Trinity and Pymble Flex Form at National Schools Challenge

Trinity Grammar School and Pymble Ladies’ College have been crowned king of the kids at the National Schools Challenge, clinching Senior titles on the fourth and final day of a blockbuster weekend in Adelaide for the 2022 Australian All Schools Championships.

The renowned athletics programs dominated the Under 19 competition with well-rounded performances filled with both talent and camaraderie, ably led by their senior contingents on the day which offered challenging conditions.

Finn Ramanauskas and Benjamin Stevens were dominant in the field with marks of 1.95m and 18.69m in the high jump and shot put respectively, along with William Moir’s 6.67m performance to win the long jump. Jack Waide and Luca Gillard charged to a dominant quinella in the 1500m with times of 4:08.47 and 4:09.10.

Moir also clinched silver in the 100m with an 11.15 (+0.8) run, matched by Michael King who posted 50.58 over 400m. The team then punched in a fitting finish with a win in the Medley relay to cap off a successful day which saw them score 152 points.

Frankston High School took home silver with 140.50 points over Nudgee College in third on 124 points.

Pymble sailed to an emphatic victory with 190.50 points and wins flowing on the track and in the field, but it was their depth that shone with regular podium finishes throughout the day. 100m duo Gabrielle Taylor and Sienna Bond occupied two positions on the dais with gold and bronze respectively in times of 12.14 (-1.2) and 12.51 (-0.7), with Bond returning to win the long jump with 5.82m (+0.5) and Taylor having previously claimed silver in the 400m.

World Under 20 semi-finalist Olivia Rose Inkster cruised to 200m victory in 24.58 (+0.5) after winning bronze in the 400m, while Rehedyn Wong and Brianna Worsfold delivered crucial wins in the field with 40.82m in the javelin and 12.63m in the shot put.

St Aidan’s competed valiantly and were rewarded with silver for their 177 points, while Meriden School earned bronze with 159 points.

The momentum of Marist College Ashgrove proved too strong for Knox Grammar School in the Intermediate competition, charging over the top to claim victory with 161 points to Knox’s 157. Spearheaded by Lee Martin’s victory in the javelin when delivering a 52.95m effort, it was the team’s depth that paved the way to victory rather than top-end talent.

Knox’s Simon Tan took out the high jump with 1.79m ahead of Marist’s Ben Caughney (1.76m), a trend that continued through to the 100m with Knox’s Dylan Hall 11.22 (-2.5) defeating Joel Drew of Marist in 11.51 – but the Knox Grammarians were too strong through the 49 events on the day.

Victoria’s Wesley College held firm in the final events to win bronze with 143 points.

St Peter’s Lutheran College’s Toby Stolberg put an injury worry at the Australian All Schools Championships behind her to clear 1.66m and call it a day in the Intermediate high jump, a result that proved pivotal as the team upset Pymble Ladies’ College by two points to win the title.

Allira Takau won the shot put by over four metres with a clinical 15.00m performance to aid SPLC to victory, along with Jazelle Carter who smashed the 400m in 57.41 to win by daylight and Zoe Chester’s win in the long jump with 5.83m (-0.7) – holding off Pymble’s brave effort in the closing relay.

Moreton Bay college won bronze with 162.50 points.

Nudgee College and Stella Maris College flexed their youth in the Junior ranks, winning the respective titles with scores of 99 and 97 respectively.

Nudgee’s Ethan Grimshaw backed up his meet record at the Australian All Schools Championships with a run of 22.78 (-0.4) to demolish the field in the 200m, also taking out the 100m title in 11.15 (-1.1). Grimshaw was backed up by teammate Sean Putra Susilo’s 5.62m (+0.4) for gold in the long jump.  

A grandstand finish for the minor silverware saw Trinity Grammar School clinch silver with 83 points to Melbourne Grammar School’s 82.

Milly Gage and and Keira Toohey of Stella Maris College showed just how just how much fun the school was having today when holding hands across the finish line, separated only by the photo finish with times of 2:19.50 and 2:19.55.  

Amelia Steventon was narrowly edged out by St Aidan’s Aurrelia Boyd in the 100m with times of 12.89 (-1.5) and 12.95 respectively, but the minor win for St Aidan’s was not enough to make a major indent on Stella Maris’ lead.

St Aidan’s and the Presbyterian Ladies College battled it out to the final event for the minor placings, with St Aidan’s prevailing by one point for silver with 92 points to 91 for bronze.

Final team scores can be found HERE.

By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted: 12/12/2022