VALLEY ATHLETES WIN REGION PENNANTS
The Diamond Valley Athletic Club has finished a highly successful season in the Athletics Victoria Shield competition with wins in four separate divisions. With the Region finals meeting cancelled due to heat, the premier team in each division was decided by top of the ladder after Round 12. This decision saw DVAC win the Women's Under 16 and Under 20 divisions as well as the Men's Under 16 and Men's 40+ divisions. Three other Valley teams that finished in second place on the ladder have won the right to compete in the state AV Shield finals next Saturday: these teams were in the Men's Under 14, Under 18 and Under 20 divisions.
There was a strong push towards the Finals by the Valley teams in Round 12 of the Shield program held as a Twilight meet on Tuesday 3^rd November. Close to eighty athletes turned out to advance their club's position and in the 4x200m relays, DVAC was able to field 13 teams.
The important contribution of athletes who are able to compete in a range of events was again in evidence in Round 12. The 2008 National Under 20 Heptathlon champion, Ashleigh Hamilton, used the Shield competition as part of her build-up to the Victorian Under 20 Heptathlon championship in two weeks time. Hamilton competed in the 100m, High Jump, Javelin and 4x200m Relay for the Women's Under 20 team. Team-mate, Amy Murray, who placed third in the 2008 National Under 20 Heptathlon had an even busier schedule, undertaking the 100m, 100m Hurdles, 400m, 4x200m Relay, Javelin and Triple Jump. The relay team of Hamilton, Murray, Crista Ashby and Alyce Folan won their heat in 1:48.2.
There are a number of athletes in the Valley men's team who challenge themselves across a range of events each week. In the final round of Shield athletics, two that typified this were Shaun Cooke (MU16) and Damien Cusack (M Open). Cooke, who recorded the quickest 100m time for his team of 12.33 went on to perform well in the 100m Hurdles, 400m, Javelin and the 4x200m relay. Cusack ran in the 400m, 800m and 3000m as well as the Men's Division 1 4x200m relay. In the final event on the program, the 400m, Cusack ran 55.7.
Of the top four sprinters at the venue, three were from Diamond Valley. They were Catherine Brennan (12.41), Monica Brennan (12.50) and Morgan Deane (12.85). The Valley's men sprint division was led by James Vine (U18) who ran 11.59 for the 100m and Dale Lyons (Men Open) who was clocked at 11.82.
Jared Hammett's throw of 46.32m with the Javelin was a standout effort for the Division 1 Men's team as well as personal best effort.
The Under 18 Men's relay team of Iain Douglas, James Vine, Nathan Riali and Shane Le Fevre ran the fastest time for the 4x200m relay for the Valley. Their time of 1:33.8 narrowly edged out the Men's Division 1 team of Damien Cusack, Justin Coutts, Dale Lyons and Travis Pike who combined to run a time of 1:34.5.
Christopher Rancie ran a season best time of 9:25.1 in the 3000m. Ben Norman finished in 9:42.0 and David Murphy lowered his previous best time to 10:05.1.
Club records were set by Lachlan Cowell (U13) in the 1500m Walk , 11:00.9; Robin Broberg (M60+) in the 3000m, 11:42.6, and 800m, 2:52.4; and Martin Fruin (Men Open AWD) in the Triple Jump, 7.09m. James Vine (U18) set a club record in the 110m Hurdles at Meet 3 of the High Velocity Club when he was timed at 14.89.
| F14 | |
| 80mH: | Smith, Kirby 15.80; |
| F16 | |
| 100m: | Brennan, Monica 12.50; Phillips, Leah 13.45; Pike, Danielle 14.46; Cowell, Jacqueline 14.92; Quinn, Samantha 16.04; |
| 400m: | Quinn, Samantha 77.9; |
| 800m: | Quinn, Samantha 3:05.0; |
| 3000m: | Benke, Maria 14:57.8; |
| 3000mw: | Cowell, Jacqueline 21:16.8; |
| 4x200m: | Jacqueline Cowell, Maria Benke, Samantha Quinn, Danielle Pike 2:06.0; |
| Hammer: | Stirling, Amy 20.90; |
| Triple: | Cowell, Jacqueline 8.15; Quinn, Samantha 7.19; Benke, Maria 8.23; |
| F18 | |
| 100m: | Brennan, Catherine 12.41; Ashby, Crista 13.13; Moodie, Victoria 14.77; |
| 400m: | Leeming, Sarah 76.2; |
| 3000m: | Girbau, Zoe 12:49.4; Hart, Kimberly 13:17.3; Leeming, Sarah 14:21.9; |
| 100mH: | Anderson, Jasmine 20.5; |
| Hammer: | Peachey, Anika 21.44; |
| Triple: | Ashby, Crista 9.88; |
| F20 | |
| 100m: | Murray, Amy 13.34; Hamilton, Ashleigh 13.45; Folan, Alyce 14.35; |
| 400m: | Murray, Amy 77.7; |
| 100mH: | Murray, Amy 16.8; |
| 4x200m: | Alyce Folan, Amy Murray, Ashleigh Hamilton, Crista Ashby 1:48.2; |
| High Jump: | Hamilton, Ashleigh 1.50; |
| Javelin: | Hamilton, Ashleigh 29.23; Murray, Amy 15.93; |
| Triple: | Murray, Amy 8.68; |
| FOP | |
| 100m: | Deane, Morgan 12.85; Di Girolami, Chiara 14.17; Fisher, Sarah 14.90; |
| 400m: | Crane, Jacqueline 63.2; Fisher, Sarah 70.0; |
| 3000m: | Campbell, Laura 11:53.6; |
| 100mH: | Fisher, Sarah 20.5; |
| 4x200m: | F1 - Sarah Fisher, Chiara Di Girolami, Jacqueline Crane, Morgan Deane 1:52.3; F2 - V.Moodie, K.Smith, S.Leeming, L.Campbell 2:12.2; |
| M14 | |
| 100m: | Geers, Sam 12.41; Phillips, Nicholas 15.55; Cowell, Lachlan 16.66; |
| 800m: | Neofitou, Dean 2:25.3; |
| 1500mW: | Cowell, Lachlan 11:00.9; |
| High Jump: | Phillips, Nicholas 1.45; |
| Triple: | Cowell, Lachlan 8.04; |
| M16 | |
| 100m: | Cooke, Shaun 12.33; Ashton, Brynton 12.69; Clancy, Joshua 13.04; Unney, Thomas 13.56; Lacock-smith, Patrick 13.60; |
| 400m: | Lunney, Thomas 60.4; Cooke, Shaun 63.9; Ashton, Brynton 57.4; |
| 800m: | Lewis, Jack 2:09.9; Ashton, Brynton 2:15.9; |
| 3000m: | Townsend, Paul 10:04.5; |
| 100mH: | Cooke, Shaun 15.4; Clancy, Joshua 16.7; |
| 4x200m: | Joshua Clancy, Jack Lewis, Thomas Lunney, Shaun Cooke 1:53.3; |
| Hammer: | Lacock-smith, Patrick 17.02; Clancy, Joshua 15.59; |
| Javelin: | Cooke, Shaun 38.65; |
| Triple: | Clancy, Joshua 10.42; Lacock-smith, Patrick 9.90; |
| M18 | |
| 100m: | Vine, James 11.59; Smith, Matthew 12.30; |
| 400m: | Riali, Nathan 53.2; Mills, Taylor 54.0; Smith, Matthew 56.2; |
| 800m: | Riali, Nathan 2:01.2; Douglas, Iain 2:06.0; Mills, Taylor 2:16.2; Henderson, Lachlan 2:25.4; |
| 110mH: | Vine, James 15.6; Smith, Matthew 16.0; |
| 4x200m: | Iain Douglas, James Vine, Nathan Riali, Shane Lefevre 1:33.8; |
| High Jump: | Henderson, Lachlan 1.65; |
| Hammer: | Smith, Matthew 19.08; |
| Triple: | Smith, Matthew 12.06; Henderson, Lachlan 11.54; |
| M20 | |
| 100m: | Mure, Anthony 12.08; Dixon, William 12.08; Romans Van Schaik, Beau 12.12; |
| 400m: | Dixon, William 53.6; Smith, Aaron 54.4; |
| 800m: | Smith, Aaron 2:10.6; |
| 110mH: | Romans Van Schaik, Beau 15.8; Smith, Aaron 15.9; |
| 4x200m: | William Dixon, Aaron Smith, Anthony Mure, Matthew Smith 1:34.9; |
| Hammer: | Smith, Aaron 14.75; |
| M40+ | |
| 100m: | Bevilacqua, Mark 13.68; Smith, Bernie 13.86; Neofitou, Spiro 13.90; Cowell, Lindley 14.06; Woodhead, Brian 14.28; Ford, Graham 14.87; Langford, Bradley 14.89; Fruin, Martin 15.37; |
| 400m: | Langford, Bradley 60.9; Cowell, Lindley 64.4; |
| 800m: | Lynch, Christopher 2:32.6; Broberg, Robin 2:52.4; Woodhead, Brian 3:02.7; |
| 3000m: | Champion, Philip 10:10.2; Lynch, Christopher 10:15.2; Wendel, Rob 11:01.4; Ramsay, Peter 11:07.6; Broberg, Robin 11:42.6; |
| 110mH: | Ford, Graham 22.7; |
| 3000mw: | Keirl, Bernie 16:22.2; Hammett, Gary 16:39.9; |
| 4x200m: | Mark Bevilacqua, Darren Quix, Spiro Neofitou, Bradley Langford 1:50.0; Team 2 - Graham Ford, Bernie Smith, Martin Fruin, Rob Wendel 2:03.2DQ |
| Hammer: | Stirling, Andrew 33.19; Ford, Graham 18.57; |
| Pole Vault: | Quix, Darren 1.95; |
| Triple: | Ford, Graham 7.80; Murray, Peter 7.20; Fruin, Martin 7.09; |
| MOP | |
| 100m: | Lyons, Dale 11.82; Pike, Travis 12.14; Coutts, Justin 12.18; Hammett, Jared 12.32; Lefevre, Shane 12.34; Edsall, Jem 12.81; |
| 400m: | Coutts, Justin 53.4; Hughes, Alastair 53.8; Cusack, Damien 55.7; Corden, Darren 66.0; |
| 800m: | Hughes, Alastair 2:00.3; Rancie, Christopher 2:06.8; Cusack, Damien 2:09.4; |
| 3000m: | Rancie, Christopher 9:25.1; Norman, Benjamin 9:42.0; Murphy, David 10:05.1; Cusack, Damien 10:28.2; Woodhead, Brian 13:31.7; Cusack, Michael 13:38.3; |
| 4x200m: | M1 - Justin Coutts, Damien Cusack, Dale Lyons, Travis Pike 1:34.5; M2 - Jared Hammett, Lachlan Henderson, Brynton Ashton, Jem Edsall 1:42.6; M3 - Bernie Keirl, Lindley Cowell, Brian Woodhead, Darren Corden 1:57.4; |
| High Jump: | Edsall, Jem 1.45; |
| Javelin: | Hammett, Jared 46.32; Drossinis, Andrew 42.54; Murray, Peter 17.84; |
| Triple: | Edsall, Jem 10.95; |