EAGLEHAWK and Bendigo Harriers scored plenty of points in Saturday’s second round of Athletics Victoria Shield League track and field action at the Bendigo Regional Athletics Complex in Flora Hill.
The Hawks have made the jump to premier division and had a dramatic impact in the early weeks of the season.
Eaglehawk scored 49,390 in Saturday’s round as the powerful Essendon club led the way on 49,678.
The Hawks used the Powerplay and doubled their tally of nine to 18.
Bendigo Harriers also earned promotion after last season’s success and scored 28,227 to be the number one team in division two on Saturday.
Approaching their 100-year celebrations in 2022, Harriers had many stand-out performers in round two and led the round from Keilor St Bernards, 26,330; and Western Athletics, 25,478.
Division two includes South Bendigo which scored 23,907 to be fifth.
Bendigo University scored 3164 to be fourth in division five as Williamstown led the way on 7192.
Records tumbled in shot put at the Retreat Road complex.
A national open shot put champion and dual H.H. Hunter Athlete of the Year for Bendigo Region, Emma Berg achieved a mark of 14.26 metres to set the Bendigo Centre record.
The South Bendigo star now holds the Bendigo record for under-16, 18, 20, and open age groups.
Eaglehawk veteran Rhondda Dundas chalked up her third Centre record in shot put.
At 77-years-young, Dundas reached 6.45m to break the 70-plus mark of 5.39m set by Hawks’ clubmate Kathryn Heagney last February.
Dundas now holds Centre records for 50-plus, 60-plus and 70-plus.
In the 4 x 200m relay action, Eaglehawk’s team of Kenan Seebah, Kye Mason, Cameron Smith and Angus McKindlay clocked a brilliant time of 1:33.52 to go agonosingly close to the Centre’s record for the under-20 division.
Athletics Bendigo records officer Bill Trew said to equal the mark of 1:33.5 set by Bendigo Harriers’ David Colville, Scott Boxshall, Aaron Gamble and Marty Duke at Epsom in November, 1993 the Hawks’ quartet needed a time between 1:33.41 and 1:33.50.
Almost a fifth of the top 100 in the AVSL most valuable athlete award were from Bendigo Region clubs.
AB general manager, long-time coach and athlete Terry Hicks scored 1481 to be fifth in this week’s MVP race.
Also in great form for Eaglehawk were Angus McKindlay 1405, 11th; Lachlan Start 1335, 27th; David Chisholm 1323, equal 30th; Cameron Smith 1320, 32nd; Jorja Morrison Eh 1235, 56th; Scarlett Southern Eh 1207, equal 66th; Dude Kelly Eh 1207, equal 66th; Rosy Marsh 1154, 90th; Laura Kadri 1151, 92nd; William Beaton 1147, 94th; and Kenan Seebah 1139, 98th.
Highest points-scorers for Bendigo Harriers were Geoff Shaw 1358, 21st; Jake Gavriliadis BH 1303, 36th; Monique Gavriliadis 1175, 82nd; Peter Clarke 1166, 84th; and Neil Shaw 1140, equal 96th.
Two key members of South Bendigo’s powerful 60-plus squad, Joan Self and Jennifer Payne scored 1186 and 1164 points to be 74th and 86th in the MVP standings.
Saturday’s meet in Bendigo drew 139 competitors.
Breakdown of club numbers was Eaglehawk 55; Bendigo Harriers 36; South Bendigo 34; University 7.
Albury, Eureka, Old Scotch and Preston were also represented, and three competed on invitational basis.
Among the many top performers at Saturday’s meet in Bendigo were Eaglehawk’s Laura Kadri in the 100m and 400m; Eaglehawk’s Kye Mason in the 100m; South Bendigo’s Oliver Muggleton in 400m; Nathan Munro from Old Scotch in the 1500m; Bendigo Harriers’ Joel Riordan in the 2000m steeplechase, and clubmate Tiffany Bussem-Jorgensen in the 2000m walk.
The new pole vault mats were used in competition for the first time.
A world masters decathlon champion in the 70-plus class, Geoff Shaw from Bendigo Harriers cleared 2.60 metres.
Highs at javelin were the marks achieved by Albury’s Xavier Pitt, 50.38; Eaglehawk’s Lachlan Start and Dude Kelly, 46.46 and 43.33; South Bendigo’s Emma Berg, 31.26; and Harriers’ Rebecca Soulsby, 19.65.
Stars at shot put included Harriers’ Jake Gavriliadis, 14.63; South Bendigo’s Kai Norton, 12.37; Albury’s Xavier Pitt, 11.18, and Harriers’ Monique Gavriliadis, 9.95m.
At triple jump, Eaglehawk’s Lachlan Start hit a mark of 12.09m as William Beaton, 10.98; Harriers’ Jake Gavriliadis, 10.92; South Bendigo’s Abbey Hromenko, 10.34, and Naomi Henderson, 9.99, performed well.
Results:
