Cross-country running teams from both Nanaimo District Secondary School and Dover Bay Secondary School pretty much did the impossible this week.
The two schools both won Island championships Wednesday in Victoria, with NDSS winning the girls’ championship and Dover winning the boys’ championship.
That’s just not something that happens at Victoria’s Beaver Lake Park, where the Oak Bay Bays have built a dynasty in the sport – Oak Bay’s girls’ and boys’ teams had both won the last nine Island championships.
But on Wednesday, Nanaimo teens were just too fast.
ND’s Miryam Bassett won the individual Island championship in a photo finish, as her time of 16 minutes, 22.28 seconds was just enough to edge Nanaimo Christian School’s Marita DeSchiffart, whose time was 16:22.79. NCS’s Erica DeSchiffart was right behind in third place in 16:27.30. Carly O’Sullivan of ND was eighth in 16:43.05
Other locals in the top-20 include Rachel Elliott of Dover Bay, who placed 14th; Jenaya Pynn of Wellington who came 16th; Rebecca Bassett, NDSS, 17th; and Tkia King, NDSS, 18th.
In the longer boys’ race, Joel DeSchiffart of Nanaimo Christian School finished third in 20:54.55, while Dover Bay’s Thomas and Peter Oxland were seventh and eighth, respectively, with times of 21:30.29 and 21:38.79. Dover’s Garrett Dunlop came ninth in 21:40.32
Also posted a top-20 finish was Nic Ascui of Dover Bay who was 16th.
The NDSS and Dover teams plus all the Island’s top-20 finishers qualify to go to provincials in Kelowna Nov. 5.