VALLEY TEAMS UP FOR SUCCESS AT RELAY CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Diamond Valley Athletic Club sent twenty teams into battle at the 2022 Victorian Relay Championships and without fail every athlete involved came away richer for the experience. In the face of tough competition at every level, the DVAC teams all represented the club with pride, with each athlete appreciating the chance to perform their skills in a team setting. In all there were 51 Valley athletes (19 Women & 32 men) who made up the 20 teams (8 Female & 12 Male teams).
By the end of a long days’ competition at the Box Hill venue, DVAC teams had collected four medals (1 Gold, 2 Silver & 1 Bronze) and set five new DVAC club records.
The teams who won medals were:
Gold Medal: Women Under 16 4 x 400m: Jamieson Lander, Georgia L’Estrange, Maddy Meagher & Poppy Scot-Dalgleish - 4:15.05
The team won the Heat in convincing fashion with a time of 4:18.05. They later backed this up by winning the Final in 4:15.05, crossing the line 4.82 seconds clear of the runners up. In both the heat and the final, this the team broke the previous DVAC club record of 4:18.63 set in 2013.
Silver Medal: Women Open 4 x 1500m: Shania Murray, Matilda L’Estrange, Fieke Van Der Kamp, Ally Brooks - 19:43.39
In a very consistent team effort, Shania, Matilda & Fieke handed the bation over to Ally after 4.5km of track racing with the colour of the medal far from decided. The team from South Melbourne had a firm grasp on Gold but the Silver & Bronze were yet to be decided. Ally had to mount a decisive charge in the final laps for the DVAC team to claim the Silver medal and set a new DVAC club record.
Silver Medal: Men 50-54 4x100m: Lalith Udugampala, Chris Boyne, Greg Luck, Ivan Dodin – 50.64
It’s not often that the times get quicker with age, but this DVAC team defended their Silver medal from a year ago when they ran 52.88. A year older & two seconds faster! That is pretty special. And, with a nine second break over third placed team. A new DVAC club record.
Bronze Medal: Women Under 18 4 x 400m: Charlee Dickson, Sugi Neecowen, Chloe Sia, Katie Oliver – 4:12.62
Even splits brought this team into the final lap still in contention before handing the baton over to Katie. Katie had the team into medal position by the final bend before surging home in a display of power running. There was a three second gap to fourth place by the finish.
Other teams to set new DVAC club records were:
Women Under 18 4 x 800m: Sugi Neecowen, Matilda L’Estrange, Poppy Scot-Dalgeish, Ally Brooks – 10:22.61
They may have finshed in 7th place in a high standard field, but this team smashed the old club record that stood at 10:53.26
Open Men 4 x 1500m: Caden Murray, Blake Barnes, Dylan Littlejohn, Michael Martello – 17:19.13
The old record stood at 17:30.0. An impressive breakthrough.
Five Highlights of the Relay Championships at Box Hill:
- The good spirit of the Valley camp on the hill. There was a wave of encouragement to all of the DVAC runners going past the club tent.
- Disappointment (1): Joshua Donnelly’s hamstring pulled him up after just three steps into his 200m leg of the Open Men Medley.
- Disappointment (2): A rather harsh decision to disqualify the first runner of the DVAC Men 40+ 4 x 100m team after an ‘unsteady’ was disappointing.
- Whooosh - the Men Under 18 4 x 100m team – Zack Lambie, Charl Louwrens, Sam Abolencia & Riley Neecowen clocked a 45.12 in the Heat & backed up with a 44.84 in the Final. Just outside the DVAC record of 44.55!
- Thanks to the generous people who brought food to put on the Valley bench. On a long day at the office, it was really appreciated.
CLUB HELPERS:
DVAC was only required by AV to provide one Club Helper at the Relay Champs. Station 2 was just outside the DVAC tent – Max Balchin was the DVAC volunteer.
VICTORIAN TRACK RELAY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Saturday 26 November 2022
Box Hill
DVAC Results:
Women:
FOP
Medley Relay: (Keely Boyne, Erin Hanlon, Fieke Van Der Kamp, Shania Murray) 4:32.05 (10th);
4x1500m: (Shania Murray, Matilda L'Estrange, Fieke Van Der Kamp, Ally Brooks) 19:43.39 (2nd);
F18
Medley Relay: (Katie Oliver, Charlee Dickson, Chloe Sia, Sugi Neecowen) 4:24.46 (5th);
4x400m: (Charlee Dickson, Sugi Neecowen, Chloe Sia, Katie Oliver) 4:12.62 (3rd); (Annalise Jones, Tayla Borg, Vanessa Smith, Luella Wood) 4:54.52 (7th);
4x800m: (Sugi Neecowen, Matilda L'Estrange, Poppy Scot-Dalgleish, Ally Brooks) 10:22.61 (7th);
F16
Medley Relay: (Maddy Meagher, Poppy Scot-Dalgleish, Jamieson Lander, Ally Brooks) 4:28.46 (9th);
4x400m: (Jamieson Lander, Georgia L'Estrange, Maddy Meagher, Poppy Scot-Dalgleish) 4:15.06 (1st); (Jamieson Lander, Georgia L'Estrange, Maddy Meagher, Poppy Scot-Dalgleish) 4:18.05 (P);
Men:
MOP
Medley Relay: (Damien Furlong, Josh Donnelly, Caden Murray, Jarryd Cripps) DNF;
4x1500m: (Caden Murray, Blake Barnes, Dylan Littlejohn, Michael Martello) 17:19.13 (5th);
M18
Medley Relay: (Charl Louwrens, Samuel Abolencia, Riley Neecowen, Joel Imbriano) 3:57.48 (7th);
4x100m: (Zack Lambie, Charl Louwrens, Riley Neecowen, Samuel Abolencia) 44.84 (6th); (Rowan Fletcher, Harley Gilbert, James Hurley, Joel Imbriano) 50.61 (P); 45.12 (P);
4x800m: (Joel Imbriano, Riley Neecowen, Ethan Armstrong-Bourne, Cameron Ellis) 9:14.05 (8th);
M16
Medley Relay: (Asher Andrews, Jaime Hvalica, Cameron Ellis, Ethan Armstrong-Bourne) 4:04.69 (6th);
4x400m: (Ethan Armstrong-Bourne, Cameron Ellis, Oscar Mielicki, Asher Andrews) 4:01.70 (6th);
M40
4x100m: (Lyal Douglas, Aaron Bourne, Arunan Arumainayagam, Alan Abolencia) DNS;
M50
4x100m: (Lalith Udugampala, Chris Boyne, Greg Luck, Ivan Dodin) 50.64 (2nd);
4x400m: (Chris Boyne, Lyal Douglas, Mark Tapping, Ivan Dodin) 4:22.97 (4th);
4x1500m: (Andre Obradovic, Rob Wendel, Mark Tapping, Andrew Mckenzie) 23:18.47 (7th);
