By RB Burton
The Haldimand Press
HALDIMAND—If the results from the Debbie Miller Classic, held at Pauline Johnson Collegiate in Brantford, are any indication, there should be a lot of smiling faces from Haldimand County at the 2023 AABHN (Athletic Association of Brant Haldimand Norfolk) Track and Field Championships, which started this week after publication at the same track.
There were six records broken in the individual events, with three of them coming courtesy of Haldimand athletes.
The first came from Cayuga’s Caitlyn Thompson in the Senior girls 100m hurdles. Her 16.77s chopped almost half a second from the previous mark of 17.21s. Thompson also won the shot put with a best of 8.96m and finished second in the triple jump with a 10.12m mark.
The next record came from Hagersville’s Abby Martin, who sliced almost three seconds from the Novice girls mark set only last year by Philly van Nooten of Brantford Collegiate, lowering it from 1:06.03 to 1:03.39. Martin will have something to chase next year, as van Nooten lowered the Junior girls record to 1:02.99 in the very next race. Martin also took home a T-shirt for her victory in the triple jump with a 9.56m effort.
Gaven Mathieson of Cayuga Secondary rounded out the trio of local record setters, as he lowered the Junior boys 1500m mark by eight-tenths of a second to 4:38.44.
Other top-three finishes from Haldimand include Nadia Cucuz, Cayuga (first, Novice girls 100m – 13.97s); Sydney Sierdsma, Dunnville (second, Junior girls 100m – 14.16s); J’Den Fraser, McKinnon Park (third, Novice boys 100m – 12.67s/second; Novice boys high jump – 1.53m); Ronan Cole, McKinnon Park (first, Novice boys 100m hurdles – 20.19s); Owen Spurrell, McKinnon Park (first, 110m hurdles – 17.19s); Bethany Burrill, Cayuga (second, Senior girls 1500m – 6:08.24); Simon Burrill, Cayuga (second, Novice boys 1500m – 5:07.66); Koh McClung, McKinnon Park (second, Senior boys 1500m – 5:17.06); Mekhai Spence, Cayuga (first, Novice boys long jump, 4.97m; third, high jump – 1.45m); Ethan Mehlenbacher, Cayuga (third, Novice boys long jump – 4.78m; third, triple jump, 10.30m); Emma Rabbatt, McKinnon Park (first, Junior girls long jump – 4.20m; first, triple jump – 10.37m); Kalen McCormack, Dunnville (first Novice boys triple jump – 10.16m); Ethan Matthews, McKinnon Park (first, Novice boys high jump – 1.54m); Jake McKinnis, Cayuga (third, Novice boys high jump – 1.45m); Jalyn Taylor, Dunnville (second, Junior girls high jump – 1.47m); Marshall Hardy, Dunnville (Novice boys high jump – 1.45m); Kennedy Dutcher, McKinnon Park (second, Senior girls high jump – 1.35m); Ellie Grandin, Cayuga (first, Novice girls shot put – 8.51m); and Olivia Davidson, McKinnon Park (third, Senior girls shot put – 7.59m).
To qualify from AABHN to the CWOSSAA (Central Western Ontario Secondary School Athletic Association) Championships in two weeks time, competitors from this week’s competition must finish top two in their District.
The three Southern Haldimand schools (Hagersville, Cayuga, and Dunnville) are in District 9 with the Norfolk schools. McKinnon Park is grouped with the schools from Brant as District 5.
