It was a banner day for Maple Ridge runners at the Upper Fraser Valley Track and Field Championships in Abbotsford on May 3 and 4.
Two girls, Mateya Haintz and Aaryanna Kurucz, finished the meet by winning the junior and senior girls’ aggregate awards, a recognition of the top performers over the two days.
In total, Maple Ridge high schools will send over 40 athletes to the Fraser Valley Championships in Coquitlam next week.
Ken Elphick, a teacher at Maple Ridge Secondary School, said the meet was excellent for his Ramblers team that is always expected to be a tough foe on the track.
“The team looks pretty good, we qualified about 50 kids to the Upper Fraser’s and will probably get 30 to the B.C.s,” he said, hopeful for a repeat performance next week.
“Only one out of the possible 12 relay teams didn’t get through. We did well in a lot of fields.”
Maple Ridge students littered the leaderboards in most events. Alina Olsen, Haintz and Sydney Foster finished first, second and third in the girls junior shot put for MRSS. Pitt Meadows had three students finish in the top eight of their events, while Garibaldi’s Emma Felgnar finished behind Haintz in discus.
Haintz also won the discus and hammer throws, and Elphick can only marvel at the potential she shows every time she competes.
“She’s the best kid [for her age] in Canada at hammer throw,” he said.
The Fraser Valley is considered the most competitive zone in the province by many, so it’s arguable that those who show well in next week’s event will feel an extra bit of comfort when they run with B.C.’s best.
“If they can get out of the valley’s, they have a good chance to do well at provincials,” Elphick explained.
Other results:
• Aaryanna Kurucz, 1st, Senior Girls 100 M, 200 M &400 M (MRSS);
• Samuel Nelson, 1st, Grade 8 Boys Discus (MRSS);
• Emma Felgnar, 2nd, Junior Girls Discus (Garibaldi);
• Sierra Burrows, 2nd, Junior Girls Long Jump (PMSS).