Nanaimo Track and Field Club athletes took advantage of home track to win at the Elwood Wylie Memorial meet.
The host club topped the medal count at the Island series meet, held Saturday and Sunday at Rotary Bowl stadium.
For athletes in the 13-14-year-old age division, the meet served as the sole qualifying meet for the B.C. Games, and six locals have unofficially made the cut. Ben Toth in the 100-metre dash, 200m and javelin; Ethan Katzberg in the high jump and hammer throw; Keaton Heisterman in the 800m and 1,200m; Karly Dickenson in the 1,200m and 2,000m, Makayla Mitchell in the race walk and javelin and Kaitlyn Watson in triple jump are expected to be invited to compete for the Vancouver Island zone team at the B.C. Summer Games in Abbotsford in July.
A highlight of the Elwood Wylie meet was 18-year-old newcomer Chicago Bains winning the 100m hurdles in 14.62 seconds. Also, Nanaimo’s Jess Brewer set a new B.C. record for 70-74-year-olds, finishing the 80m hurdles in 16.40 seconds.
Among younger athletes, 10-year-old Haley Martin won the 60m, 100m, long jump and 60m hurdles; 12-year-old Sonya Urbanowicz was first in discus and hammer throw and 13-year-old Olivia Lundman was first in the 1,200m, 2,000m and 1,500m race walk.
Kynan Shurniak won the 100m dash and the 60m dash, along with the 600m and 1,000m in his 10-year-old boys’ division, and 11-year-old Krescyn Moonsamy was first in the 60m, 100m, 200m, high jump and long jump. Among 12-year-olds, Nate Paris won the 100m, 200m, 200m hurdles, high jump and long jump and Jayden Watson won the 300m, 800m and 1,200m. In 13-year-old boys’ action, Gage Zanette was first in the 800m, 1,200m, 2,000m and triple jump and James Wakefield won the 80m hurdles, 200m hurdles and pole vault.