On October 26th, the scenic Crescent Park played host to the South Fraser Zone Championships. As the crisp autumn air filled the forested trails, eager athletes embarked on a quest to claim the coveted title of Zone Champion. This event marked a critical step toward qualifying for upcoming BC High School XC Championships, which are now less than a week away.
Each division was brimming with competition. In the Junior Girls category, a formidable field of 100 athletes set out to conquer the 4km course, while the Junior Boys, with a staggering 133 participants, took on the same distance. Meanwhile, the Senior Girls faced a demanding 5km route with 77 entrants, and the Senior Boys category featured an impressive 119 athletes vying for victory over the same 5km course.
Over 700 Photos | Footage | Full Results
As for how many berths for advancement were up for grabs, see below.
Junior Girls: 5 teams, 11 individuals
Junior Boys: 6 teams, 12 individuals
'A' Senior Girls: 2 teams, 3 individuals
'A' Senior Boys: 2 teams, 3 individuals
'AA' Senior Girls: 2 teams, 4 individuals
'AA' Senior Boys: 2 teams, 4 individuals
'AAA' Senior Girls: 3 teams, 7 individuals
'AAA' Senior Boys: 5 teams, 9 individuals
Now for the good stuff, let's get into the results!
Junior Girls
It is no surprise that Sasha Dehal of Panorama Ridge took top spot on the podium over the 4km course. She has been dominating the South Fraser League Meets with win after win and now has another gold to her name, having finished the race in first place by over 30 seconds with a time of 15:03.9. Janaya Sandhu of Ecole Salish Secondary placed second with a time of 15:34.6, while Katherine Kennedy rounded out the podium running 16:02.2.
Junior Boys
With his sister taking silver, Arjun Sandhu made it another medal for his family, having taken gold over the 4km race. Sandhu has already been showing his skill over various distance events and shows no signs of slowing down. During the 2023 track and field season, Sandhu broke the U16 Canadian Record in the 2000m during the semi-finals at the Legion National Championships; during the finals he took the bronze. As for the rest of the podium, Jericho Geddes finished second in a time of 13:02.4 and Isaiah Johnston was third in 13:07.2.
Senior Girls
Maella Hodgson is on a roll! She secured yet another win this cross country season, running 17:06.5 over the 5km course, finishing in first place by over 38 seconds. She is one of the clear favorites heading into this weekend's Provincial Championships. Joining her on the podium was Rachel McDonald, who recently committed to the University of British Columbia, where she will be studying science. McDonald placed second, having run a time of 17:44.9 and Veronica Dee was third, running 18:15.6.
Senior Boys
Yemane Mulugeta was a standout in his division. He took the win over 5km by 13.8 seconds, running 14:32.6. Mulugeta had quite the 2023 track and field season. He crossed the finish line second at the U20 Bell Canadian Track and Field Championships in the 5000m finals, was the Senior Boys 3000m Steeplechase Champion at the 2023 BC High School Track and Field Championships and was awarded Outstanding Male Performance at the Championships. As for silver and bronze, James Hodgson took second place, running 14:46.4 and Steven Brittain was third in 14:47.9.
Para
Abeti Gutsche from Saint John Paul was the lone para athlete who raced over 2.05km. He ran a time of 8:39.1.
See everyone as Provincials!