Dover Bay athletics is off to a fast start this school year. The senior boys’ cross-country team won the provincial championship on Saturday.
The LaserHawks broke through for the B.C. title after finishing third in five of the past six seasons.
“I thought the boys ran as well as they possibly could in the race and every single one of them reached their potential,” said Bob Saunders, the team’s coach.
The conditions tested their resolve. The Dover team walked the course in Aldergrove on Friday and found it firm, but an overnight downpour made things muddy and race day, too, dawned cold and wet.
Thomas Oxland led his team to victory, completing the 6.3-kilometre course in 21 minutes, 33 seconds, good for 12th overall. Anthony Serban in 21:55 and Peter Oxland and Miles Huynh, both in 21:56, also finished in the top 25 and Chris Serban’s time of 22:53 rounded out Dover’s team calculation. Carter Higgins and Wes Richardson also represented the squad.
“All the kids in our program have worked hard and these guys have certainly exceeded,” Saunders said. “All the races they’ve run, they’ve competed that hard in practice against each other, so it’s been a joy to work with them.”
Nanaimo District’s Miryam Bassett placed seventh in the 4.3km senior girls’ race with a time of 16:32. Nanaimo Christian School’s Marita DeSchiffart (16:56) and Wellington’s Amy Morris (17:16) also placed in the top 25.
Barsby’s Sean Miller was ninth in the senior boys’ race in 21:24.