On Monday 20 May, the ACS Athletics Championships were held at Lakeside Stadium. After a delayed start due to rain, the competition finally got underway.

In challenging conditions, our athletes showed incredible determination and resilience to give their best. The new uniforms and running spikes were a standout on the track!

The day began well with an impressive show of grit and determination from Noah Caruana (8KDJD) in the 1500m. He paced himself well throughout the race holding onto the leading pack. As the group led into the final back straight, competitors started to pull away, but Noah did not give up. Coming out of the back straight he picked up his pace and had chased down two. As he came out of the bend and into the final 100m, he set himself for one final push. It took the length of the straight to catch the next runner, but he got him right on the line! A very impressive 4th place finish set the tone for the day.

There were some amazing individual efforts across the board. Daniel Crockford (10CJBO) broke another ACS record in the shotput and finished first in the discus. Jobe Douglas (10CAMA) had podium finishes in all his track events, including first place in the hurdles. The Year 10 boys team led by Jobe and Daniel finished second overall, missing first place by just one point!

Our Year 7 students made a fantastic debut. Led by Alfie Rowley (7FAJO) finishing 1st in his 100m and 200m events, Evie Smith (7FSKE) dominated with a 1st in the hurdles and 200m. Alannah Fernando (7FFCH) ran an outstanding 400m. Blasting out of the blocks, she led by 30m coming out of the back straight. Our allocated outside lane allowed the other athletes to close the gap around the bend, but Alannah was too strong. With 50m to go she was challenged as the gap closed but found another gear to kick away and take the win.

The Year 9 team also provided highlights throughout the day. Jack Lapenta (9CLCR) finishing 1st in shot put and David Calabro (9ATMV) came 3rd in discus. On the track, Talia Carter (9CMSA), Elizabeth Kotowski (9FJDS) and Michael Denni (9KJCU) all ran extremely well in their sprints, finishing 2nd.

At Year 8 level, Emmerson Thomas (8CSVR) led the way, finishing 1st in the shot put, and was supported by her teammates on the track with Lucas Mao (8XBAM) finishing 3rd in the 100m and Marco Vecchi (8CVCA) 2nd in the 100m and 200m.

Our Athletics captain, Kiera Sanchez (12XJBE), completed her clean sweep of the shot put, finishing 1st in every shot-put event from Year 7 through to Year 12, setting records along the way. An outstanding 2nd place in the discus completed Kiera’s ACS Athletics career, one that will take some beating.

Our Year 11 team's willingness to step up on the day to fill events was impressive to see. Led by captain Will Hand (11AMJT), Abbey Mills (11CMST), Mackenzie Thomas (11CAMA) and Brydie Hutchinson (11XAKW), they competed in every event possible to ensure we remained competitive throughout the day. Their commitment to the College and team is a benchmark students should aspire to.

A huge thank you goes to Alasdair O’Brien who was head coach, assisted by Brodie Car, for running all the early morning training sessions, and the organisation on the day of filling events and making sure everyone was where they needed to be.