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Lake Wendouree Road Race, 29 July 2017

July 29, 2017

Victorian 15 K Road Championship around Lake Wendouree 29 July

By Ian Sloane

This race has been held around Lake Wendouree in Ballarat for a number of years.  There were several changes this year, with the start and the finish being moved and the junior races being held over 6 kilometres, previously contested over 5 kilometres.  Box Hill had three teams in the male division but unfortunately not enough women to have a single team in Division 1.  Box Hill’s representation in the Open Men’s and Women’s division was depleted and we did not field our strongest teams. Numbers were down on the 10 K Road championship held two weeks ago and the overall number of competitors were smaller too.  The winds blowing across traffic on the way up the highway were exceptionally strong and many of our athletes had to fight to keep their car going in the right direction.  The wind at Ballarat was so strong that when Club President, Chris O’Connor, attempted to erect the club shelter, it blew straight on its side.  So like most other clubs we opted not to put it up for fear that it would blow away and possibly injure a spectator.

The wind chill factor was not as bad as usual, despite the wind speed, because the temperature was not hovering around freezing point as it often is in Ballarat.  Life member, Bryan Lewry, and former A-Grade competitors, Rob Wilson and Dave Gazley were at the course to observe the races.

The junior race was contested prior to the open races.   Box Hill had two competitors in the Under 20 and Under 18 races.  The distance was increased to six kilometres (or one circuit of Lake Wendouree. Alex Ritchie, who had a brilliant race at the 10 k road, where he had a massive breakthrough to secure the bronze medal, ran really well again.  He placed fourth, and may well have won the bronze medal again had he known where the (unmarked) finish was.  The officials did not erect the inflatable finish structure, because they feared it would be blown away, which was a reasonable supposition.  Alex thought the race finished at last year’s spot, but this year it was about 250 metres back from its previous position.  He was only one second behind the third placegetter, and by the time he realised where the finish was, there was not enough distance left to put in a final surge.  Anyway, it was an excellent performance to get so close to a medal and he should be delighted with his form at the moment.  Josh James placed 26th in the under 18 race over the same distance as the under 20 race.

The Open Men’s and Women’s race were run combined.

After the race started the runners had to run a preliminary three k out and back loop, before running two full laps of the lake.  Box hill had three runners in the leading group after the loop, James O’Connell 10th, Steve Dinneen around 13th and Andre Waring, perhaps 14th or 15th in the pack.  Sam Dipnall was a little further back, but looking very strong.  Nick Baggott was in close proximity to the leading woman, Makda Harum Haji, running by invitation for Melbourne University. With Peter Green trailing him by fifteen or so seconds.  John Meagher was also looking fast, in around 60th position, as was Michael Vaughan who might have been 20 seconds adrift.  Josh de Stefanis was the next Box Hill athlete to appear, probably in the first 80.  Garth Calder was next, in the first hundred and then there were four Box Hill runners very close to each other, including Michael Petridis, Jackson Deane, Chris O’Conner and Russell Clowes.  A small distance separated these four from Peter Stefanos and Zac Hunter.  Nick Harper and Simon St Hill were further back.

In the women’s race, Makda Harum Haji took off fast and opened up an enormous gap over the other female runners, with Virginia Moloney, Ellie O’Kane, Gemma Maini and Karinna Fyfe being the best placed.  Steph Kondogonis in the first 20, Pia Hunter in the first 40, Rachel Johnson and Caitlin Harrison were our representatives.

At the completion of nine kilometres, the large pack or around 40 runners had been whittled down to four, with Nick Earl (Mel. Uni.) leading from Liam Adams (Ess), Andrew Buchanan (Ben) and Mitch Brown (Ess).  Steve Dinneen was ninth, Andre Waring, 13th, James O’Connell 17th and Sam Dipnall, 20th, were our four leading runners. Nick Baggott was 35th, Peter Green about seven positions behind him and John Meagher in the top 60 were the next runners to pass the drink station.  There was a bit of a change in positions in the final lap.  Adams passed Earl and went to the lead.  Mitch Brown surged, dropping Buchanan and then passed Earl.  Adams won the title from Brown with Earl picking up the bronze medal.  Steve Dinneen improved one place in the concluding stages to finish 8th, in a very good performance.  The standout run for this correspondent was that produced by Andre Waring, who picked up three positions in the last circuit and claimed his first ever top 10 AV winter placing.  Andre has shown enormous improvement over the last two years and looks certain to keep improving of this excellent foundation.  James O’Connell finished strongly to place 18th in a fighting run.  Sam Dipnall impressed by holding 21st position and he also looked strong the whole way.  Our Division 1 team was completed by Nick Baggott, 36th position and Peter Green, 42nd position.  This was a winning team performance and has made it extremely difficult for other teams to catch us at the front of the phalanx in the Division 1 competition.   One of our main competitors, SSH, had a poor day and could only manage 7th position, which means that they are no longer likely to catch us.

Other Box Hill runners to run in the top hundred were John Meagher, 61st (and winner of the gold medal in his age division), Michael Vaughan who also ran strongly, 66th, Josh De Stefanis, 79th and Garth Calder, 95th and second place in his age division.

Box Hill’s female competitors finished the course as follows: Steph Kondogonis, 15th, a fine effort, Pia Hunter 35th and second in her age group, also noteworthy, Rachel Johnson, 70th, and Caitlin Harrison, 112th.

Provisional team results showed that Box Hill won Division 1 and Division 4 and we were fifth in Division 2.  We did not finish a Division 6 team or a women’s team.

 

Summary of Box Hill results

Under 18 male 6 kilometre road championship

26          Josh James                         24:13

 

Under 20 male 6 kilometre road championship

4            Alex Ritchie                      19:10

 

Open Men 15 kilometre road championship provisional results

  1. Liam Adams (Ess)             45:49
  2. Mitch Brown (Ess)            46:05
  3. Nick Earl (Mel Uni)          46:08

8            Steve Dinneen                   47:28

10          Andre Waring                    47:37

18          James O’Connell               48:22

21          Sam Dipnall                       48:41

36          Nick Baggott                     50:18

42          Peter Green                        50:49

61          John Meagher                    53:10

66          Michael Vaughan              53:35

79          Josh de Stefanis                 54:16

95          Garth Calder                      55:22

136        Michael Petridis                58:12

137        Jackson Deane                   58:13

138        Chris O’Connor                 58:13

144        Russell Clowes                  58:42

147        Peter Stefanos                    58:52

148        Zac Hunter                         58:54

209        Nick Harper                       62:63

286        Simon St Hill                     71:27

 

Team scores and positions

  1. Box Hill                                123
  2. Geelong                        234
  3. Doncaster                      243
  4. Melbourne University               259
  5. Glen Huntly                         280
  6. Collingwood                    289
  7. SSH                            291

Open Women 15 kilometre road championship provisional results

  1. Makda Harum Haji (M Uni) 49:29
  2. Virginia Moloney (Coll)   51:55
  3. Ellie O’Kane (Geel)          51:59

15          Steph Kondogonis             59:31

35          Pia Hunter                         63:10

70          Rachel Johnson                  67:09

112        Caitlin Harrison                 76:50

 

Albert Park Road Race

July 19, 2017

Box Hill appears to have won the men’s Premier Division, Division 2, Division 4 and the Division 6 team’s events in the 10km road race at Albert Park on 16 July.

In very cold and windy conditions, the Box Hill boys put in a great team effort to finish with 11 runners in the top 52. And this does not include Chris Hamer, visiting from Canberra, who finished 2nd running by invitation.

There were also some outstanding results in the junior races, with Thomas Diamond winning the silver medal in the 3km event for U14 boys and Alex Ritchie taking the bronze medal in the U20 10km race.

Results:

Under 14 3km road race

  1. Thomas Diamond               9:36

Under 16 3km road race

  1. Mac Anderson                     9:33

Under 18 10km road race

  1. Joshua James                    51:22

Under 20 10km road race

  1. Alex Ritchie                        32:38

Women 10km road race

Premier Division       (Team place: 9th)

  1. Steph Kondogonis            37:48
  2. Pia Hunter                         40:44
  3. Rachel Johnson                 42:34
  4. Chloe Rosenberg             45:25
  5. Carolyn Fox                    51:47

Men 10km road race

Premier Division       (Team place: 1st)

  1. Mitchell Dyer                    31:00
  2. Will Potter                        31:02
  3. Steve Dinneen                   31:08
  4. Andre Waring                   31:19
  5. Peter Green                       31:25
  6. Nick Baggott                     31:28

Division 2                   (Team place: 1st)

  1. James O’Connell              31:31
  2. Daniel Clark                      32:21
  3. Michael Dowel                 32:22
  4. Oscar Robinson                 32:35
  5. Klarie McIntyre                32:38
  6. Tom Snibson                     34:06

Division 4                   (Team place: 1st)

  1. Michael Vaughan              34:23
  2. John Meagher                   34:26   (1st 50-54 years)
  3. Josh de Stefanis              35:23
  4. Garth Calder                   36:40
  5. Zac Hunter                      37:50

Division 6                   (Team place: 1st)

  1. Peter Stefanos                 38:09
  2. Chris O’Connor              38:32
  3. Russell Clowes                38:42
  4. Tony Langelaan              39:53

Division 7                   (Team place:?)

  1. Andrew Hester                39:57
  2. Nick Harper                    40:37
  3. Anthony Whitby             40:53
  4. Stephen Ross                   41:09
  5. Scott Trickett                  43:34
  6. Simon St. Hill                 44:46

 

Albert Park Road Race, 16 July 2017

July 16, 2017

GOOD RESULTS AT ALBERT PARK

Box Hill appears to have won the men’s Premier Division, Division 2, Division 4 and the Division 6 team’s events in the 10km road race at Albert Park on the weekend.

In cold (very cold!) windy conditions the Box Hill boys put in a great team effort to finish with 11 runners in the top 52. And this does not include Chris Hamer, visiting from Canberra, who finished 2nd running by invitation.

There were also some outstanding results in the junior races, with Thomas Diamond winning the silver medal in the 3km event for U14 boys and Alex Ritchie taking the bronze medal in the U20 10km race.

Results:

Under 14 3km road race

  1. Thomas Diamond               9:36

Under 16 3km road race

  1. Mac Anderson                     9:33

Under 18 10km road race

  1. Joshua James                    51:22

Under 20 10km road race

  1. Alex Ritchie                        32:38

Women 10km road race

Premier Division       (Team place: 9th)

  1. Steph Kondogonis            37:48
  2. Pia Hunter                         40:44
  3. Rachel Johnson                 42:34
  4. Chloe Rosenberg             45:25
  5. Carolyn Fox                    51:47

Men 10km road race

Premier Division       (Team place: 1st)

  1. Mitchell Dyer                    31:00
  2. Will Potter                        31:02
  3. Steve Dinneen                   31:08
  4. Andre Waring                   31:19
  5. Peter Green                       31:25
  6. Nick Baggott                     31:28

Division 2                   (Team place: 1st)

  1. James O’Connell              31:31
  2. Daniel Clark                      32:21
  3. Michael Dowel                 32:22
  4. Oscar Robinson                 32:35
  5. Klarie McIntyre                32:38
  6. Tom Snibson                     34:06

Division 4                   (Team place: 1st)

  1. Michael Vaughan              34:23
  2. John Meagher                   34:26   (1st 50-54 years)
  3. Josh de Stefanis              35:23
  4. Garth Calder                   36:40
  5. Zac Hunter                      37:50

Division 6                   (Team place: 1st)

  1. Peter Stefanos                 38:09
  2. Chris O’Connor              38:32
  3. Russell Clowes                38:42
  4. Tony Langelaan              39:53

Division 7                   (Team place:?)

  1. Andrew Hester                39:57
  2. Nick Harper                    40:37
  3. Anthony Whitby             40:53
  4. Stephen Ross                   41:09
  5. Scott Trickett                  43:34
  6. Simon St. Hill                 44:46

 

Great performances at Sandown Relays

July 12, 2017

Box Hill performed well overall in the annual Sandown Road Relays on 8 July, with 13 teams taking part . Four teams won their division, one came 2nd, four came 3rd, two 4th, one 6th and one 7th.

Congratulations to our Under 20, Over 50, Division 4 and Division 6 men’s teams, all of whom claimed victories.

Our men’s Premier Division team was defending its title from last year, and clocked a faster time this year. However the competition responded and Box Hill finished 35 seconds behind St. Stephen’s Harriers and 5 seconds behind Melbourne University.

Our women’s Premier Division team ran four minutes faster than last year, but finished 6th in a strong field.

Thank you to Bob Sellwood, Simon Evans and Kirsty Ritchie, who acted as club helpers, and also to all those who were timekeepers. Your efforts are much appreciated.

Results:

Men Premier Division (Team place: 3rd)

  1. Andre Waring         18:55
  2. Mitch Dyer              19:24
  3. James O’Connell    19:28
  4. Nick Baggott           19:25
  5. Sam Dipnall            19:13
  6. Will Potter              18:56

Men Division 2 (Team place: 2nd)

  1. Peter Green             19:11
  2. Daniel Clark            19:26
  3. Michael Dowel       19:29
  4. Ton Snibson            20:37
  5. Steve Dinneen         19:12
  6. Klarie McIntyre      20:16

Men Division 4 (Team place: 1st)

  1. Jackson Deane        21:57
  2. Callum Evans          21:51
  3. Josh de Stefanis      21:45
  4. Michael Petridis      21:45
  5. Michael Vaughan    20:57

Men Division 6 (Team place: 1st)

  1. Russell Clowes        23:24
  2. Karsten Mersch       23:07
  3. Andrew Hester        24:31
  4. Zac Hunter              22:08

Men Division 7 (Team place: 7th)

  1. Steve Ross               25:25
  2. Jack Hill                  25:14
  3. Simon St. Hill         27:33
  4. Andrew Tunne        35:14

Men 50+ (Team place: 1st)

  1. John Meagher         21:16
  2. Peter Stefanos         22:48
  3. Garth Calder           22:23

Men 40+ (Team place: 4th)

  1. Kynan Dawes          22:09
  2. Tony Langelaan      23:24
  3. Anthony Whitby     24:57

Men Under 20 (Team place: 1st)

  1. Tom Sellwood         20:58
  2. Mac Anderson         21:17
  3. Alex Ritchie            20:19

Men Under 16 (Team place: 4th)

  1. Spencer Anderson   10:25
  2. Thomas Diamond   10:32
  3. Doug Buckeridge    11:05

Women Premier Division (Team place: 6th)

  1. Steph Kondogonis  22:58
  2. Rhiannon Snipe      22:54
  3. Georgie Meehan     23:08
  4. Pia Hunter               24:53
  5. Amy Rives              23:36

Women Division 4 (Team place: 3rd)

  1. Chloe Rosenberg     26:54
  2. Caitlin Harrison      29:12
  3. Rachel Johnson       25:33

Women Division 5 (Team place: 3rd)

  1. Carolyn Fox            30:58
  2. Fiona Hansen          29:02
  3. Kylie Crawford       31:07

Women Under 18 (Team place: 3rd)

  1. Nicola Hogg            10:33
  2. Carly Atkinson        12:14
  3. Amy Atkinson        11:10

Sandown Road Relays, July 8, 2017

July 8, 2017

GOOD PERFORMANCES AT SANDOWN RELAYS

Box Hill performed incredibly well overall, with 13 teams taking part in the annual Sandown Road Relay on Saturday. We had four teams win their division, one came 2nd, four came 3rd, two 4th, one 6th and one 7th.

Congratulations to our Under 20, Over 50, Division 4 and Division 6 men’s teams who all pulled off victories on the weekend.

Despite the team running slightly faster than last year, when the team won, our men’s Premier Division team finished 3rd this year. In what was a closely fought battle, Box Hill finished 35 seconds behind St. Stephen’s Harriers and 5 seconds behind Melbourne University.

Our women’s Premier Division team ran 4 minutes faster than last year, but in strong field finished in 6th place.

Thank you to Bob Selwood, Simon Evans and Kirsty Ritchie who acted as club helpers and also to all those who helped as timekeepers. Your efforts are much appreciated.

Results:

Men Premier Division (Team place: 3rd)

  1. Andre Waring         18:55
  2. Mitch Dyer              19:24
  3. James O’Connell    19:28
  4. Nick Baggott           19:25
  5. Sam Dipnall            19:13
  6. Will Potter              18:56

Men Division 2 (Team place: 2nd)

  1. Peter Green             19:11
  2. Daniel Clark            19:26
  3. Michael Dowel       19:29
  4. Ton Snibson            20:37
  5. Steve Dinneen         19:12
  6. Klarie McIntyre      20:16

Men Division 4 (Team place: 1st)

  1. Jackson Deane        21:57
  2. Callum Evans          21:51
  3. Josh de Stefanis      21:45
  4. Michael Petridis      21:45
  5. Michael Vaughan    20:57

Men Division 6 (Team place: 1st)

  1. Russell Clowes        23:24
  2. Karsten Mersch       23:07
  3. Andrew Hester        24:31
  4. Zac Hunter              22:08

Men Division 7 (Team place: 7th)

  1. Steve Ross               25:25
  2. Jack Hill                  25:14
  3. Simon St. Hill         27:33
  4. Andrew Tunne        35:14

Men 50+ (Team place: 1st)

  1. John Meagher         21:16
  2. Peter Stefanos         22:48
  3. Garth Calder           22:23

Men 40+ (Team place: 4th)

  1. Kynan Dawes          22:09
  2. Tony Langelaan      23:24
  3. Anthony Whitby     24:57

Men Under 20 (Team place: 1st)

  1. Tom Selwood         20:58
  2. Mac Anderson         21:17
  3. Alex Ritchie            20:19

Men Under 16 (Team place: 4th)

  1. Spencer Anderson   10:25
  2. Thomas Diamond   10:32
  3. Doug Buckeridge    11:05

Women Premier Division (Team place: 6th)

  1. Steph Kondogonis  22:58
  2. Rhiannon Snipe      22:54
  3. Georgie Meehan     23:08
  4. Pia Hunter               24:53
  5. Amy Rives              23:36

Women Division 4 (Team place: 3rd)

  1. Chloe Rosenberg     26:54
  2. Caitlin Harrison      29:12
  3. Rachel Johnson       25:33

Women Division 5 (Team place: 3rd)

  1. Carolyn Fox            30:58
  2. Fiona Hansen          29:02
  3. Kylie Crawford       31:07

Women Under 18 (Team place: 3rd)

  1. Nicola Hogg            10:33
  2. Carly Atkinson        12:14
  3. Amy Atkinson        11:10

 

Congratulations Georgia!

June 23, 2017

Box Hill’s Georgia Griffith is the first Australian female athlete to achieve IAAF World Championship qualifying standards for both the 800m and 1500m.

Competing in the Portland Track Festival in Oregon, USA, Georgia ran a brilliant personal best of 2:00.9 to qualify for the World Championships in London later this year and next year’s Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast. This was the fastest time by an Australian woman since 2011.

Georgia claimed another World Championship qualifier when she won the 1500m High Performance Race with a personal best time of 4:07.32.  Well done Georgia!

Success at the State Cross Country Championships

June 22, 2017

Box Hill had another successful day at the Victorian Cross Country Championships at Bundoora Park on 17 June.
The highlights of the day included a great win by Georgia Hansen in the U20 6km event, another triumph by our Premier Division men’s team, a silver medal to Mac Anderson in the boys U15 All Schools event and a bronze to Nicola Hogg in the U15 girls race.
See below for Ian Sloane’s report

Results:

Under 14 Girls All Schools 3km Cross Country

17. Beanna Croall       12:00

34. Rox Phipps            12:41

35. Aimee Traverso    12:49

101. Mia Wilson         15:26

Under 14 Boys All Schools 3km Cross Country

4. Tom Diamond         10:24

33. Jonathan Harper    11:19

56. Rupert Clemenger 11:59

U15 Girls All Schools 4km Cross Country

3. Nicola Hogg            14:42

5. Ashlee Treagus       14:51

7. Mia Pope                 15:36

28. Thalia Worsam     16:55

U16 Girls All Schools 4km Cross Country

9. Georgia Durham     15:09

U15 Boys All Schools 4km Cross Country

2. Mac Anderson         13:16

8. Doug Buckeridge    13:50

16. Lachlan Doehmann14:13

28. Murray Lovass      14:53

73. Connor Ogilvie     16:44

U16 Boys All Schools 4km Cross Country

10. Josh Macken         13:17

U17 Girls All Schools 4km Cross Country

14. Sophie Westcott    14:45

22. Tamsyn Lovass     16:17

34. Carly Atkinson      16:36

68. Sophie Tadgell      20:08

U18 Girls All Schools 4km Cross Country

5. Molly McCarthy     14:38

11. Amy Atkinson      15:06

12. Amy Rives            15:10

26. Hayley McGoldrick 16:12

32. Jess Hepworth       16:50

53. Meredith Rule       19:26

U17 Boys All Schools 6km Cross Country

25. Isaac Holberton      22:43

U18 Boys All Schools 6km Cross Country

5. Tom Selwood         19:58

10. Darcy Powne        20:24

29. Kieren Hesse         21:31

31. Finn Macken         21:42

36. Austin Hunter       22:00

37. Sam Port               22:27

53. Kyle Winkler        24:15

U20 Women AV and All Schools 6km Cross Country

1. Georgia Hansen      21:24  (AV)

6. Louise Ton              25:23  (All Schools)

13. Hannah Wilson     27:28  (All Schools)

U20 Men AV and All Schools 8km Cross Country

5. Alex Ritchie            27:13  (AV)

5. Sam Rattray            27:39  (All Schools)

6. Scott McKenzie      27:48  (All Schools)

Women Open 10km Cross Country

Premier Division (Team place: 6th)

21. Steph Kondogonis 40:10

26. Rhiannon Snipe    41:00

50. Pia Hunter             43:12 (1st 50-54 years)

100. Chloe Rosenberg 47:04

101. Rachel Hohnson  47:11

Division 4 (Team place: 6th)

136. Caitlin Harrison  51:14

154. Carolyn Fox        54:12

182. Beck Mitchell     61:07

Men Open 10km Cross Country

Premier Division (Team place: 1st)

7. Will Potter              32:08

10. Steve Dineen         32:18

16. Nick Baggott         32:37

25. Mitch Dyer            33:08

28. James O’Connell  33:14

32. Andre Waring       33:25

Division 2 (Team place: 2nd)

45. Oscar Robinson     33:55

46. Daniel Clark          33:59

47. Peter Green           34:01

48. Klarie McIntyre    34:08

65. Michael Dowel     35:16

86. John Meagher       36:15 (1st 50-54 years)

Division 4 (Team place: 1st)

91. Tom Snibson         36:26

126. Michael Petridis  38:17

148. Jackson Deane    39:00

151. Josh de Stefanis  39:04

169. Aaron Shorter     39:47

Division 6 (Team place: 1st)

187. Zac Hunter          40:23

188. Peter Stefanos     40:24

252. Chris O’Connor  42:42

268. Tony Langelaan  43:20

Division 7 (Team place: 3rd)

282. Anthony Whitby 43:57

290. Nick Harper        44:17

332. Jack Hill              47:03

392. Andrew Tunne    54:20

By Ian Sloane

Bundoora Park 10 Kilometre Cross Country 17 June 2017

Box Hill AC is performing exceptionally well in the Division 1 men’s competition in 2017 recording three victories in the first four events of the year.  The Division 1 team extended its winning streak by winning the major Cross Country race (provisionally) on the winter competition in the Victorian team selection race for the national championship inn Wollongong.  Weather conditions were very benign, with an air temperature around 17?C and bright sunny conditions.  Oddly, however, many runners recorded times 30 seconds or more slower than they had recorded the previous year.

The Bundoora cross country race is the fifth race of the 2017 Athletics Victoria XCR season, and is regarded as the premier cross country event on the AV calendar.  Until last year, it was run over the traditional 12 kilometre distance for men and 8 kilometres for women.  Last year the winter XCR committee decided to run the event over 10 kilometres, the new international distance.  It was therefore the second iteration of this distance at Bundoora.

The junior races preceded the senior women’s and men’s races and all the underage races were combined SSV and AV races, starting with the youngest age groups and concluding with the under 20 races.  At the time of writing the junior combined races’ results were not available.  Box Hill had some top performances. Georgia Hanson had a standout run in the women’s under 20 race.  Prominent early, she surged and broke the spirit of all other competitors in a dominant fashion.  Once she got to the lead she continued to put distance between her and her pursuers.  In the men’s under 20 race, there were three Box Hill athletes.  Alex Ritchie was running in club uniform and Scott McKenzie and Sam Rattray were running in a Marcellin College uniform.  All performed extremely meritoriously.  Sam and Scott started off hard, whereas Alex was more cautious in the early stages.  All were in the top 10 after the race was started.  Sam was vying for the top three positions with Scott a little further back in the top six.  Alex was content to start off more conservatively.  As the race unfolded, Cody Shanahan (WES), Haftu Strintzos (GH) and another athlete running in a school outfit dislodged all other competitors.  Cassidy Shaw (Geel.) was a little way back.  Sam and Scott drifted a little off the pace, but maintained their form, and Alex started overtaking runners who had commenced too energetically.

Alex ran what could be arguably his best ever effort in a Victorian Cross Country race by finishing 6th, and excellent effort.  He would have every right to be proud of this accomplishment.  Sam and Scott held their position in the concluding stages to finish 9th and 10th respectively, also a fine effort for both.

The senior women’s race looked likely to see a contest between Virginia Moloney (Collingwood), Cassie Little (formerly Higham) (Glen Huntly), Gemma Maini (Frankston), Alexandra Patterson (OX) and Anna Kelly (South Melbourne).  There were a number of the better-performing female athletes not competing.  There a few surprises when the race started over the three lap course (which consisted of a two kilometre loop, followed by two four kilometre laps). The course was a bit muddy having been churned up by the thousands of feet of under age group athletes in the previous races. Moloney, Patterson and Sarah Waters (Geelong burst to the lead and opened up a fair-sized gap on the other competitors, although Henrietta Lawrence (Frankston), Cassie Little, and Sophie Ryan all looked like they could pounce if someone dropped off.  Emilie Guy (Essendon) was also prominent. About three kilometres into the race our Box Hill leading performers were Steph Kondogonis about 26th, Rhiannon Snipe Rhiannon Snipe, 29th and Pia Hunter around 55th.  Chloe Rosenberg and Rachel Johnson were quite close to each other further back. Other Box Hill athletes contesting the race were Caitlin Harrison and Carolyn Fox

The lead did not change hands once Moloney put in a long surge which Patterson and Waters could not respond to and Waters started to fade a little. Patterson was a clear second.  Sophie Ryan and Henrietta Lawrence were improving their position in the field.

Moloney ran over the line well clear of the second placed athlete to improve on the silver medal she won the year before in this race.  Patterson maintained her form, although 51 seconds behind the winner.  This was her best Cross Country performance.  Ryan held 3rd position until very close to the end, when Henrietta Lawrence put in a huge finishing sprint and headed Ryan, relegating her to fourth and claiming the bronze medal for herself.

Steph Kondogonis ran a very fine race and passed many athletes by running sensibly and finished 21st, in an impressive outing with a strong back end of the race.  Rhiannon Snape also looked in excellent shape, greeting the finishing line in 26th position, also a fine effort. Pia Hunter was 50th, an outstanding effort, and she would have every reason to be delighted with her form, winning her age group by a solid margin.  Chloe Rosenberg persisted to the line to claim 100th position.  Rachel Johnson completed her race in 101st, one position behind Chloe.  Caitlin Harrison finished 135th which was an improvement on her 2016 result and Carolyn Fox was 152nd. Beck Mitchell finished 180th.

The senior men’s race was the final race on the program and, like last year, the same course was deployed as for the women’s race.  Box Hill had a very good representation and we were hopeful of as top place result.  Last year, Daniel Clark was on the course lending strong support to his club mates after recuperating from surgery.  It was great to see him running competitively in this major championship race this year representing our club.

When the starter sent the field on its way for the first two kilometre leg we had a sea of grey, white and black in prominent positions. Quite a large group separated from the body of the field, so after a little over a kilometre after the start, Will Potter was 3rd, Andre Waring was 9th, Steve Dinneen was about 14th near Nick Baggott.  Mitch Dyer and James O’Connell were a bit further back.  Peter Green and Daniel Clark were a few places behind James and Mitch, with Oscar Robinson coming through after a conservative start.  Klarie McIntyre was in a similar position, running past competitors who had gone out too quickly. The leading group of male athletes included Andrew Buchanan (Bendigo), Matthew Clarke (Old Xavier) and Harry Smithers (Geelong) all looked strong at the front of the field.  Tom Fawthorpe (Ringwood), Matthew Johnsen (Doncaster) and Martin Mashford (Melbourne University) were also prominent and Will Potter was tucked in, in 6th position. Toby Rayner (GH) also looked like he was making forward progress, Andre Waring held 8th position, but there was a suspicion that he might have expended energy getting into a strong position so early in the race.

During the first of the two four kilometre laps three athletes had pushed the pace and started to move away from the other leaders.  Box Hill athletes held 6th, 11th, 16th, 21st, 22nd, 26th and 36th positions at around the five k mark.

About seven kilometres into the race, Buchanan broke clear of Smithers and Clarke.  Toby Rayner was roaring through the field, making up ground on the three leaders.  Will Potter held 7th position, Steve Dinneen was placed 13th, James O’Connell was 15th, Nick Baggott was 17th, Mitch Dyer was 19th and Andre Waring was 23rd,, slowly losing a little bit of ground to other athletes who had been more conservative early.

In the concluding stages, Buchanan extended his lead to 180 metres and Clarke briefly challenged Smithers, but Smithers found a bit extra in the last kilometre and pulled ahead of Clarke by 11 seconds Toby Rayner finished fourth after a stellar last lap. Will Potter finished 7th, which was a very good effort. Passing athletes in the concluding stages, Steve Dinneen put in a great performance to claim 10th place. This was a gritty and determined effort for the team, typical of Steve’s character. Nick Baggott ran a fine race to finish 16th.  Mitch Dyer will compete in five races this year, whilst he is here from America and he clearly adds another dimension with a strong performance like this one. James O’Connell ran 28th.  Andre Waring placed 32nd ensuring that Box Hill won the Premier division team’s race.  Others to make the top 100 were Oscar Robinson, 45th, who passed many athletes during the race, Daniel Clark, 46th, Peter Green, 47th, Klarie McIntyre, 48th, Michael Dowel, 65th, John Meagher 85th, and Tom Snibson, 90th.

We are confident that we have won the Men’s Premier division team’s race from SSH and Melbourne University.

Have your say on the club

June 21, 2017

Box Hill is developing a new strategic plan to help direct our future efforts. We are seeking your input. It can be about on-track success, increasing registration numbers, improving facilities, social and fundraising events, or any other matter.

This is your chance to contribute to the future success of the Club, so please have your say and let us know what you think. Please email all contributions to bhacsec@bigpond.com

Victorian Cross Country Championships, Bundoora, 17 June 2017

June 17, 2017

SUCCESS AT THE BUNDOORA CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

Box Hill had another successful day at the Victorian cross country championships at Bundoora Park on Saturday.

The highlights of the day included a great win by Georgia Hansen in the U20 6km event, another triumph by our Premier Division men’s team, a silver medal to Mac Anderson in the boys U15 All Schools event and a bronze to Nicola Hogg in the U15 girls race.

See below for Ian Sloane’s report

Results:

Under 14 Girls All Schools 3km Cross Country

  1. Beanna Croall       12:00
  2. Rox Phipps            12:41
  3. Aimee Traverso    12:49
  4. Mia Wilson         15:26

Under 14 Boys All Schools 3km Cross Country

  1. Tom Diamond         10:24
  2. Jonathan Harper    11:19
  3. Rupert Clemenger 11:59

U15 Girls All Schools 4km Cross Country

  1. Nicola Hogg            14:42
  2. Ashlee Treagus       14:51
  3. Mia Pope                 15:36
  4. Thalia Worsam     16:55

U16 Girls All Schools 4km Cross Country

  1. Georgia Durham     15:09

U15 Boys All Schools 4km Cross Country

  1. Mac Anderson         13:16
  2. Doug Buckeridge    13:50
  3. Lachlan Doehmann14:13
  4. Murray Lovass      14:53
  5. Connor Ogilvie     16:44

U16 Boys All Schools 4km Cross Country

  1. Josh Macken         13:17

U17 Girls All Schools 4km Cross Country

  1. Sophie Westcott    14:45
  2. Tamsyn Lovass     16:17
  3. Carly Atkinson      16:36
  4. Sophie Tadgell      20:08

U18 Girls All Schools 4km Cross Country

  1. Molly McCarthy     14:38
  2. Amy Atkinson      15:06
  3. Amy Rives            15:10
  4. Hayley McGoldrick 16:12
  5. Jess Hepworth       16:50
  6. Meredith Rule       19:26

U17 Boys All Schools 6km Cross Country

  1. Isaac Hoberton      22:43

U18 Boys All Schools 6km Cross Country

  1. Tom Selwood         19:58
  2. Darcy Powne        20:24
  3. Kieren Hesse         21:31
  4. Finn Macken         21:42
  5. Austin Hunter       22:00
  6. Sam Port               22:27
  7. Kyle Winkler        24:15

U20 Women AV and All Schools 6km Cross Country

  1. Georgia Hansen      21:24  (AV)
  2. Louise Ton              25:23  (All Schools)
  3. Hannah Wilson     27:28  (All Schools)

U20 Men AV and All Schools 8km Cross Country

  1. Alex Ritchie            27:13  (AV)
  2. Sam Rattray            27:39  (All Schools)
  3. Scott McKenzie      27:48  (All Schools)

Women Open 10km Cross Country

Premier Division (Team place: 6th)

  1. Steph Kondogonis 40:10
  2. Rhiannon Snipe    41:00
  3. Pia Hunter             43:12 (1st 50-54 years)
  4. Chloe Rosenberg 47:04
  5. Rachel Hohnson  47:11

Division 4 (Team place: 6th)

  1. Caitlin Harrison  51:14
  2. Carolyn Fox        54:12
  3. Beck Mitchell     61:07

Men Open 10km Cross Country

Premier Division (Team place: 1st)

  1. Will Potter              32:08
  2. Steve Dineen         32:18
  3. Nick Baggott         32:37
  4. Mitch Dyer            33:08
  5. James O’Connell  33:14
  6. Andre Waring       33:25

Division 2 (Team place: 2nd)

  1. Oscar Robinson     33:55
  2. Daniel Clark          33:59
  3. Peter Green           34:01
  4. Klarie McIntyre    34:08
  5. Michael Dowel     35:16
  6. John Meagher       36:15 (1st 50-54 years)

Division 4 (Team place: 1st)

  1. Tom Snibson         36:26
  2. Michael Petridis  38:17
  3. Jackson Deane    39:00
  4. Josh de Stefanis  39:04
  5. Aaron Shorter     39:47

Division 6 (Team place: 1st)

  1. Zac Hunter          40:23
  2. Peter Stefanos     40:24
  3. Chris O’Connor  42:42
  4. Tony Langelaan  43:20

Division 7 (Team place: 3rd)

  1. Anthony Whitby 43:57
  2. Nick Harper        44:17
  3. Jack Hill              47:03
  4. Andrew Tunne    54:20

 

 

 

Cruden Farm, 27 May 2017

May 27, 2017

16 K Cross Country Cruden Farm (Langwarrin) 27 May 2017

Last year’s positive remarks about the 16 k Cross Country course selected by Athletics Victoria were strengthened this year.  There were a number of slight variations in the 2017 course, but the venue was in excellent order, and challenging too.  The Cruden Farm property belonged to Dame Elisabeth Murdoch, who passed away in 2012.  It is a spectacular location. The farm is 54 hectares in size and supports livestock. A look at the ground in the paddocks revealed the largest cow pats that most of the athletes had ever seen in their life and strove desperately to avoid whilst on the course.  The Open Men’s race was a well-designed course of four laps of four kilometres, and the other races were of shorter lengths, but on the same course as the men ran.

Box Hill had at least three standout successes.  Thomas Diamond won the Under 14 race.  Will Potter claimed the silver medal for the senior men’s race and the Box Hill Premier Division team appears to have won the Premier Division team’s title from Doncaster and Melbourne University.

In perfect weather conditions, all the athletes in each race were despatched by Gayle Anderson.

Thomas Diamond represented Box Hill in the under 14 race and ran brilliantly to win the race after finishing eighth last year.  He ran a really great race and pulled away at the end from all the other competitors.  He ran over the finish line over more than 17 seconds ahead of the silver medallist.  Well done Tom – an excellent effort.

In the men’s under 20 race, Box Hill was represented by Alex Ritchie, who finished very respectable eighth, after being very prominent for the first half of the race.  When the pressure was put on the field by Cody Shanahan (Western Athletics), first, and Cassidy Shaw (Geelong), second, the other seven in the leading bunch were not able to maintain their tempo.   Alex placed 10th in this race last year so his 2017 placing was an improvement and he is not far from a top five finish.

Joshua James placed 35th in the Under 18 event.

The women’s race attracted a field of 219 competitors.  Box Hill was represented by Rhiannon Snipe who ran a strong race to place 33rd.  Steph Kondogonis was a little further back in 40th position.  Pia Hunter, who is in very good form at present, placed 58th. Rachel Johnson finished 107th, Chloe Rosenberg was 123rd, Carolyn Fox was 172nd and Beck Mitchell was 189th.  Virginia Moloney won the event, returning to form after placing 4th at Wandin.  Anna Kelly (South Melbourne) is performing well at the moment and won the silver medal after Moloney managed to ease ahead of her later in the race.  Kelly won the cross country at Wandin.  Karinna Fyfe (Glen Huntly) won the bronze medal finishing ahead of Alexandra Paterson (Old Xavier) and Tarli Bird (Glen Huntly).  This leading group ran together in the early stages, with Karinna Fyfe passing Bird and Paterson to place third.

In the men’s 16 k cross Country race there was a large field of athletes assembled (around 355 runners). We had a very strong team although Matt O’Donnell was unavailable with a foot injury.  Sam Dipnall was not racing and Tom Snibson and Michael Vaughan were unavailable.  However, Box Hill’s depth is strong and the club performed well.  Also, it turned out that SSH and Melbourne University were not at full strength, and missing athletes. This gave Box Hill an advantage, and enabled Doncaster to produce a surprise 2nd place in the Team’s race in the men’s Premier Division.

In the first kilometre of the men’s race Box Hill was well represented.  Steve Dinneen went to the  lead, with Ben Ashkettle (Doncaster), Will Potter (BH), Dejen Gebreselessie (Mentone) all contesting the lead in the early stages, with James O’Connell prominent in the leading bunch.  Also running in the lead pack were Anthony Aloisio (Richmond), Matthew Johnsen (Doncaster) Thomas Hynes (Ballarat), Leon Russell-Keely (Bendigo).  Ryan Geard (Western Athletics) and Nick Baggott (Box Hill) were not far off the front either.  Michael Dowel missed the start and had to work his way through the field.  Andre Waring started off mindful that it was a four lap course and worked his way into the race.

After the midway point in the first lap, Ben Ashkettle then took the reins and led for a while.  Later on Matthew Johnsen took over.  James O’Connell, slipped back, and that may have been as a result of the early pace at the front. Several athletes who were not initially in the leading group started to make progress through the field.  Liam Adams (Essendon) took a while to get going but made rapid progress in the second lap.  Mitch Brown (Essendon) ran a similar race – relaxed at the start and then he cranked it up the further the race went.  Steve Dinneen dropped off the lead group in the second and third laps, and Gebreselessie, Will Potter, Johnsen, Hynes and Ashkettle were vying for the lead.  Adams and Brown made good progress into the fourth lap.  Box Hill athletes who were making an impression were Oscar Robinson who commenced conservatively and passed many fellow competitors eventually, Michael Dowel who passed many, many athletes as he forged forward and Peter Green who was running solidly.

In the finishing stages, the contest was between Gebreselessie and Will Potter. Liam Adams was too far off the pace to pose a threat, as was Mitch Brown who passed Buckingham (SSH), Russell-Keely, Hynes, Ashkettle and Johnson to reach fourth position.  Will Potter ran to capacity, but Gebreselessie had a little more on the day and held off Will Potter in the concluding stages to win by just three seconds.  So Will came away with the silver medal, a fine accomplishment, and a much more accurate reflection of his fitness and ability that the Wandin result a fortnight earlier.  Adams won the bronze medal with Brown fourth and Johnsen, fifth.   Nick Baggott kept plugging away and crossed the line in 13th place.  Steve Dinneen fought on passing a number of fellow competitors in the final lap to claim 16th spot with Andre Waring two places further back in 18th place.  Oscar Robinson would have been well pleased with his 31st place.  He ran a very sensible race and passed many athletes the whole way.  James O’Connell completed our Premier Division team, placing 36th.

Others to finish for our club (in Division 2) were  Peter Green, 39th,  Michael Dowel, 43rd, the evergreen John Meagher (56th ) and winner of his age division and Welday Mebrahtu, 78th.  Ed Doyle recorded 82nd place in a strong run and Garth Calder was 96th and second in his age category.

Josh De Stefanis placed 119th, Michael Petridis was 121st, Jackson Deane, 131ST, Zac Hunter 160TH, Peter Stefanos, 175th, Chris O’Connor, 191st, Nick Harper, 239th, Robert Ashbridge, 252nd, Simon St Hill, 308th, and Andrew Tunne finished 338th.

Many athletes ran one to two minutes quicker than they did the previous year, which was a little surprising, because conditions were pleasant in 2016, although a little warmer.

Men’s results

Name Club Place Time
Desen Gebreselessi Mentone 1 49:11
Will Potter Box Hill 2 49:14
Liam Adams Essendon 3 49:48
Mitch Brown Essendon 4 50:02
Matthew Johnsen Doncaster 5 50:11
Nick Baggott Box Hill 13 50:49
Steve Dinneen Box Hill 16 51:03
Andre Waring Box Hill 18 51:07
Oscar Robinson Box Hill 31 52:33
James O’Connell Box Hill 36 52:45
Peter Green Box Hill 39 53:06
Michael Dowel Box Hill 43 53:19
John Meagher Box Hill 55 54:57
Welday Mebrahtu Box Hill 78 57:40
Ed Doyle Box Hill 82 58:03
Garth Calder Box Hill 96 59:10
Josh De Stefanis Box Hill 119 61:13
Michael Petridis Box Hill 121 61:22
Jackson Deane Box Hill 131 61:51
Zac Hunter Box Hill 160 63:52
Peter Stefanos Box Hill 175 65:12
Chris O’Connor Box Hill 187 65:49
Russell Clowes Box Hill 191 65:58
Nick Harper Box Hill 239 69:17
RobAshbridge Box Hill 252 70:41
Simon St Hill Box Hill 308 77:39
Andrew Tunne Box Hill 338 86:56

 

Anticipated Division 1 team placings

  1. Box Hill 116
  2. Doncaster 141
  3. Melbourne University 237
  4. SSH 262

Women’s results

Name Club Place Time
Virginia Moloney Coll 1 27:22
Anna Kelly Sth Melb 2 27:29
Karinna Fyfe GH 3 27:47
Alexandra Paterson OX 4 28:09
Tarli Bird GH 5 28:24
Rhiannon Snipe BH 33 32:01
Steph Kondogonis BH 40 32:53
Pia Hunter BH 58 34:04
Rachel Johnson BH 107 36:29
Chloe Rosenberg BH 123 37:39
Carolyn Fox BH 172 42:29
Beck Mitchell BH 189 45:34