Records tumble at NISS Athletics...

Nick Smith (100m SB Champion 10.80s) - Photo Credit, Jo Murray

The athletics season culminated over the weekend with the North and South Island Secondary Schools championships. The North Island version was held in Auckland and there were several outstanding performances.
 
Girls
Hastings Georgia Hulls was undoubtedly the star performer of the entire meeting. She was the only quadruple winner capturing the senior 100, 200 and 400m titles as well as a relay gold. The National 100m champion didn't break any records, but her times were tidy. In the 400m she ran 57.03s. In the 200m she ran 24.65s and completed victory in the 100m with a time 12.18s which wasn't the fastest of the weekend. In the heat's of the intermediate 100m Gabriella Hayton ran a record 12 seconds flat. In the final she beat Kristen Clausen with a time of 12.22s. The finishing order was the same in the 200m decider.

In the Junior sprints Genna Maples completed the 100/200m double and was a member of the winning Wanganui relay team.

Other multiple winners were:
Charli Miller - Junior 1500 & 3000m.
Isabella Phanivong - Junior triple & long jump.
Kaia Tupu-South - Junior shot put & discus.
Tatiana Kaumoana - Intermediate shot put & discus.
Hannah O'Connor - Intermediate 1500 & 3000m.
Ashleigh Bennett - Senior long & triple jump.
Lisa Putt - Intermediate long jump, triple jump and 4x100.
 
The Records broken and not previously mentioned were:
Charli Miller - Junior 3000m, 10:06.59s (Previous Record: Hannah O’Connor, 10:10.64s, 2015)
Hannah O'Connor - Intermediate 3000m, 9:36.92s (Previous Record: O Jesson 9:59.35s, 1996)
Tanya Murray - Intermediate Javelin, 42.41m (Previous Record: Emma Fulbrook, 41.56m, 2013)
Maddison Wesche - Senior Shot Put, 15.66m (Previous Record: Diana Oloapu, 14.90m, 2015)
Mellata Tatola - Intermediate Hammer Throw, 52.77m (Previous Record: Emma Kruszona, 48.30m, 2013)
Libby Leikis - PARA 100m, 16.31s
 
Boys
In the boys event perhaps the performance of the weekend was that of Oliver Miller in the senior 400m. The St. Peter's College sprinter ran 48.55s to break the 36 year old record of Waikato's R. Aldridge.
Finn Seeds from Hutt International Boys' School capped his impressive season by winning the 800/1500m double while Nicholas Smith from Hutt Valley High School was another athletic to flourish from the capital. Smith won the 100/200m senior double.

Dominic Overend from Auckland and Jack Lewer from Manawatu were the only athletes to break two records each. Overend won the 80m hurdles in 11.03s and the long jump by leaping 6.40m. Lewer set new landmarks in the AWD shot put and discus. Ryan Ballantyne from St. Paul's Collegiate was in record breaking form. He threw 19.61m in the senior shot put becoming the first individual to pass the 19m barrier at the event.

Isaiah Priddey was fiercely challenged by Theo Quax (Son of Dick) in the senior 1500m, but cruised to a 12 second triumph in the 3000m.
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Multiple winners included:
Zion Trigger-Faitele - Junior Shot Put & Discus
James Guthrie-Croft - Intermediate 100 & 200m
Max Spencer - Intermediate 800 & 1500m

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