VALLEY SEALS THE SEASON SHIELD VICTORY WITH A WIN
In a wonderful end to the 2025/2026 AVSL Club Shield season, the Diamond Valley Athletic Club sealed the Premier Division premiership with a win in the last round. Going in to Round 10 in top spot with a four point buffer to second placed side, Eaglehawk, DVAC already had a good hold on the season premiership. The win in Round 10 saw DVAC emerge as premiers by a final margin of six points.
There were 71 DVAC athletes (28 Female & 43 Male) who won a total of 47,968 points across the Aberfeldie, Casey & Geelong venues to win the round by a margin of 3,602 points.
The season points tally over the ten rounds serves to highlight the stellar season that the DVAC athletes have produced. The DVAC athletes (& club helpers) earned a total of 508,228 points across the season. The club that came closest to this tally earned a total of 442,598 points for the season. Each Valley athlete who competed in the 2025/2026 season is to be congratulated on this achievement.
FOUR VALLEY AGE GROUP PREMIERSHIPS
DVAC went in to Round 10 with hopes of sealing an Age Group premiership in six of the sixteen age group categories: at the end of competition DVAC had won four of the categories and came runners up in another three.
Female Under 20:
A dramatic come from behind win saw the seven team members who competed in Round 10 earn 3,856 points to come from 846 points behind to win the season premiership by 1,032 points. The power of the Smith sisters, Vanessa & Tara was a driving force, gathering a total of 1572 points between them. Katie Oliver backed up her 24.82 for the 200m on Thursday at the HVC with a 24.95 at Aberfeldie to finish 4th in the top heat. Other Team members to compete on the day were Poppy Scot-Dalgleish, Mackenzie Genders and Ella Littlehales.
Male Under 18:
This one went down to the wire and Brodie Batt and his mates were riding every point on the day. They went in with a lead of 935 points but Geelong Guild clearly had their best team out to win. In the end, Brodie called the victory when the Valley team had the scores from the Steeplechase and Pole Vault to come in against one High Jumper at Geelong. Brodie was right – DVAC won by 740 points. M18 athletes to compete on the day were Jaxon Latchman, Harvey McGregor, Nicholas Tomkins, Glen Imbriano, Jack Daley, Ethan Armstrong-Bourne, Elliot Williams, Chehan Udugampala & Charlie Cooper.
Female Under 18:
Another battle for an Age Group premiership against Geelong Guild. With a lead of 626 points before Round 10 commenced the F18 team of six athletes on the day came out with determination and won the top points (4089) to confirm their position as the premier team, winning by 1,745 points.
Special mention must be made of Kirra Wright (T36) who spent much of the week in hospital but still made her way to Aberfeldie where she topped the MVA points for the Valley females with 1,112 points.
Liv Nicholls has been a driving force all season and will finish the season in third position on the F18 MVA list for all clubs with 10,231 points for the season. Other athletes to bring the win home in Round 10 were: Elisha Blair, Zoey Ryan, Hanna Rowe & Ines Caton-Smith.
Female 40+:
Could the combined talents of Kate Ryan, Meg Nicholls and Victoria Lindores go through the AVSL season undefeated? That was the only question to be answered. With a lead of 8000 points the Premiership was already won before Round 10. By the end of competition, the answer was an emphatic YES and there may have been a sip of bubbly imbibed to celebrate this wonderful achievement. Thanks must also go to the generous contribution of those 50+ and 60+ athletes who supported the trio in making up relay teams.
RUNNERS UP:
Female 50+:
Crept up on Keilor St Bernards in Round 9 to get within 610 points, but KSB put the foot down in Round 10 and skipped away to a clear victory. This was despite the great efforts of Debbie McKenzie (1,013 points for the day!), Sarah Gittins and Anni Rowe
Male 60+:
Claimed a few impressive wins in the latter stages of the season and contributed valuable points each week, but Collingwood finished the season with strength, winning Round 10. The continuing battle for bragging rights between Lyal Douglas and Jeff Young is far from settled and may it continue next Summer. Two team members that have contributed richly are Greg Luck, who leads the DVAC MVA points for the men with 8,188 and Bruce Wood follows closely on 8,004.
Under 16:
Took the lead by 621 points in Round 9 after a mighty effort. The Casey Cardinia U16 team responded with a huge score of 11,138 points in Round 10 to seal the deal & take the premiership. The DVAC team of 8 athletes scored 5,384 points to finish 4th in Round 10 and second for the season.
Zander Botha topped the DVAC MVA points for the day with 1,234 points. These points were earned through his performances in the 100m (12.01 – 388pts); Long Jump (5.82m – 402pts) & the 400m (51.72 – 444pts).
Other DVAC Age Groups and their position in Round 10, their score and their position on the season ladder at the end of Round 9 are as follows:
Female: Open: Rd 10 – 25th (1025) Season - 9th; Under 16: Rd 10 – 15th (2136) Season - 12th; Under 14: Rd 10 – 14th (1896) Season - 10th; 60+: Rd 10 – 4th (1867) Season - 6th;
Male: Open: Rd 10 – 9th (2678) Season – 5th; Under 20: Rd 10 – 1st (2739) Season - 7th; Under 14: Rd 10 – 20th (906) Season - 6th; 40+: Rd 10 – 11th (1041) Season - 9th; 50+: Rd 10 – 5th (3242) Season - 5th;
RING THE BELL
The PB Bell was constantly ringing at Aberfeldie last Saturday. Here is an incomplete list of pb’s but congratulations to all those who went above and beyond their expectations:
Triple Jump:Aylaa Arunan (F14):10.18m (was 9.66m)
Pole Vault:Charlie Cooper (M18):2.65m (was 2.60m)
Triple Jump:Liv Nicholls (F18):9.19m (was 9.06m)
Shot Put (3kg):Kirra Wright (F18) (T36):8.52m (was 8.46m)
(DVAC Record & Australian Para T36 U20 Record)
Shot Put:Vanessa Smith (F20):8.39m (was 8.04m)
Discus:Vanessa Smith (F20):32.09m (was 30.08m)
Discus:Asher Andrews (M20):40.18m (was 35m)
Discus:Meg Nicholls (F40+):12.42m (was 11.97m)
200m:Victoria Lindores (F40+):31.03 (was 31.90)
200m:Liv Nicholls (F18):29.22 (was 29.51)
200m:NicholasTomkins (M18):24.66 (was 25.16)
200m: Lalith Udugampala (M50):26.22 (was 26.31)
800m:Kirra Wright (U18) (T36): 3:34.04 (was NA)
800m:Kate Ryan (F40):2:54.92 (was 3:00)
800m: Jack Daley (M18):2:25.65 (NA)
800m:Sofia Norwood (F16):2:48.03 (was 2:53)
800m:Glen Imbriano (M18):2:00.80 (was 2:01,42)
(Report compiled by Max Balchin)
AVSL RD 10 2026
SATURDAY 28 FEBRUARY 2026
ABERFELDIE_CASEY_GEELONG VENUES
DVAC RESULTS:
Female OP
200m: Keely Boyne 24.45 (1.6); Sarah Papadopoulos 44.13 (+0.0);
800m: Sarah Papadopoulos 3:35.81;
Discus: Sarah Papadopoulos 13.48m;
Shot Put: Sarah Papadopoulos 5.36m;
Female 20
100m: Mackenzie Genders 13.76 (0.3);
200m: Katie Oliver 24.95 (1.6); Poppy Scot-Dalgleish 29.02 (+0.0);
800m: Poppy Scot-Dalgleish 2:38.94; Ella Littlehales 2:51.45;
Discus: Vanessa Smith 32.09m; Tara Smith SCR;
Hammer: Vanessa Smith DNS; Tara Smith 43.57m;
Javelin: Vanessa Smith SCR; Tara Smith 31.43m; Mackenzie Genders DNS;
Long Jump: Vanessa Smith DNS; Mackenzie Genders 4.77m;
Shot Put: Vanessa Smith 8.39m; Tara Smith SCR;
Triple Jump: Vanessa Smith 8.81m;
Female 18
100m: Elisha Blair 12.42 (1.0);
200m: Liv Nicholls 29.22 (1.3); Kirra Wright 33.29 (+0.0);
800m: Zoey Ryan 2:35.56; Kirra Wright 3:34.04;
2000m Steeple: Zoey Ryan 8:55.44;
Discus: Zoey Ryan 21.16m; Liv Nicholls 12.24m; Hanna Rowe 24.46m; Arianna Krebs SCR;
Javelin: Ines Caton-Smith 30.74m;
Shot Put: Kirra Wright 8.52m; Zoey Ryan 8.45m; Liv Nicholls 6.77m; Hanna Rowe 9.27m; Arianna Krebs SCR;
Triple Jump: Liv Nicholls 9.19m;
Female 16
200m: Sofia Norwood 31.78 (1.5);
400m: Talise Botha 69.37;
800m: Isabella Napoletano 2:31.21; Sanna Kersten 2:47.84; Sofia Norwood 2:48.03;
Long Jump: Talise Botha 4.36m;
Female 14
100m: Aria-Rose Cerqueira 13.52 (0.3);
200m: Maddie Laws 29.22 (1.3);
400m: Eadie Raso 66.02;
Discus: Aylaa Arunan 18.19m;
Shot Put: Aylaa Arunan 7.48m;
Triple Jump: Aylaa Arunan 10.18m;
Female 40
200m: Victoria Lindores 31.03 (1.5); Meg Nicholls 33.09 (1.5);
800m: Kate Ryan 2:54.92;
2000m Steeple: Kate Ryan 9:53.48;
Discus: Kate Ryan 19.55m; Meg Nicholls 12.42m;
Shot Put: Kate Ryan 6.48m; Meg Nicholls 5.77m; Victoria Lindores 6.76m;
Triple Jump: Meg Nicholls 7.22m; Victoria Lindores 8.30m;
Female 50
200m: Debbie McKenzie 37.31 (+0.0); Sarah Gittins 39.35 (+0.0);
800m: Debbie McKenzie 2:59.05;
2000m Steeple: Debbie McKenzie 10:08.91;
Discus: Sarah Gittins 11.62m; Anni Rowe 23.52m;
Shot Put: Sarah Gittins 5.66m; Anni Rowe 7.54m;
Female 60
200m: Michelle King 36.69 (+0.0); Jo Moxon 43.50 (+0.0);
800m: Jo Moxon 3:27.72; Michelle King 3:40.24;
2000m Steeple: Jo Moxon 11:11.42;
Shot Put: Jo Moxon 4.17m; Michelle King 6.40m;
Male OP
100m: Dillon Vidanapathirana 12.85 (0.1);
200m: Hayden Moon 23.43 (+0.0); James Hurley 24.21 (-0.3); Joshua Dowling 25.10 (-0.3); Dillon Vidanapathirana 25.19 (1.6);
800m: Jesse Littlehales 2:52.00;
3000m Steeple: Blake Barnes 10:34.09;
Discus: Caden Murray 15.55m;
Shot Put: Caden Murray 6.18m; Joshua Scott SCR;
Triple Jump: James Hurley 11.71m;
Male 20
200m: Jordan Rudd 27.03 (-0.1); Rhodri Whelan 27.95 (+0.0);
800m: Rhodri Whelan 2:10.09; Jordan Rudd 2:12.96;
Discus: Asher Andrews 40.18m;
Hammer: Matthew Casey 27.33m;
Javelin: Matthew Casey SCR;
Pole Vault: Asher Andrews 3.55m;
Shot Put: Asher Andrews 11.51m;
Triple Jump: Jordan Rudd 8.67m;
Male 18
200m: Jaxon Latchman 22.49 (+0.0); Harvey McGregor 23.63 (+0.0); Nicholas Tomkins 24.66 (-0.1);
800m: Glen Imbriano 2:00.80; Brodie Batt 2:01.38; Nicholas Tomkins 2:01.63; Jack Daley 2:25.65;
2000m Steeple: Brodie Batt 6:36.10; Nicholas Tomkins 6:51.19;
3000m Steeple: Ethan Armstrong-Bourne 10:04.13;
Discus: Chehan Udugampala 36.22m;
Hammer: Chehan Udugampala DNS;
Javelin: Chehan Udugampala SCR;
Pole Vault: Charlie Cooper 2.65m;
Shot Put: Elliot Williams 9.73m; Chehan Udugampala 12.50m;
Triple Jump: Elliot Williams 11.66m;
Male 16
100m: Zander Botha 12.01 (-0.9); Samuel Thompson 12.43 (-1.7);
200m: Josh Koegler 23.27 (0.9); Christos Kozaris 23.54 (+0.0); Jesse Porter 26.14 (-0.7); Angus Nicholls 29.44 (+0.0); Wilson Riley DNS;
400m: Zander Botha 51.72; Samuel Thompson 54.94;
800m: Yorke Murray 2:09.73;
Discus: Wilson Riley 31.25m; Angus Nicholls 18.85m;
Long Jump: Zander Botha 5.82m;
Pole Vault: Toby Hamilton SCR;
Shot Put: Toby Hamilton 8.89m; Wilson Riley 11.12m; Angus Nicholls 6.26m;
Triple Jump: Wilson Riley 10.16m; Angus Nicholls 8.05m;
Male 14
200m: Jacob Guyett 25.88 (-0.1);
Discus: Tommi Rowe 18.90m; Gabriel Kozaris SCR;
Shot Put: Tommi Rowe 7.60m; Gabriel Kozaris SCR;
Triple Jump: Liam Carroll SCR;
Male 40
200m: Cyrus Wong 31.36 (+0.0);
800m: Cyrus Wong 2:52.79;
Discus: Arunan Arumainayagam 12.63m;
Shot Put: Arunan Arumainayagam 6.56m;
Triple Jump: Cyrus Wong 7.62m;
Male 50
200m: Lalith Udugampala 26.22 (+0.0); Adam Scott 27.74 (+0.0); Darren Rudd 28.92 (+0.0);
800m: Scott Barnes 2:38.68;
Discus: Adam Scott 24.13m; Lalith Udugampala 32.50m;
Hammer: Darren Casey 22.99m;
Javelin: Darren Casey SCR;
Shot Put: Darren Rudd 8.31m; Lalith Udugampala 9.65m;
Triple Jump: Darren Rudd 9.31m;
Male 60
200m: Lyal Douglas 32.58 (-0.4); Greg Luck 34.52 (+0.0); Andrew McKenzie 34.99 (-0.4);
800m: Andrew McKenzie 2:47.78; Lyal Douglas 2:49.32; Jeff Young 2:56.93;
Discus: Luke De Biasi SCR; Bruce Wood 29.12m;
Hammer: Bruce Wood 26.44m;
Javelin: Bruce Wood SCR;
Shot Put: Greg Luck 6.63m; Jeff Young NM; Luke De Biasi SCR; Bruce Wood 10.27m;
Triple Jump: Greg Luck 7.74m;
Officials: Patrick Clarke; David Armstrong; Jane Lacock; Paul Schofield; Jeff Hughes;
