NSW Relays Championships Review

19 November 2023

NSW Relays Championships Review

Two major records were broken at a busy 2023 NSW Relay Championships where 130 clubs competed at the major teams event of the summer. The open sprints are always hotly contest at these championships, and in 2023 we saw the women’s 4x100m and 4x200m records broken.

WOMEN OPEN 4x100M RELAY
Quickest in the heats, Campbelltown maintained their form in the final braking the five-year-old championship record held jointly by Illawong and UTS Norths at 45.42, by clocking 45.09 in the final. Ironically Illawong and UTS Norths would see up close their record go, as they placed second and third respectively, in times of 45.73 and 46.02. The Campbelltown line-up, which included three teenagers, comprised: Gabbi Bingham, Jessica Laurance, Tuliana Kabuyawa and Paige Campbell.

WOMEN OPEN 4x200M RELAY
Three UTS Norths teenagers broke the eight-year-old open women’s 4x200m relay clocking 1:36.16 in the final ahead of former record holders Illawong who were a close second in 1:36.80, while Campbelltown were third in 1:36.95.
Such was the depth of UTS Norths, they ran two different runners in the heat Steph Power and Matilda Harrison, while the finals line up was Kate Wahby, Gabby Taylor, Emma Lee and anchor Olivia Inkster. The race featured the return of the very talented former Sutherland athlete, Emma Lee. It has been a good start to the season for Inkster, Taylor and Lee, who in April will be pressing for selection in the Australian team for the World U20 Championships. 

MEN U14 4x800M RELAY
Sutherland’s under-14 distance runners showed they were form in the under-14 4x1500m on the Friday night just missing the championship record of 18:39.35, when winning in a time of 18:40.31. They received good competition from Run Crew (18:44.63), Trinity (18:46.16) and record-holders, Sydney Athletics Academy (19:08.78).
But on Saturday Sutherland went one better claiming one of the oldest records in the books in the 4x800m. The line-up of York McManus, Ben Wichgers, David Begovski and Lachlan Wheeler smashed the old record of 9:05.00 set in 1982. That record, also held by Sutherland featuring Daniel Palmer, who won numerous State titles during the 1982/83 season, and S Sutherland.
On Saturday Sutherland were 10 seconds under the old record clocking 8:54.71, with Trinity a close second and also under the record clocking 8:58.51.

WOMEN 200+ 4x100M RELAY
Illawarra Blue Stars fielded a very strong line-up in the women’s 200+ 4x100m relay to take down the meet record. Clocking 54.77, they broke the 2019 UTS Norths record of 55.54. The IBS line-up of Gianna Mogentale, a World Masters sprint champion, Lisa Quinn, Rina Flynn and Victory Runners National level sprinter Lauren Johnson. 

MIXED OPEN 4x100M RELAY
Camden club not only defended their State title, but equalled their meet record and without their Commonwealth Games representative Josh Azzopardi. The team brought in Cody Hasler to replace Azzopardi, joining Nathaniel Calvelo, Kaitlin Tattersal and Sundance Fuller. They clocked 43.56 to defeat two very strong Newcastle Runners Club squads, brisling with talent. Newcastle A was second and Newcastle B third. Their line-ups were A team - Jemma Pollard, Grace Hewitt, Joseph Bradshaw and Sam Taylor, while the B team and bronze medallists were Tiahna Skelton, Summah Harrison, Dinush Wickremaratchy and Rhys Dobbins.

MEN 200+ 4xSHOT PUT RELAY
This was a trilling event as two teams destroyed the old meet record. Record holders Balmain fielded a stronger line-up then when they set the record in 2021 with a then combined distance of 38.58m. NSW Masters were in trouble going into the final round with Steve Crocker sitting on two fouls, but on his final effort he putt 9.82m as they took the title and the record with a total of 43.95m, just 71cm ahead of Balmain. The line-ups were: NSW Masters Tim Huggins 12.28m, Gavin Murray 11.20m, Stuart Sutton 10.65m and Steve Crocker 9.82m. Balmain - Andrew Watson 12.00m, Michel Hemmings Jones 11.43m, Andrew Kohlrusch 10.74m and James Gifford 9.37m.

MIXED 120+ 4x100M RELAY
The Wests Track and Field squad smashed the meet record clocking 45.08 - over two seconds quicker that the two-year-old UTS Norths meet record of 47.41.  It was led by former NSW open medallist and National finalist Christine Wearne, a sub-11.70 sprinter in her prime and the improving Kiara Crandell. They were joined by Kenneth Vuong and Billy Spliatdis.

WOMEN OPEN 4x1500M WALK RELAY
Even without their world championships representative, Allanah Pitcher, it didn’t stop the Mingara women’s team taking down the 19-year-old record of 27:18.45. The Frank Overton coached Mingara team took 45 seconds off the old standard with the team comprising Hannah Mison, Hannah Bolton, Sienna Pitcher and Bridget Bell.

INDIVIDUAL MARKS
There were two most impressive high jump performances by Izzi Louison-Roe (16y) with 1.85m (missing 1.90m) and Mitchell Hatfield (17y) with 2.10m – 8cm PB.

OTHER MEET RECORDS WERE:

Men U18 4 x High Jump – Manly Warringah 7.70m (equal record) (Mitchell Hatfield 2.10m, Ivan Prizmic 2.00m, Jackson Dyne 1.90m, Cameron Tizzard 1.70m)

Women 200+ 4 x 1500m – NSW Masters 26:56.25 (Margaret Kenny, Caroline Yarnell, Bev Durston, Robyn Basman)

Women 160+ 4 x Shot Put - NSW Masters 39.53m (Gabriele Watts 11.08m, Kelly Hunter 10.78m, Danielle Nelson  8.84m, Narelle Forth 8.83m)

Women 200+ 4 x Shot Put – UTS Norths 37.57m (Caroline Layt 10.42m, Alice Bohdan 9.62m, Maria Cimino 8.86m, Kylie Strong 8.67m)

Women Open 4 x Javelin – St George 160.33m (Bianca Packer 43.79m, Hayley Blanch 42.29m, Camryn Harland 37.35m, Lili Macpherson 36.96m)

Women U14 4 x Long Jump – Sutherland 18.81m (Allegra Little 5.40m, Sophie Howson 4.76m, Sadie Rayment 4.63m, Rylee Nair 4.02m)

Men 240+ 4 x Javelin – Ryde 123.38m (Mathew Woodhouse 34.90m, 2 Andrew Atkison-Howatt 33.16m, Robert Hanbury-Brown 30.42m, Simon Bergfield 24.90m)

There were over a dozen inaugural meet records in new events on the program.

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW
Image: Olivia Inkster leads home UTS Norths to a 4x200m record. Jessica Thornton Illawong and Paige Campbell Campbelltown (image courtesy of David Tarbotton)