Lynching the McEvedy Shield

​"This one's the best because I'm captain and it's my last," responds Dylan Lynch when asked which one of his four McEvedy Shield triumphs is his personal favourite.
 
Wellington College won the 95th annual McEvedy Shield at Newtown Park on Tuesday defeating St Patrick’s College, Wellington by 38 points.
 
It's a victory with origins as far back as December 2017.
 
“After Nationals we had a short break before we started holiday training. Five days a week we trained and 80 percent of the team turned up every time, which was awesome," Lynch explains.
 
Lynch broke the U14 3000m record in 2014 and has attended every single team practice since Year 9. This dedication Lynch believes earned him the appointment as team skipper.
 
"I guess the coaches saw me as a figure the juniors could look up to. The seniors try to lead by example with our actions," he says.
 
"I gave the boys a bit of a pump up on the day, reminding them to represent the college with pride and leave everything out there," Lynch continued.
 
Wellington won nine medals at the Nationals Secondary Schools Track and Field Championships last year in Hastings, their best effort in the last decade. Wellington is served by a quartet of quality mentors.
 
“Mr Tinkle is the administrator of athletics and sprints and high jump coach. He is a young guy who brings a lot of energy. Mr Paul is the distance coach and has been for 20 years. He knows a lot and really drives us hard. Mr Rawles specialises in the javelin. He went to St Pat’s Town and was a runner. He loves it. Mr Wells coaches jumping and throws. It’s a great team,” Lynch acclaims.
 
Lynch identified the performances of Cameron Robinson, Hartley Patel-Muxlow and Matthew Markham as particularly outstanding. Robinson threw a record 65.50m in winning the open javelin.  Sutcliffe led from start to finish in a commanding 1500m win while Patel-Muxlow broke the U15 triple jump record as well as claiming first in the hurdles and 4x100m relay.
 
Lynch himself was a winner on the day, claiming the open 3000m.
 
"It felt pretty good. I knew I had superior speed at the end so I sat in the pack and let it go at the right time,” he recalls.
 
Lynch is from Brooklyn and is working towards attaining a scholarship in the USA in 2019.
 
The College Sport Wellington Athletics finals are next Thursday at Newtown Park.