Consistency a key in Eaglehawk’s run – AVSL Round 7 Wrap

CONSISTENCY by many of long-time athletes and several newcomers has played a big part in Eaglehawk Athletics Club holding third place on the Premier division ladder after seven rounds of AVSL track and field action.

The Hawks again featured prominently in the most valuable athlete standings for the round.

Eaglehawk and Bendigo Harriers both put in strong performances at Saturday’s twilight meet at the Bendigo Regional Athletics Complex in Retreat Road, Flora Hill to be third in their divisions.

Premier division was led by metro powers Essendon and Diamond Valley.

Now in its 100^th year, Bendigo Harriers AC was third in round seven as Wyndham and Western Athletics led the division two race.

A depleted South Bendigo worked hard to be sixth in division two.

Bendigo University was fifth in division five and Shepparton was 10^th.

In the most valuable athlete race, Jake Gavriliadis from Bendigo Harriers scored 1357 points to be eighth in the weekend’s action run at venues across the state.

Best performances for Gavriliadis were discus, 40.54m; and long jump, 5.79m.

Eaglehawk coach and Athletics Bendigo general manager, Terry Hicks was to the fore once again.

A tally of 1350 put Hicks in 11^th place on the MVA table.

Highs for the Hawks’ veteran who competes in the 60-plus class were discus, 29.07m; 800m, 2.40; and high jump, 1.35m.

Bendigo Harriers’ Geoff Shaw was 23^rd in the MVA on 1298 points.

A World Masters decathlon champion in the 70-plus class, Shaw soared 2.85m at pole vault, leapt 1.35m at high jump, hurdled the discus to a mark of 23.12m and hit 4.12m at long jump in the latest Bendigo round.

A week after his stunning victory in the Sally Conroy Memorial 200m, Eaglehawk’s Cameron Smith marked a personal best of 1.71m at high jump and hit 5.69m at long jump.

Smith’s score of 1252 points earned 34^th place in the MVA standings.

Hawks’ clubmates Angus McKindlay and Jorja Morrison scored 1249 and 1244 points to be 35^th and 36^th.

Great results for McKindlay were 57.49 in the 400m hurdles; 5.56m at long jump; 11.67 in the 100m; and 23.08 in the 200m contest.

Morrison ran the 100m and 200m in times of 13.60 and 27.86, and achieved a mark of 20.32m at discus.

South Bendigo veteran Carol Coad has played a crucial role in the club’s dominance of the women’s 60-plus division.

Coad’s score of 1207 was 49^th on the MVA ladder and included marks of 20.65m at hammer, 2.60m at long jump, 19.20m at discus, and a time of 35.20 in the 200m.

Ringwood’s Narelle Messerle marked the trek to Bendigo by scoring 1199 points to be 53^rd in the MVA tally.

Messerle’s run included 24.09m at hammer, 17.91m at discus, and also competing at high jump and long jump.

A rising star at South Bendigo, Naomi Henderson (pictured) was 91^st in the MVA on 1093 points.

Highs for Henderson were 14.71 in the 100m, 31.87 in the 200m, 38.79 at 200m hurdles, 1.35m at high jump, and 4.27m in the long jump.

Just six points adrift and 92^nd in the MVA was Monique Gavriliadis from Bendigo Harriers who achieved a mark of 29.58m at discus, and leapt 4.58m at long jump.

Eaglehawk’s William Beaton scored 1087 points to be 93^rd.

Beaton’s best were 24.99 in the 200m, 63.87 in the 400m hurdles, 24.45m at discus, and 5.35m at long jump.

Another Centre record for the 70-plus class was broken at Saturday’s meet.

Eaglehawk’s Rhondda Dundas added to this season’s record-breaking streak after a best of 14.05m at discus.

Other athletes to impress at Saturday’s meet included Eaglehawk’s Kye Mason, 22.81 in the 200m; Shepparton’s Antonio Vaitho, 11.15 in the 100m; Bendigo Harriers’ Brady Threlfall in the 800m and 5000m; and Shepparton’s Glenn McMillan in the 800m.

Talented younsters Jordan Mathews from Bendigo Harriers and invitation athlete Kate Wilson cleared 1.40m and 1.45m at high jump.

Nathalia’s Rhys Hansen has joined South Bendigo Athletics Club and soared past the 2.85m mark at pole vault.

Round eight in AVSL is on this Saturday at the Bendigo Regional Athletics Complex.

First flight in field events is likely to be at 6pm.

This week’s field events are shot put, javelin, triple jump, and pole vault.

Action on the track starts with sprint hurdles at 6.30pm and will be followed by the 1500m or 3000m walk, 100m, 1500m, 3000m or 2000m steeplechase.

Clubs will also vie for Shield points in the 4 x 400m relays.

Finale to the track action will be the 400m from 8.55pm. The 400m is non-scoring.

Round eight will play a big part in the build-up to the St Anne’s Winery-sponsored Victoria Country championships being run from January 28 to 30 in Bendigo.