By R.B. Burton
The Haldimand Press
HALDIMAND—As the competition starts to heat up in the 2023 track and field season, Haldimand qualifiers have been pared down to the best of the pack, as 10 local athletes managed to finish in the top six at CWOSSA (Central Western Ontario Secondary Schools Athletics), held May 25 and 26 at Pauline Johnson Collegiate in Brantford.
Hagersville’s Abby Martin was the only Champion from Haldimand crowned, as she led the field in the Novice girls 400m, stopping the clock at 1:02.35. She also qualified in the 800m, finishing second in 2:30.74, and gained the position of alternate in triple jump with a seventh-place 9.40m. Should anyone in the top six drop out, she could advance in that event as well.
The only Haldimand athlete to qualify outright in three events was Cayuga’s Caitlyn Thompson.
She did this by virtue of her second place in the Senior girls 100m hurdles (16.16 seconds), third in javelin (Personal Record of 30.67m), and sixth in shot put (another P.R. of 9.23m).
The only other multiple qualifier was McKinnon Park’s Ronan Cole, who made it through with a third in Novice boys 300m hurdles (48.30s – P.R.) and a fourth in 100m hurdles (16.54s – P.R.)
Arguably the most exciting event of the meet was the Novice girls triple jump. Cayuga’s Crystal County improved her P.R. every jump, a couple of centimetres at a time. After five rounds, she sat second at 9.96m, only to be relegated to third when a jumper from Kitchener Collegiate Institute landed at 10.04m. County had the very next jump, and responded with 10.05m to move on to West Region as second qualifier.
McKinnon’s Emma Rabbat, last year’s OFSSA (Ontario Federation of Secondary School Athletics) Champion in Novice girls triple jump, qualified through in her specialty with a 10.21m for second place, while Dunnville’s Jalyn Taylor, who missed OFSSA last year by one clearance, ending up fifth at Regionals in a jump-off, also had a second place (1.43m) to move on.
Cayuga’s Gaven Mathiesen had a four-second P.R. in the Junior boys 1500m (4:34.52), but still could not manage to place in the top six. He made sure on day two, however, going out with the two leaders and outdistancing the rest of the field, finishing third in 9:32.23.
Two McKinnon high jumpers made it in the same category, as Novice boys J’Den Fraser and Ethan Matthews cleared 1.60m and 1.55m for third and fifth respectively.
Final qualifier was Nash Brophy of Dunnville, who finished sixth in Novice boys triple jump with a best of 10.69m.
The West Region meet is being held at Jacob Hespeler Secondary School in Cambridge on June 2 and 3. The top four in each event from that meet qualify for the OFSSA Championships, which are being held in Ottawa on June 8-10.
