7th place, just behind the front placegetters in a tightly contested race as they all pushed hard for the entire 400m.

There were also many outstanding individual performances, and the entire squad should be incredibly proud of their achievements. Our College once again overachieved in the team results - with a total of just 11 individual competitors in 18 events and 3 relay teams, our results saw the College finish in 8th place overall out of a total of 240 Schools – another incredible achievement.

Results

1st Place & State Champion

• Mila Childs – Long Jump

2nd Place & State Runner-Up

• Mila Childs – Triple Jump
• 14 Year Girls 4x100m Relay – Marlie Skinner, Mila Childs, Sienna Raco, April Wainwright

3rd Place

• April Wainwright – 800m
• Mila Childs – 200m & 400m

4th Place

• Abby Colt – 100m
• Imogen Brown – 800m
• Grace Mulqueen – 1500m

5th Place

• Eliza Evans – Discus
• 15 Year Girls 4x100m Relay – Lilly Teuma, Imogen Brown, Etta Place, Abby Colt

6th Place

• Chelsey Bennett – Hurdles & Long Jump
• Imogen Brown – 400m
• Grace Mulqueen – 3000m

7th Place

• Lucy Pollock – Shot Put
• 17 Year Girls 4x100m Relay – Hannah Guo, Grace Mulqueen, Charli McInerney, Ruby Bath

8th Place

• Henry Kleinert – High Jump

9th Place

• Jensen Sawyer – Discus
• Emmett Kong – Hurdles
• April Wainwright – 1500m