Langley high school athletes combined to win 63 medals at the Fraser Valley track and field championships.
Held at Coquitlam’s Percy Perry Stadium, athletes from nine Langley high schools won 22 gold, 24 silver and 17 bronze medals at the three-day meet (May 16, 17 and 19).
Leading the way were the Walnut Grove Gators, who captured seven gold, 11 silver and eight bronze medals.
The Gators Grade 8 boys also won the Fraser Valley team banner after scoring 74 points, one ahead of second-place Lord Tweedsmuir.
Walnut Grove’s Grade 8 boys and girls also combined to take second place for their age group, with 188 points, just behind Lord Tweedsmuir’s 191.5
At the junior girls level, the Gators were also tops with 86 points, well ahead of second place Semiahmoo, which had 64 points. The combined score for the Walnut Grove junior athletes was 98, good for second.
Credo Christian was fifth with 63.50 points while Mountain was seventh with 62 points.
Those scores were the result of both schools’ boys teams as Mountain’s junior boys were third with 62 points while Credo Christian was fourth with 61.
And at the senior level, the Walnut Grove senior boys were fourth with 49 points while Langley Secondary was 10th with 20 points.
For the senior girls, Langley Fundamental was fourth (38 points), Langley Christian was fifth (34) and Brookswood was 10th (27).
Up next are the provincial track and field championships in Nanaimo, which run June 2 to 4.
Walnut Grove — seven gold, 11 silver and eight bronze
Holly Harrison (junior girls) led the way with a pair of gold medals in the 80m hurdles (12.44) and 200m hurdles (29.80) while Prabasha Wickramaarachchi (Grade 8 girls) won three medals, taking top spot in the 400m (1:01.82) and silver medals in the long jump (4.82m) and 200m hurdles (30.93).
Natalia Monro (junior girls) also came through with three medals, winning silver in the 80m hurdles (12.17),100m (12.90) and the long jump (5.30m).
Bob Nicol (Grade 8 boys) won gold in the 200m hurdles (28.35) and silver in the long jump (5.48m) and Jordan Jacobs (junior girls) won bronze medals in the 100m (12.94) and 200m (26.03) events.
Other medal winners were Paul Smit (Grade 8 boys) winning gold in the javelin (38.01m); Shaunika Suriya (Grade 8 girls) silver in high jump (1.45m); Will Riley (senior boys) silver in 1500m (4:07.16); Alex Savage (senior boys) silver in long jump (6.30m); Samantha Matthewman (junior girls) silver in 300m hurdles (48.11); Andria Coulburn (senior girls) bronze in javelin (28.95m); Cam Calbick (Grade 8 boys) bronze in 100m hurdles (17.26); and Ethan Carlson (senior boys) bronze in 400m hurdles (1:01.11).
The Gator relay teams also contributed two gold, one silver and three bronze medals.
Walnut Grove won gold in both the Grade 8 girls 4x400 and the Grade 8 boys 4x100 events.
For the girls relay, Wickramaarachchi, Suriya, Kelsi Stelnicki and Holly Harrison finished in 4:16.74.
And the Grade 8 boys team of Calbick, Josh Park, Evan Wright and Nicol were tops in a time of 49.57.
The Gators team of Wickramaarachchi, Katie Laface, Kyra Mclean and Harrison won silver in the Grade 8 girls 4x100 (53.35) while the junior girls team of Grace Chalk, Jessica Wisotzki, Jacobs and Matthewman were third in the 4x400 relay with a time of 4:13.66 and the Grade 8 boys team of Calbick, Park, Wright and Daryl Lim won bronze with a time of 4:02.83 in the 4x400.
Credo Christian — one gold, five silver and two bronze
Ryan Togeretz (junior boys) won gold in the 100m hurdles (14.62) and silver in the 300m hurdles (42.39). He also teamed up with Ian Vandergugten, Reuben Sikma and Matthew Mass to finish second in the 4x100 relay (46.33).
Credo swept the 100m hurdles event as Elia Farag Alla won silver (14.79) and Vandergugten took bronze (14.89). Farag Alla also won bronze in the high jump (1.75m).
And Gavin Grim (Grade 8 boys) won silver in the triple jump (10.68m) while Jared Dehaan (Grade 8 boys) was second in the 3000m (10:16.25).
Mountain — four gold, one silver and one bronze
Zach Wyatt (junior boys) led the way with a pair of gold medals in the 3000m (9:26.61) and 1500m steeplechase (4:33.54) events as well as being part of the 4x400 relay team which took gold. Wyatt, Xavier Soh, Tate Wyat and Jordan Schmidt were part of the relay squad.
Tate Wyatt won silver in the 1500m steeplechase (4:35.70) and bronze in the 3000m (9:30.66).
Lauryn Cheung (senior girls) won gold in the pole vault, clearing 2.50m.
Langley Christian — three gold and two silver
Kiana Bekar (senior girls) led the Lightning with gold medals in the 400m (58.09) and 800m events (2:23.72).
Brooke Mussche (junior girls) took gold in the 800m (2:23.72) and silver in the 400m (58.09) while Jayden Bontkes (senior girls) won silver in the high jump (1.45m).
Langley Fundamental — one gold, one silver and two bronze
Megan Champoux (senior girls) won gold in the 400m hurdles (1:03.18) and silver in the 100m hurdles (14.89); Sheleena Wiley (Grade 8 girls) won a pair of bronze medals in the long jump (4.73m) and 200m (27.65) and Adrianna Klassen (senior girls) won silver in the 400m (1:00.19).
Langley Secondary — four gold
Dean Ellenwood (senior boys) and Kevin Hughes (junior boys) each won a pair of gold medals.
Ellenwood was tops in the 400m (49.53) and 800m (1:54.69) while Hughes took gold in the 100m (11.30) and 200m (22.59) events, respectively.
Brookswood — one gold, one silver and two bronze
Jaclyn Pauley (senior girls) took gold in the javelin (42.08m) while Kayla Weltzin (junior girls) won silver in the steeplechase (5:36.95). Louise Forsyth (senior girls) won bronze in the triple jump (10.07m) and Dominique Ronse (Grade 8 girls) took bronze in the 200m hurdles (31.08).
Poppy — one gold, two bronze
Ethan Foster (junior boys) won gold in the pole vault (3.00m) and bronze medals in the long jump (5.85m) and triple jump (12.10m).
Yorkson Creek — two silver, one bronze
Felix Allen (Grade 8 boys) won a pair of silver medals in the 400m (56.09) and 800m (2:12.73) events as well as bronze in the 200m hurdles (29.15).
Sara Onderwater
Credo Christian's Ryan Togeretz (#200) celebrates after winning the junior boys 100m hurdles event at the Fraser Valley track and field championships at Coquitlam's Percy Perry Stadium. Credo runners took four of the top five spots with Elia Farag Alla (#182) placing second, Ian Vandergugten (#202) finishing third and Reuben Sikma (#198) finishing fifth.
