School mountain bikers shine at NZSS Nationals

Josh Burnett from Southland Boys' High School in action on his way to winning the under-20 cross-country title. PHOTO CREDIT: Clint Trahan.

​Over 100 schools from throughout the country gathered in Rotorua this week for the NZSS Mountain Bike Championships.
 
The championships comprised cross-country individual on Monday and team relays on Tuesday, both at Waipa Mountain Bike Park, with the downhill races at Skyline Rotorua which was hosted by Crankworx, the international mountain bike carnival.
 
Josh Burnett of Southland Boys High took top honours in the under-20 boys race on cross-country day, while local Ruby Ryan of Rotorua Lakes High took control of the under-20 girls race.
 
In the under-17s Angus Riordan of St Pauls Collegiate Hamilton won for the boys and Isobel Wotton of Trident High School took out the girls race with a 25sec lead.
 
The under-16 races saw Adam Francis of Palmerston North Boys win by nearly five minutes with Emma Lord of Mt Maunganui College winning it for the girls.
 
Hot off her win of both cross-country and downhill at the Altherm Mountain Bike National Championships last month, Rebecca Hufflet secured the win in the under-15 girls while local John Paul College rider Cameron Beck won the boys race with a comfortable 4m 30s lead on the field.
 
The under-14 titles went to Coen Nicol of Taupo-Nui-a-Tia and Seana Gray of Waikato Waldorf while the under-13 golds went to Tauranga Intermediate’s Harry Kneebone and Mokoia Intermediate’s Milla Phipps.
Day two was the Cross-Country team relay where Palmerston North Boys High won the junior (under-16) boys race with Baradene College winning the girls and Marlborough Boys for the composite team.
 
The senior (under-20) boys relay title was taken out by Macleans College with Trident High School winning the girls and Mt Maunganui College the composite race.
 
The final day was downhill which was staged amongst the Crankworx action at Skyline Rotorua. Local Ryan Hasting of John Paul College won the Uunder-13 boys in 3:47.68 while former world BMX champion Sacha Earnest of Saint Kentigern won the girls race in 4:21.71.
 
The under-14 races saw Hamish Powell of Nelson College and Caitlyn Flavel of John Paul College prevail while under-15 titles went to Wakatipu High School’s Max Caulton and Nelson College’s Rebecca Hufflett.
James MacDermid of Hamilton Boys High and Kalani Muirhead from Mt Aspiring College won the under-16 titles while Blake Ross of Cambridge High School and Maia Jowett of Wakatipu High School took out the under-17 grades.
 
The under-20 races were hotly contended for the boys where Subway National Performance Hub riders filled the podium with Josh Oxenham of Saint Kentigern taking the top spot followed closely by Sam Gale and Nico Fernandez. Brooke Robertson of Waimea College took out the girls.

Results:
 
Cross-Country, Female, 13 years: Milla Phipps (Mokoia Intermediate) 47:01, 1; Sacha Earnest (Saint Kentigern College) at 6s, 2; Greer Hall (Cambridge Middle) at 6:39, 3. 14 years: Seana Gray (Waikato Waldorf) 1:09.19, 1; Florence McNabb (Nelson Intermediate) at 15s, 2; Emily Hannah (Queen Margaret College) at 5:16, 3. 15 years: Rebecca Hufflett (Nelson College) 1:07:13, 1; Mia Cameron (Taupo Nui-a-Tia) at 2:07, 2; Meredith Bowler (Tauhara College) at 4:27, 3. 16 years: Emma Lord (Mt Maunganui College) 1:10:55, 1; Eve Smith (Trident High School) at 33s, 2; Scarlett Buissink (Epsom Girls Grammar) at 2:23, 3. 17 years: Isobel Wotton (Trident High) 1:09:7, 1; Mia Callingham (Mt Maunganui College) at 25s, 2; Caitlin Titheridge (Christchurch Girls) at 1:18, 3. Under-20: Ruby Ryan (Rotorua Lakes) 1:24:38, 1; Poppy Buissink (Epsom Girls) at 7:53, 2; Olivia Baker (Hillcrest) 8:42, 3.Male, Under-13: Harry Kneebone (Tauranga Intermediate) 1:10.43, 1; Hunter Adams (Berkley Normal) at 1:06, 2; Joe Millington (Belmont Intermediate) at 2:35, 3. Under-14: Coen Nicol (Taupo Nui-a-tia College) 1:2:47s, 1; Maui Morrison (Cambridge) at 2:34, 2; Max Preece (St Peter’s College Auckland) at 2:55. Under-15: Cameron Beck (John Paul College) 1:18:47, 1; Sean Onishi (Taupo Nui-a-Tia College) at 4:32, 2; Bailey Fredericksen (Trident) at 6:28, 3. Under-16: Adam Frances (Palmerston North Boys) 1:13:29, 1; Alex Rainbow (Tauhara College) at 4:58, 2; Ben Orr (Palmerston North Boys) at 5:52, 3. Under-17: Angus Riorolan (St Pauls Collegiate Hamilton) 1:16:08, 1; Troy Herdman (Otumoetai College) at 10s, 2; Kaia Dorr (Mt Maunganui College) at 1:07, 3. Under-20: Josh Burnett (Southland Boys) 1:29:06, 1; Maxwell Wickens (Wellington College) at 1s, 2; George Furniss (Macleans College) same time, 3.
 
Team Relay, Junior, Boys: Palmerston North Boys High 1:06:16, 1; Taupo Nui-a-Tia at 2:45, 2; Whakatane High School at 3:54, 3. Girls: Baradene College 1:28:01, 1; Epsom Girls Grammar at 6:10, 2; Whakatane Intermediate 1 lap, 3. Mixed: Marlborough Boys 1:17:47, 1; Whakatane High at 2:29, 2.
Senior, Boys: Macleans College 1:23:58, 1; Tauranga Boys at 2:47, 2; Auckland Grammar at 4:08m, 3. Girls: Trident 1:49:48, 1; Epsom Girls at 19s, 2; John Paul College 1 lap, 3. Mixed: Mt Maunganui College 1:39:26, 1; Waimea College at 3:03, 2; Macleans College at 7:28, 3.
 
Downhill, Male, Under-13: Ryan Hastings (John Paul College) 3:47.68, 1; Bill Axon (Reremoana Primary School) at 15s, 2; William Savage (Tauranga Intermediatel) at 42s, 3. Under-14: Hamish Powell (Nelson College) 3:36.75, 1; Jake Earnest (ACG Parnell College) at 6s, 2; Tom Hoare (Nelson College) at 12s, 3. Under-15: Max Caulton (Wakatipu High School) 3:34.59, 1; Lachlan Stevens-McNab (John Paul College) at 2s, 2; Cameron Beck (John Paul College) 6s, 3. Under-16: James MacDermid (Hamilton Boys) 3:14.11, 1; Luke Hayman (Waitaki Boys) at 9s, 2; Ross Marcus (St Pauls Collegiate) at 10s, 3. Under-17: Blake Ross (Cambridge High) 2:58.43, 1; Finn Hawkesby-Browne (Hagley College) at 6s, 2; Finn Parsons (Rotorua Boyd) at 8s, 3. Under-20: Joshua Oxenham (Saint Kentigern College) 3:01.71, 1; Sam Gale (Waimea College) at 8s, 2; Nico Fernandez (Wakitipu High) at 10s, 3.
Female, Under-13: Sacha Earnest (Saint Kentigern) 4:21.71, 1. Under-14: Caitlyn Flavell (John Paul College) 4:18.07, 1. Under-15: Rebecca Hufflet (Nelson College) 4:14.08, 1; Jenna Hastings (John Paul College) at 2s, 2; Mia Cameron (Taupo Nui-a-Tia) 1:34, 3. Under-16: Kalani Muirhead (Mt Aspiring College) 4:23.23, 1; Millie Day (Kapiti College) at 21s, 2. Under-17: Maia Jowett (Wakatipu High) 4:26.31, 1; Olivia Lambert (Waimea College) at 1.23m, 2. Under-20: Brooke Robertson (Waimea College) 9:51.74, 1.