Leading NSW junior athletics head early entries for NSW cross country

Published Thu 09 Jul 2020

9 July 2020

Leading NSW junior athletics head early entries for NSW cross country

With six days until entries close, many of NSW’s leading juniors have confirmed for the first event in the re-launched Athletics NSW winter program. The gun will fire in the first event on Sunday 19th July when the NSW Short Course Cross Country Championships are held at Dapto on the NSW South Coast.

Entries for the first competition in NSW since mid-March have been growing and will close at 10.00 am on Wednesday 15 July, but early entries have confirmed strong fields for the resumption in competition. Go to nswathletics.org.au/events-home/ to enter.

2019 World Cross Country representative Sarah Schiffmann (MHA) will race in the under-18 3km. Aged 15 in 2019, she was the second youngest ever Australian to compete in the junior race at the World Cross Country Championships, where she placed a tremendous 42nd out of 102 athletes in the event held in Denmark.

For many of our junior athletes, the Dapto cross country venue, was a happy hunting ground 11 months ago when they competed at the Australian Cross Country Championships. A number of junior athletes crowned national champions on that day will be back next week, including Jaylah Hancock-Cameron (BAN) and Matthew McLachlan (TGS).

Youth Olympic Games medallist in 2018, Hancock-Cameron will line-up in the under-20 4km event. Last year she defeated a strong field in the under-18 4km event clocking 14:02. At the Youth Olympics in Argentina, Hancock-Cameron was brilliant in her pet event, the 1500m on the track, but key to her silver winning effort was a cross country performance which sealed the medal.

Trinity Grammar club athlete Matthew McLachlan will compete in the under-13 2km at Dapto. Last year he claimed the national 11 years 3km title in 9:50, defeating a field of 42 athletes.

He recalled his race:

“I went into the lead with about 600 metres to go, so I didn’t leave it too late or too early.” said McLachlan.

It was his second consecutive national cross country title for the Paul Switzer coached year 7 Trinity Grammar student.

Seventh placed athlete, Brandon Mitchell, from Run Crew, will also line up next week in under-13 2km in Dapto.

Illawong Athletics club’s Brooke Carson is another successful athlete from the national championships last year to enter for next week. Carson placed second in the 11 years at the Australian Championships in 2019, clocking 10:48 for the 3km event in her national stage debut.

“This is my first time going to Nationals; I never expected to come second,” said Carson after the race. “I was hoping for top ten at least, and I came across the line second!”

Next week the Jacinta Doyle coached athlete races in the under-13 2km.

Some other stars from the 2019 Australian championships and Athletics NSW 2019 season to have entered include:

Fleur Cooper (Mosman Athletics Club), 2^nd 2019 Australian 12 years Cross Country, competing in the under-14 2km.
Trent Alley (Run Crew), 3rd 2019 Australian 10 years Cross Country, competing in the under-12 2km.
Luca Gillard (Trinity Grammar Athletics Club), 3rd 2019 Australian 13 years Cross Country, competing in the under-15 3km.
Harry Hallen (Run Crew), 4th 2019 Australian 12 years Cross Country, competing in the under-14 2km.
Billy Mulvihill (Sydney Athletics Academy), 6th 2019 Australian 12 years Cross Country, competing in the under-14 2km.
Nathan Stanmore (Balmain) 1st 2019 Australian All Schools U16 1500m, competing in the under-16 3km.
Poppy O’Brien (Sydney Athletics Academy), 7th 2019 Australian 10 years Cross Country, competing in the under-12 2km.
Sarah Baker (UTS Norths) 4th 2019 Australian All Schools U14 1500m, competing in the under-15 3km.
Tayissa Buchanan (Athletics Wollongong) 1st 2019 Australian All Schools U14 800m, competing in the under-15 3km.
Emerson Leadbeatter (Macquarie Hunter), 2^nd 2019 NSW U11 Short Course Cross Country, competing in the under-13 2km
Mia Guillergan (Sydney Athletics Academy), 1st 2019 NSW U10 Short Course Cross Country, competing in the under-12 2km
Morgan Charlton (Asics Wests Athletics Club), 2^nd 2019 NSW U13 Short Course Cross Country, competing in the under-14 2km
Dylan Offord (Trinity Grammar Athletics Club) 2nd 2019 Australian All Schools U18 3000m, competing in the under-20 4km.
Mitchell Westhuizen (Knox Grammar School) 3rd 2019 Australian All Schools U18 3000m, competing in the under-20 4km.