News articles

Great performances at Sandown Relays

July 12, 2017

Box Hill performed well overall in the annual Sandown Road Relays on 8 July, with 13 teams taking part . Four teams won their division, one came 2^nd, four came 3^rd, two 4^th, one 6^th and one 7^th.

Congratulations to our Under 20, Over 50, Division 4 and Division 6 men’s teams, all of whom claimed victories.

Our men’s Premier Division team was defending its title from last year, and clocked a faster time this year. However the competition responded and Box Hill finished 35 seconds behind St. Stephen’s Harriers and 5 seconds behind Melbourne University.

Our women’s Premier Division team ran four minutes faster than last year, but finished 6th in a strong field.

Thank you to Bob Sellwood, Simon Evans and Kirsty Ritchie, who acted as club helpers, and also to all those who were timekeepers. Your efforts are much appreciated.

Results:

Men Premier Division (Team place: 3^rd)

1. Andre Waring         18:55
2. Mitch Dyer              19:24
3. James O’Connell    19:28
4. Nick Baggott           19:25
5. Sam Dipnall            19:13
6. Will Potter              18:56

Men Division 2 (Team place: 2^nd)

1. Peter Green             19:11
2. Daniel Clark            19:26
3. Michael Dowel       19:29
4. Ton Snibson            20:37
5. Steve Dinneen         19:12
6. Klarie McIntyre      20:16

Men Division 4 (Team place: 1^st)

1. Jackson Deane        21:57
2. Callum Evans          21:51
3. Josh de Stefanis      21:45
4. Michael Petridis      21:45
5. Michael Vaughan    20:57

Men Division 6 (Team place: 1^st)

1. Russell Clowes        23:24
2. Karsten Mersch       23:07
3. Andrew Hester        24:31
4. Zac Hunter              22:08

Men Division 7 (Team place: 7^th)

1. Steve Ross               25:25
2. Jack Hill                  25:14
3. Simon St. Hill         27:33
4. Andrew Tunne        35:14

Men 50+ (Team place: 1^st)

1. John Meagher         21:16
2. Peter Stefanos         22:48
3. Garth Calder           22:23

Men 40+ (Team place: 4^th)

1. Kynan Dawes          22:09
2. Tony Langelaan      23:24
3. Anthony Whitby     24:57

Men Under 20 (Team place: 1^st)

1. Tom Sellwood         20:58
2. Mac Anderson         21:17
3. Alex Ritchie            20:19

Men Under 16 (Team place: 4^th)

1. Spencer Anderson   10:25
2. Thomas Diamond   10:32
3. Doug Buckeridge    11:05

Women Premier Division (Team place: 6^th)

1. Steph Kondogonis  22:58
2. Rhiannon Snipe      22:54
3. Georgie Meehan     23:08
4. Pia Hunter               24:53
5. Amy Rives              23:36

Women Division 4 (Team place: 3^rd)

1. Chloe Rosenberg     26:54
2. Caitlin Harrison      29:12
3. Rachel Johnson       25:33

Women Division 5 (Team place: 3^rd)

1. Carolyn Fox            30:58
2. Fiona Hansen          29:02
3. Kylie Crawford       31:07

Women Under 18 (Team place: 3^rd)

1. Nicola Hogg            10:33
2. Carly Atkinson        12:14
3. Amy Atkinson        11:10

Sandown Road Relays, July 8, 2017

July 8, 2017

GOOD PERFORMANCES AT SANDOWN RELAYS

Box Hill performed incredibly well overall, with 13 teams taking part in the annual Sandown Road Relay on Saturday. We had four teams win their division, one came 2^nd, four came 3^rd, two 4^th, one 6^th and one 7^th.

Congratulations to our Under 20, Over 50, Division 4 and Division 6 men’s teams who all pulled off victories on the weekend.

Despite the team running slightly faster than last year, when the team won, our men’s Premier Division team finished 3^rd this year. In what was a closely fought battle, Box Hill finished 35 seconds behind St. Stephen’s Harriers and 5 seconds behind Melbourne University.

Our women’s Premier Division team ran 4 minutes faster than last year, but in strong field finished in 6^th place.

Thank you to Bob Selwood, Simon Evans and Kirsty Ritchie who acted as club helpers and also to all those who helped as timekeepers. Your efforts are much appreciated.

Results:

Men Premier Division (Team place: 3^rd)

1. Andre Waring         18:55
2. Mitch Dyer              19:24
3. James O’Connell    19:28
4. Nick Baggott           19:25
5. Sam Dipnall            19:13
6. Will Potter              18:56

Men Division 2 (Team place: 2^nd)

1. Peter Green             19:11
2. Daniel Clark            19:26
3. Michael Dowel       19:29
4. Ton Snibson            20:37
5. Steve Dinneen         19:12
6. Klarie McIntyre      20:16

Men Division 4 (Team place: 1^st)

1. Jackson Deane        21:57
2. Callum Evans          21:51
3. Josh de Stefanis      21:45
4. Michael Petridis      21:45
5. Michael Vaughan    20:57

Men Division 6 (Team place: 1^st)

1. Russell Clowes        23:24
2. Karsten Mersch       23:07
3. Andrew Hester        24:31
4. Zac Hunter              22:08

Men Division 7 (Team place: 7^th)

1. Steve Ross               25:25
2. Jack Hill                  25:14
3. Simon St. Hill         27:33
4. Andrew Tunne        35:14

Men 50+ (Team place: 1^st)

1. John Meagher         21:16
2. Peter Stefanos         22:48
3. Garth Calder           22:23

Men 40+ (Team place: 4^th)

1. Kynan Dawes          22:09
2. Tony Langelaan      23:24
3. Anthony Whitby     24:57

Men Under 20 (Team place: 1^st)

1. Tom Selwood         20:58
2. Mac Anderson         21:17
3. Alex Ritchie            20:19

Men Under 16 (Team place: 4^th)

1. Spencer Anderson   10:25
2. Thomas Diamond   10:32
3. Doug Buckeridge    11:05

Women Premier Division (Team place: 6^th)

1. Steph Kondogonis  22:58
2. Rhiannon Snipe      22:54
3. Georgie Meehan     23:08
4. Pia Hunter               24:53
5. Amy Rives              23:36

Women Division 4 (Team place: 3^rd)

1. Chloe Rosenberg     26:54
2. Caitlin Harrison      29:12
3. Rachel Johnson       25:33

Women Division 5 (Team place: 3^rd)

1. Carolyn Fox            30:58
2. Fiona Hansen          29:02
3. Kylie Crawford       31:07

Women Under 18 (Team place: 3^rd)

1. Nicola Hogg            10:33
2. Carly Atkinson        12:14
3. Amy Atkinson        11:10

Congratulations Georgia!

June 23, 2017

Box Hill’s Georgia Griffith is the first Australian female athlete to achieve IAAF World Championship qualifying standards for both the 800m and 1500m.

Competing in the Portland Track Festival in Oregon, USA, Georgia ran a brilliant personal best of 2:00.9 to qualify for the World Championships in London later this year and next year’s Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast. This was the fastest time by an Australian woman since 2011.

Georgia claimed another World Championship qualifier when she won the 1500m High Performance Race with a personal best time of 4:07.32.  Well done Georgia!

Success at the State Cross Country Championships

June 22, 2017

Box Hill had another successful day at the Victorian Cross Country Championships at Bundoora Park on 17 June.
The highlights of the day included a great win by Georgia Hansen in the U20 6km event, another triumph by our Premier Division men’s team, a silver medal to Mac Anderson in the boys U15 All Schools event and a bronze to Nicola Hogg in the U15 girls race.
See below for Ian Sloane’s report

Results:

Under 14 Girls All Schools 3km Cross Country

17. Beanna Croall       12:00

34. Rox Phipps            12:41

35. Aimee Traverso    12:49

101. Mia Wilson         15:26

Under 14 Boys All Schools 3km Cross Country

4. Tom Diamond         10:24

33. Jonathan Harper    11:19

56. Rupert Clemenger 11:59

U15 Girls All Schools 4km Cross Country

3. Nicola Hogg            14:42

5. Ashlee Treagus       14:51

7. Mia Pope                 15:36

28. Thalia Worsam     16:55

U16 Girls All Schools 4km Cross Country

9. Georgia Durham     15:09

U15 Boys All Schools 4km Cross Country

2. Mac Anderson         13:16

8. Doug Buckeridge    13:50

16. Lachlan Doehmann14:13

28. Murray Lovass      14:53

73. Connor Ogilvie     16:44

U16 Boys All Schools 4km Cross Country

10. Josh Macken         13:17

U17 Girls All Schools 4km Cross Country

14. Sophie Westcott    14:45

22. Tamsyn Lovass     16:17

34. Carly Atkinson      16:36

68. Sophie Tadgell      20:08

U18 Girls All Schools 4km Cross Country

5. Molly McCarthy     14:38

11. Amy Atkinson      15:06

12. Amy Rives            15:10

26. Hayley McGoldrick 16:12

32. Jess Hepworth       16:50

53. Meredith Rule       19:26

U17 Boys All Schools 6km Cross Country

25. Isaac Holberton      22:43

U18 Boys All Schools 6km Cross Country

5. Tom Selwood         19:58

10. Darcy Powne        20:24

29. Kieren Hesse         21:31

31. Finn Macken         21:42

36. Austin Hunter       22:00

37. Sam Port               22:27

53. Kyle Winkler        24:15

U20 Women AV and All Schools 6km Cross Country

1. Georgia Hansen      21:24  (AV)

6. Louise Ton              25:23  (All Schools)

13. Hannah Wilson     27:28  (All Schools)

U20 Men AV and All Schools 8km Cross Country

5. Alex Ritchie            27:13  (AV)

5. Sam Rattray            27:39  (All Schools)

6. Scott McKenzie      27:48  (All Schools)

Women Open 10km Cross Country

Premier Division (Team place: 6^th)

21. Steph Kondogonis 40:10

26. Rhiannon Snipe    41:00

50. Pia Hunter             43:12 (1^st 50-54 years)

100. Chloe Rosenberg 47:04

101. Rachel Hohnson  47:11

Division 4 (Team place: 6^th)

136. Caitlin Harrison  51:14

154. Carolyn Fox        54:12

182. Beck Mitchell     61:07

Men Open 10km Cross Country

Premier Division (Team place: 1^st)

7. Will Potter              32:08

10. Steve Dineen         32:18

16. Nick Baggott         32:37

25. Mitch Dyer            33:08

28. James O’Connell  33:14

32. Andre Waring       33:25

Division 2 (Team place: 2^nd)

45. Oscar Robinson     33:55

46. Daniel Clark          33:59

47. Peter Green           34:01

48. Klarie McIntyre    34:08

65. Michael Dowel     35:16

86. John Meagher       36:15 (1^st 50-54 years)

Division 4 (Team place: 1^st)

91. Tom Snibson         36:26

126. Michael Petridis  38:17

148. Jackson Deane    39:00

151. Josh de Stefanis  39:04

169. Aaron Shorter     39:47

Division 6 (Team place: 1^st)

187. Zac Hunter          40:23

188. Peter Stefanos     40:24

252. Chris O’Connor  42:42

268. Tony Langelaan  43:20

Division 7 (Team place: 3^rd)

282. Anthony Whitby 43:57

290. Nick Harper        44:17

332. Jack Hill              47:03

392. Andrew Tunne    54:20

By Ian Sloane

Bundoora Park 10 Kilometre Cross Country 17 June 2017

Box Hill AC is performing exceptionally well in the Division 1 men’s competition in 2017 recording three victories in the first four events of the year.  The Division 1 team extended its winning streak by winning the major Cross Country race (provisionally) on the winter competition in the Victorian team selection race for the national championship inn Wollongong.  Weather conditions were very benign, with an air temperature around 17^?C and bright sunny conditions.  Oddly, however, many runners recorded times 30 seconds or more slower than they had recorded the previous year.

The Bundoora cross country race is the fifth race of the 2017 Athletics Victoria XCR season, and is regarded as the premier cross country event on the AV calendar.  Until last year, it was run over the traditional 12 kilometre distance for men and 8 kilometres for women.  Last year the winter XCR committee decided to run the event over 10 kilometres, the new international distance.  It was therefore the second iteration of this distance at Bundoora.

The junior races preceded the senior women’s and men’s races and all the underage races were combined SSV and AV races, starting with the youngest age groups and concluding with the under 20 races.  At the time of writing the junior combined races’ results were not available.  Box Hill had some top performances. Georgia Hanson had a standout run in the women’s under 20 race.  Prominent early, she surged and broke the spirit of all other competitors in a dominant fashion.  Once she got to the lead she continued to put distance between her and her pursuers.  In the men’s under 20 race, there were three Box Hill athletes.  Alex Ritchie was running in club uniform and Scott McKenzie and Sam Rattray were running in a Marcellin College uniform.  All performed extremely meritoriously.  Sam and Scott started off hard, whereas Alex was more cautious in the early stages.  All were in the top 10 after the race was started.  Sam was vying for the top three positions with Scott a little further back in the top six.  Alex was content to start off more conservatively.  As the race unfolded, Cody Shanahan (WES), Haftu Strintzos (GH) and another athlete running in a school outfit dislodged all other competitors.  Cassidy Shaw (Geel.) was a little way back.  Sam and Scott drifted a little off the pace, but maintained their form, and Alex started overtaking runners who had commenced too energetically.

Alex ran what could be arguably his best ever effort in a Victorian Cross Country race by finishing 6^th, and excellent effort.  He would have every right to be proud of this accomplishment.  Sam and Scott held their position in the concluding stages to finish 9^th and 10^th respectively, also a fine effort for both.

The senior women’s race looked likely to see a contest between Virginia Moloney (Collingwood), Cassie Little (formerly Higham) (Glen Huntly), Gemma Maini (Frankston), Alexandra Patterson (OX) and Anna Kelly (South Melbourne).  There were a number of the better-performing female athletes not competing.  There a few surprises when the race started over the three lap course (which consisted of a two kilometre loop, followed by two four kilometre laps). The course was a bit muddy having been churned up by the thousands of feet of under age group athletes in the previous races. Moloney, Patterson and Sarah Waters (Geelong burst to the lead and opened up a fair-sized gap on the other competitors, although Henrietta Lawrence (Frankston), Cassie Little, and Sophie Ryan all looked like they could pounce if someone dropped off.  Emilie Guy (Essendon) was also prominent. About three kilometres into the race our Box Hill leading performers were Steph Kondogonis about 26^th, Rhiannon Snipe Rhiannon Snipe, 29^th and Pia Hunter around 55^th.  Chloe Rosenberg and Rachel Johnson were quite close to each other further back. Other Box Hill athletes contesting the race were Caitlin Harrison and Carolyn Fox

The lead did not change hands once Moloney put in a long surge which Patterson and Waters could not respond to and Waters started to fade a little. Patterson was a clear second.  Sophie Ryan and Henrietta Lawrence were improving their position in the field.

Moloney ran over the line well clear of the second placed athlete to improve on the silver medal she won the year before in this race.  Patterson maintained her form, although 51 seconds behind the winner.  This was her best Cross Country performance.  Ryan held 3^rd position until very close to the end, when Henrietta Lawrence put in a huge finishing sprint and headed Ryan, relegating her to fourth and claiming the bronze medal for herself.

Steph Kondogonis ran a very fine race and passed many athletes by running sensibly and finished 21^st, in an impressive outing with a strong back end of the race.  Rhiannon Snape also looked in excellent shape, greeting the finishing line in 26^th position, also a fine effort. Pia Hunter was 50^th, an outstanding effort, and she would have every reason to be delighted with her form, winning her age group by a solid margin.  Chloe Rosenberg persisted to the line to claim 100^th position.  Rachel Johnson completed her race in 101^st, one position behind Chloe.  Caitlin Harrison finished 135^th which was an improvement on her 2016 result and Carolyn Fox was 152^nd. Beck Mitchell finished 180^th.

The senior men’s race was the final race on the program and, like last year, the same course was deployed as for the women’s race.  Box Hill had a very good representation and we were hopeful of as top place result.  Last year, Daniel Clark was on the course lending strong support to his club mates after recuperating from surgery.  It was great to see him running competitively in this major championship race this year representing our club.

When the starter sent the field on its way for the first two kilometre leg we had a sea of grey, white and black in prominent positions. Quite a large group separated from the body of the field, so after a little over a kilometre after the start, Will Potter was 3^rd, Andre Waring was 9^th, Steve Dinneen was about 14^th near Nick Baggott.  Mitch Dyer and James O’Connell were a bit further back.  Peter Green and Daniel Clark were a few places behind James and Mitch, with Oscar Robinson coming through after a conservative start.  Klarie McIntyre was in a similar position, running past competitors who had gone out too quickly. The leading group of male athletes included Andrew Buchanan (Bendigo), Matthew Clarke (Old Xavier) and Harry Smithers (Geelong) all looked strong at the front of the field.  Tom Fawthorpe (Ringwood), Matthew Johnsen (Doncaster) and Martin Mashford (Melbourne University) were also prominent and Will Potter was tucked in, in 6^th position. Toby Rayner (GH) also looked like he was making forward progress, Andre Waring held 8^th position, but there was a suspicion that he might have expended energy getting into a strong position so early in the race.

During the first of the two four kilometre laps three athletes had pushed the pace and started to move away from the other leaders.  Box Hill athletes held 6^th, 11^th, 16^th, 21^st, 22^nd, 26^th and 36^th positions at around the five k mark.

About seven kilometres into the race, Buchanan broke clear of Smithers and Clarke.  Toby Rayner was roaring through the field, making up ground on the three leaders.  Will Potter held 7^th position, Steve Dinneen was placed 13^th, James O’Connell was 15^th, Nick Baggott was 17^th, Mitch Dyer was 19^th and Andre Waring was 23^rd,, slowly losing a little bit of ground to other athletes who had been more conservative early.

In the concluding stages, Buchanan extended his lead to 180 metres and Clarke briefly challenged Smithers, but Smithers found a bit extra in the last kilometre and pulled ahead of Clarke by 11 seconds Toby Rayner finished fourth after a stellar last lap. Will Potter finished 7^th, which was a very good effort. Passing athletes in the concluding stages, Steve Dinneen put in a great performance to claim 10^th place. This was a gritty and determined effort for the team, typical of Steve’s character. Nick Baggott ran a fine race to finish 16^th.  Mitch Dyer will compete in five races this year, whilst he is here from America and he clearly adds another dimension with a strong performance like this one. James O’Connell ran 28^th.  Andre Waring placed 32^nd ensuring that Box Hill won the Premier division team’s race.  Others to make the top 100 were Oscar Robinson, 45^th, who passed many athletes during the race, Daniel Clark, 46^th, Peter Green, 47^th, Klarie McIntyre, 48^th, Michael Dowel, 65^th, John Meagher 85^th, and Tom Snibson, 90^th.

We are confident that we have won the Men’s Premier division team’s race from SSH and Melbourne University.

Have your say on the club

June 21, 2017

Box Hill is developing a new strategic plan to help direct our future efforts. We are seeking your input. It can be about on-track success, increasing registration numbers, improving facilities, social and fundraising events, or any other matter.

This is your chance to contribute to the future success of the Club, so please have your say and let us know what you think. Please email all contributions to bhacsec@bigpond.com

Victorian Cross Country Championships, Bundoora, 17 June 2017

June 17, 2017

SUCCESS AT THE BUNDOORA CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

Box Hill had another successful day at the Victorian cross country championships at Bundoora Park on Saturday.

The highlights of the day included a great win by Georgia Hansen in the U20 6km event, another triumph by our Premier Division men’s team, a silver medal to Mac Anderson in the boys U15 All Schools event and a bronze to Nicola Hogg in the U15 girls race.

See below for Ian Sloane’s report

Results:

Under 14 Girls All Schools 3km Cross Country

17. Beanna Croall       12:00
18. Rox Phipps            12:41
19. Aimee Traverso    12:49
20. Mia Wilson         15:26

Under 14 Boys All Schools 3km Cross Country

4. Tom Diamond         10:24
5. Jonathan Harper    11:19
6. Rupert Clemenger 11:59

U15 Girls All Schools 4km Cross Country

3. Nicola Hogg            14:42
4. Ashlee Treagus       14:51
5. Mia Pope                 15:36
6. Thalia Worsam     16:55

U16 Girls All Schools 4km Cross Country

9. Georgia Durham     15:09

U15 Boys All Schools 4km Cross Country

2. Mac Anderson         13:16
3. Doug Buckeridge    13:50
4. Lachlan Doehmann14:13
5. Murray Lovass      14:53
6. Connor Ogilvie     16:44

U16 Boys All Schools 4km Cross Country

10. Josh Macken         13:17

U17 Girls All Schools 4km Cross Country

14. Sophie Westcott    14:45
15. Tamsyn Lovass     16:17
16. Carly Atkinson      16:36
17. Sophie Tadgell      20:08

U18 Girls All Schools 4km Cross Country

5. Molly McCarthy     14:38
6. Amy Atkinson      15:06
7. Amy Rives            15:10
8. Hayley McGoldrick 16:12
9. Jess Hepworth       16:50
10. Meredith Rule       19:26

U17 Boys All Schools 6km Cross Country

25. Isaac Hoberton      22:43

U18 Boys All Schools 6km Cross Country

5. Tom Selwood         19:58
6. Darcy Powne        20:24
7. Kieren Hesse         21:31
8. Finn Macken         21:42
9. Austin Hunter       22:00
10. Sam Port               22:27
11. Kyle Winkler        24:15

U20 Women AV and All Schools 6km Cross Country

1. Georgia Hansen      21:24  (AV)
2. Louise Ton              25:23  (All Schools)
3. Hannah Wilson     27:28  (All Schools)

U20 Men AV and All Schools 8km Cross Country

5. Alex Ritchie            27:13  (AV)
6. Sam Rattray            27:39  (All Schools)
7. Scott McKenzie      27:48  (All Schools)

Women Open 10km Cross Country

Premier Division (Team place: 6^th)

21. Steph Kondogonis 40:10
22. Rhiannon Snipe    41:00
23. Pia Hunter             43:12 (1^st 50-54 years)
24. Chloe Rosenberg 47:04
25. Rachel Hohnson  47:11

Division 4 (Team place: 6^th)

136. Caitlin Harrison  51:14
137. Carolyn Fox        54:12
138. Beck Mitchell     61:07

Men Open 10km Cross Country

Premier Division (Team place: 1^st)

7. Will Potter              32:08
8. Steve Dineen         32:18
9. Nick Baggott         32:37
10. Mitch Dyer            33:08
11. James O’Connell  33:14
12. Andre Waring       33:25

Division 2 (Team place: 2^nd)

45. Oscar Robinson     33:55
46. Daniel Clark          33:59
47. Peter Green           34:01
48. Klarie McIntyre    34:08
49. Michael Dowel     35:16
50. John Meagher       36:15 (1^st 50-54 years)

Division 4 (Team place: 1^st)

91. Tom Snibson         36:26
92. Michael Petridis  38:17
93. Jackson Deane    39:00
94. Josh de Stefanis  39:04
95. Aaron Shorter     39:47

Division 6 (Team place: 1^st)

187. Zac Hunter          40:23
188. Peter Stefanos     40:24
189. Chris O’Connor  42:42
190. Tony Langelaan  43:20

Division 7 (Team place: 3^rd)

282. Anthony Whitby 43:57
283. Nick Harper        44:17
284. Jack Hill              47:03
285. Andrew Tunne    54:20

Cruden Farm, 27 May 2017

May 27, 2017

16 K Cross Country Cruden Farm (Langwarrin) 27 May 2017

Last year’s positive remarks about the 16 k Cross Country course selected by Athletics Victoria were strengthened this year.  There were a number of slight variations in the 2017 course, but the venue was in excellent order, and challenging too.  The Cruden Farm property belonged to Dame Elisabeth Murdoch, who passed away in 2012.  It is a spectacular location. The farm is 54 hectares in size and supports livestock. A look at the ground in the paddocks revealed the largest cow pats that most of the athletes had ever seen in their life and strove desperately to avoid whilst on the course.  The Open Men’s race was a well-designed course of four laps of four kilometres, and the other races were of shorter lengths, but on the same course as the men ran.

Box Hill had at least three standout successes.  Thomas Diamond won the Under 14 race.  Will Potter claimed the silver medal for the senior men’s race and the Box Hill Premier Division team appears to have won the Premier Division team’s title from Doncaster and Melbourne University.

In perfect weather conditions, all the athletes in each race were despatched by Gayle Anderson.

Thomas Diamond represented Box Hill in the under 14 race and ran brilliantly to win the race after finishing eighth last year.  He ran a really great race and pulled away at the end from all the other competitors.  He ran over the finish line over more than 17 seconds ahead of the silver medallist.  Well done Tom – an excellent effort.

In the men’s under 20 race, Box Hill was represented by Alex Ritchie, who finished very respectable eighth, after being very prominent for the first half of the race.  When the pressure was put on the field by Cody Shanahan (Western Athletics), first, and Cassidy Shaw (Geelong), second, the other seven in the leading bunch were not able to maintain their tempo.   Alex placed 10^th in this race last year so his 2017 placing was an improvement and he is not far from a top five finish.

Joshua James placed 35^th in the Under 18 event.

The women’s race attracted a field of 219 competitors.  Box Hill was represented by Rhiannon Snipe who ran a strong race to place 33^rd.  Steph Kondogonis was a little further back in 40^th position.  Pia Hunter, who is in very good form at present, placed 58^th. Rachel Johnson finished 107^th, Chloe Rosenberg was 123^rd, Carolyn Fox was 172^nd and Beck Mitchell was 189^th.  Virginia Moloney won the event, returning to form after placing 4^th at Wandin.  Anna Kelly (South Melbourne) is performing well at the moment and won the silver medal after Moloney managed to ease ahead of her later in the race.  Kelly won the cross country at Wandin.  Karinna Fyfe (Glen Huntly) won the bronze medal finishing ahead of Alexandra Paterson (Old Xavier) and Tarli Bird (Glen Huntly).  This leading group ran together in the early stages, with Karinna Fyfe passing Bird and Paterson to place third.

In the men’s 16 k cross Country race there was a large field of athletes assembled (around 355 runners). We had a very strong team although Matt O’Donnell was unavailable with a foot injury.  Sam Dipnall was not racing and Tom Snibson and Michael Vaughan were unavailable.  However, Box Hill’s depth is strong and the club performed well.  Also, it turned out that SSH and Melbourne University were not at full strength, and missing athletes. This gave Box Hill an advantage, and enabled Doncaster to produce a surprise 2^nd place in the Team’s race in the men’s Premier Division.

In the first kilometre of the men’s race Box Hill was well represented.  Steve Dinneen went to the  lead, with Ben Ashkettle (Doncaster), Will Potter (BH), Dejen Gebreselessie (Mentone) all contesting the lead in the early stages, with James O’Connell prominent in the leading bunch.  Also running in the lead pack were Anthony Aloisio (Richmond), Matthew Johnsen (Doncaster) Thomas Hynes (Ballarat), Leon Russell-Keely (Bendigo).  Ryan Geard (Western Athletics) and Nick Baggott (Box Hill) were not far off the front either.  Michael Dowel missed the start and had to work his way through the field.  Andre Waring started off mindful that it was a four lap course and worked his way into the race.

After the midway point in the first lap, Ben Ashkettle then took the reins and led for a while.  Later on Matthew Johnsen took over.  James O’Connell, slipped back, and that may have been as a result of the early pace at the front. Several athletes who were not initially in the leading group started to make progress through the field.  Liam Adams (Essendon) took a while to get going but made rapid progress in the second lap.  Mitch Brown (Essendon) ran a similar race – relaxed at the start and then he cranked it up the further the race went.  Steve Dinneen dropped off the lead group in the second and third laps, and Gebreselessie, Will Potter, Johnsen, Hynes and Ashkettle were vying for the lead.  Adams and Brown made good progress into the fourth lap.  Box Hill athletes who were making an impression were Oscar Robinson who commenced conservatively and passed many fellow competitors eventually, Michael Dowel who passed many, many athletes as he forged forward and Peter Green who was running solidly.

In the finishing stages, the contest was between Gebreselessie and Will Potter. Liam Adams was too far off the pace to pose a threat, as was Mitch Brown who passed Buckingham (SSH), Russell-Keely, Hynes, Ashkettle and Johnson to reach fourth position.  Will Potter ran to capacity, but Gebreselessie had a little more on the day and held off Will Potter in the concluding stages to win by just three seconds.  So Will came away with the silver medal, a fine accomplishment, and a much more accurate reflection of his fitness and ability that the Wandin result a fortnight earlier.  Adams won the bronze medal with Brown fourth and Johnsen, fifth.   Nick Baggott kept plugging away and crossed the line in 13^th place.  Steve Dinneen fought on passing a number of fellow competitors in the final lap to claim 16^th spot with Andre Waring two places further back in 18^th place.  Oscar Robinson would have been well pleased with his 31^st place.  He ran a very sensible race and passed many athletes the whole way.  James O’Connell completed our Premier Division team, placing 36^th.

Others to finish for our club (in Division 2) were  Peter Green, 39^th,  Michael Dowel, 43^rd, the evergreen John Meagher (56^th ) and winner of his age division and Welday Mebrahtu, 78^th.  Ed Doyle recorded 82^nd place in a strong run and Garth Calder was 96^th and second in his age category.

Josh De Stefanis placed 119^th, Michael Petridis was 121^st, Jackson Deane, 131^ST, Zac Hunter 160^TH, Peter Stefanos, 175^th, Chris O’Connor, 191^st, Nick Harper, 239^th, Robert Ashbridge, 252^nd, Simon St Hill, 308^th, and Andrew Tunne finished 338th.

Many athletes ran one to two minutes quicker than they did the previous year, which was a little surprising, because conditions were pleasant in 2016, although a little warmer.

Men’s results

Anticipated Division 1 team placings

1. Box Hill 116
2. Doncaster 141
3. Melbourne University 237
4. SSH 262

Women’s results

Wandin Park, 13 May 2017

May 13, 2017

Wandin Park 13 May 2017

The Victorian Men’s 8 k Cross Country Championship and Women’s 6 k Cross Country Championship races were held at Wandin Park near Wandin North on Saturday 13 May.  The junior Cross Country races preceded the senior races.  Weather conditions were mild and sunny, not the balmy 24º C that had occurred in 2016.

The course is a very tough course.  There a couple of realignments from the specific course run in 2016, which was the first time the venue was used.  It is really hilly with a number barriers to hurdle and several really hard climbs, coupled with sharp downhill sections.

We had a big roll-up for the senior men’s event with five senior Men’s teams finishing and 27 competitors toeing the line. At the time of writing, it appears that Box Hill came second in the Premier Division team’s race two points behind Melbourne University and 29 points ahead of third-placed St Stephens Harriers.  The Division 2 team will have also placed well.

When the race started, Will Potter and Nick Baggott were the leading Box Hill athletes towards the front of the field.  Matt O’Donnell, Andre Waring and James O’Connell all had a solid start as well, with Steve Dinneen and Peter Green a little further back. Oscar Robinson, Daniel Clark and John Meagher were also running well perhaps 40 to 50 seconds further back from our second group of athletes. Nick Earl (Melbourne University) broke clear after two kilometres, shadowed by Andrew Buchanan (now running for Bendigo).  There was a group of seven athletes running in a bunch near the leading pair of runners, including Dejen Gebreselassie (Mentone), Harry Smithers (Geelong), Liam Adams (Essendon), Will Potter (Box Hill), Isaac Hockey (Melbourne University) and Sean Guiney (SSH).  Ben Buckingham (SSH) was also prominent, as was Nick Baggott (Box Hill).  Further back was Matt O’Donnell, not so far behind the leading group.

Nick Earl surrendered the lead to Andrew Buchanan, early in the second lap.  Buchanan exerted pressure, with a long surge, which Earl could not respond to.  Once Buchanan broke Earl’s dominance, he surged to the lead and was not headed.  Earl hung on for second, with Gebreselassie, who finished third, narrowing the gap in the concluding stages. Will Potter surged at about the 6 k mark and held third place for a quite a way.  Unfortunately, with the effort that he expended to get into the medal position, Will was unable to maintain his form and five of his opponents got by him in the drive to the finish.  Will is running exceptionally well at the moment and he will learn from this race and is certain to beat most, if not all of these other athletes, this season. He demonstrated what great form he is in at the Jells Park Relays, and he will build on this during the winter season.  Ben Ashkettle (Doncaster) ran through the field in the second lap, improving from about 25^th to 6^th with an impressive second lap.

Nick Baggott ran exceptionally well.  He is a very accomplished athlete in the winter season, and if one considers that he was a promising 800 metre runner three years ago (and not a winter runner), his route to being a top winter performer is extremely meritorious.  He is a very reliable member of the winter team and always gives 100%.  Matt O’Donnell seems to be improving his fitness every week and performed very solidly.  It seems likely that he is on another upward trajectory, like he was last year.  18^th place in the race was a very fine effort for Matt. Our other Division 1 runners Andre Waring, 22^nd (a dramatic improver during 2016), Steve Dinneen (recovering form and fitness and passing runners right, left and centre after a cautious start), 26^th, and James O’Connell, 28^th, made up the team.  James is also likely to feature higher up the finishing order in future races.

Other athletes to perform well included Peter Green, 44^th (who improved his position during the race). Daniel Clark (who will enjoy the road races and relays at flatter venues quite a lot more than this very tough course), 50^th and John Meagher, who ran brilliantly to finish 68^th and take out the 50-54 age group title performed notably.  So did Tom Snibson, 88^th and Michael Vaughan, 94^th, both in the top 100.

Provisional results for the other male competitors can be found below.

The women’s race was conducted over a six kilometre course; comprised of a two k leg followed by a testing full four k. lap.  There were obstacles to vault and avoid (the same as for the men’s race) and the hills were tough, long and grinding.  It is a very challenging course, indeed.  Anna Kelly (South Melbourne) was a surprise winner, but she has been running well recently.  Alexandra Patterson, from Old Xavier, performed at her best to take the silver medal in a breakthrough performance, with Glen Huntly’s Karinna Fyfe claiming the bronze medal.  Kelly’s run was an excellent effort and she claimed her first Victorian individual title, according to the course announcer. It was a little surprising to see national representative from the World Cross Country, Virginia Moloney (Collingwood) beaten into fourth place.  No doubt, as the season continues, she will strive to do better.  Steph Kondogonis joined Box Hill AC this year and gave a very good account of herself, leading in our women’s team in 26^th place.  Rhiannon Snipe also performed well and finished 32^nd.  Pia Hunter had a stellar run and placed 58^th, eclipsing all the other runners in her age category to win the gold medal.  A tremendous effort, Pia – well done!  Kylie Crawford finished 156^th, and Caitlin Harrison completed the course in 161^stposition.

Alex Ritchie placed 4^th in the Under 20 Men’s trace, improving from his 8^th place last year, running an exceptionally determined race.  He seems to improve every time he has a winter outing! A visit to the podium, is surely not so far away.

Joshua James finished 39^th in the Under 18 Boys’ race.

Stella Crawford-Rust was 35^th in the Under 16 Girls’ race.

Thomas Diamond ran extremely well in the Under 14 2 k Cross Country finishing third in 7:00, just eight seconds behind the winner and 18 seconds quicker than he ran for the course in 2016.  Jonathon Harper finished 8^th in the same race.  Roxy Phipps placed 11^th in the Under 14 Girls’ race.

Provisional Open Men’s results

1 Andy Buchanan                Bendigo                                             26:05

2 Nick Earl                          Melbourne University                                             26:30

3 Dejen Gebreseselassie      Mentone                                             26:35

8 Will Potter                        Box Hill                                             26:59

11 Nick Baggott                   Box Hill                                             27:12

18 Matt O’Donnell              Box Hill                                             27:29

22 Andre Waring                 Box Hill                                             27:40

26 Steve Dinneen                 Box Hill                                             27:57

28 James O’Connell            Box Hill                                             28:05

44 Peter Green                     Box Hill                                             28:50

47 Oscar Robinson              Box Hill                                             29:04

50 Daniel Clark                   Box Hill                                             29:09

68 John Meagher                 Box Hill                                             30:20

88 Tom Snibson                  Box Hill                                             31:28

94 Michael Vaughan            Box Hill                                             31:38

107 Garth Calder                 Box Hill                                             32:05

108 Michael Petridis            Box Hill                                             32:06

115 Ed Doyle                       Box Hill                                             32:16

131 Carsten Mersch             Box Hill                                             33:31

161 Peter Stefanos               Box Hill                                             34:12

193 Chris O’Connor            Box Hill                                             35:14

219 Russell Clowes             Box Hill                                             36:10

232 Anthony Whitby           Box Hill                                             36:54

245 Jack Hill                        Box Hill                                             37:36

271 Rob Ashbridge              Box Hill                                             38:15

275 Nick Harper                  Box Hill                                             38:19

323 Simon St Hill                Box Hill                                             41:04

375 Andrew Tunne              Box Hill                                      45:53

Provisional Division 1 Men’s Results

1 Melbourne University       111

2 Box Hill                            113

3 SSH                                   142

Open Women’s results

1. Anna Kelly                    South Melbourne                                       21:57
2. Alexandra Patterson      Old Xavier                                       22:07
3. Karinna Fyfe                  Glen Huntly                                       22:09

26 Stephanie Kondogonis    Box Hill                                             24:51

32 Rhiannon Snipe              Box Hill                                             25:30

58 Pia Hunter                       Box Hill                                             26:50

156 Kylie Crawford             Box Hill                                             32:19

161 Caitlin Harrison            Box Hill                                             32:50

169 Carolyn Fox                  Box Hill                                             33:18

188 Beck Mitchell               Box Hill                                             36:22

Under 20 Men

1 Cody Shanahan                 Western Athletics                                             13:27

2 Samuel Toll                      Glen Huntly                                             13:39

3 Callen Goldsmith              Mornington                                             13:59

4 Alex Ritchie                      Box Hill                                             14:03

Under 16 Women

35 Stella Crawford Rush     Box Hill                                              15:58

Under 18 Boys

39 Joshua James                  Box Hill                                             18:22

Under 14 Boys

3 Thomas Diamond             Box Hill                                             7:00

8 Jonathon Harper               Box Hill                                             7:36

Under 14 Girls

11 Roxy Phipps                   Box Hill                                             8:10

Jells Park Relays, 22 April 2017

April 22, 2017

Jells Park Relays 22 April 2017

Box Hill AC had a stellar opening to the 2017 XCR Winter season, with a superb win in the Men’s Premier Division.  We also won the Men’s Division 4 relay, the 50 + Men’s race and the Under 14 Boys’ Relay.  Box Hill was first across the line in Division 6 (but by invitation), third in Division 2, third in Division 7, second in the Under 20 Men’s relay, 10^th in the Under 18 race and winners of the gold medal in the Under 14 Men’s division.

Our women’s teams finished 7^th in Premier Division, 4^th in Division 4, 6^th in the Under 18 competition and 7^th in the 40+ division.

292 teams started, many by invitation because athletes registering had missed a box on the AV web site that they had to check to compete in relay meetings.  It is hard to comprehend why athletes who have paid money to represent their club should be forced to say that in addition, they want to run relays as well.  There doesn’t appear to be any good reason for this.

Last year, the Division 1 team members performed extraordinarily well, holding second or third place until taking the lead in a decisive last leg from Will Potter who ran 33 seconds faster than he did in 2015, a tremendous improvement and had the tenth fastest time of all the competitors.

James O’Connell and Nick Baggott performed brilliantly last year when selected in the Division 1 team. James O’Connell improved his time over the two lap circuit by a huge 31 seconds from 2015, and Nick Baggott improved his previous best effort by an enormous 80 seconds from 2015.

This year there were some additional huge PBs on the two lap Jells Park circuit.  James O’Connell slashed a further 26 seconds off his 2016 effort in recording the 18^th fastest time of the day. Will Potter recorded the second fastest time of the day, pruning 12 seconds off his 2016 PB.  Matt O’Donnell flew around the course in his leg and shaved 56 second off his 2016 race time.  Matt recorded the seventh fastest time of the day, an exceptional performance.  What an amazing effort. Andre Waring went even better, dropping his time by a minute, to record the 21^st fastest time of the day (18:59).  Thomas Diamond, in the Under 14 event ran 11:03 in 2016 and ran the great time of 10:15 this year, a massive 48 second improvement and well worth drawing attention to.   This was the fastest leg of the day in the under 14 race.  Alex Ritchie also impressed in running 19 m. 59 in the Under 20 race.

In Division 1, the field was despatched a few minutes after the designated starting time.  Andre Waring was our first competitor, and he ran straight to the leading pack, sharing the lead when running down the hill after the uphill start.  By the time the first lap of the first leg was completed he was in around tenth position, but four of the athletes were from Division 2 teams.  Hockey (Melbourne Uni) led the runners, followed by Smithers (Geel.), Richards (Knox), Brown (Essendon) and Kelly (GH).  Andre was nearly level with Kelly. Mitchel Brown surged in the second lap, leaving all other clubs trailing in his wake.  The only athlete to hang on to an extent, was Harry Smithers, but this was the last time Geelong was to be in a medal-winning position.  Brown’s time was considerably slower than his previous efforts, but he propelled Essendon to the lead, followed by Geelong.  Then followed Melbourne University, Glen Huntly.  Box Hill was in fifth place after Andre handed over to Steve Dinneen, just ahead of St Stephens Harriers (SSH).

Steve got past Geelong to hold fourth place after his first lap, behind SSH (Sean Guiney) with Melbourne University (Frankie Conway) and Glen Huntly (Nicholas Hamnick) ahead of him.  The relative positions didn’t change in the second lap of this leg.  SSH held a narrow lead of eight seconds over Melbourne University.  Glen Huntly were a further nine seconds behind.  Box Hill changed in fourth positions 22 seconds behind third place.  Collingwood was fifth, nearly a minute behind our team.

Matt O’Donnell set off with great determination and he passed Glen Huntly (Mark Thompson) and Melbourne University (James Maguire) in his first lap, which he ran in 9 m. 03 s. This was a ripping lap and he closed the gap on SSH (Sam Quirk) to six seconds! He looked like he would roar past Quirk and did so shortly after, by the time he appeared in the distance running up the hill to the changeover point, he had opened up a solid gap and the changeover point Box Hill had a sixteen second buffer.  Matt should be extremely proud of his efforts – he brought the team from fourth to the lead and he converted a deficit of 39 seconds into a lead of 16 seconds, running a huge PB in the process.

James O’Connell was our fourth team member and he also set of with purpose.  When he took off, the lead was 16 seconds and by the completion of his first circuit, he had stretched it to 33 seconds.  This was a mighty effort.  Glen Huntly were in the bronze position, 12 seconds down on SSH with the Melbourne Uni team nine seconds adrift.  Doncaster had moved into fifth place, due to a solid leg by Matthew Johnsen.  When James completed his leg, Box Hill held a 41 second lead and he had pruned a whopping 26 seconds off his previous fastest time.  Another cracking effort and promises much for the winter season.

Nick Baggott was Box Hill’s fifth leg runner.  He maintained Box Hill’s lead and extended the margin by 22 seconds.  Lachlan Aspinall (SSH) and Charlie Park (Melb. Uni.) fell further behind, and Box Hill held a lead of 63 seconds over SSH and opened the gap over Melbourne University to one minute 58 seconds.  Doncaster raced past Glen Huntly, whose medal chances were now finished thanks to Nick’s strong run, his second fastest ever leg at Jells Park.

Will Potter ran brilliantly in 2016, and this year he was even better as noted above. Running the second fastest leg of the day, in itself a highly meritorious effort, Will held off a determined challenge from SSH (Ben Buckingham, who ran the third fastest time of the day) and pulled away from every other team.  Melbourne University, who were the 2016 winter runners up to Box Hill in the winter competition held on to third place, two minutes and two seconds behind Box Hill.  Fast finishing Doncaster (Ben Ashkettle) maintained fourth place to beat Glen Huntly and Essendon, sixth.

This victory was an excellent beginning to the winter season and we have great depth, with four of our Division 2 team members running under 20 minutes and one just over 20 minutes.

The Division 2 team faced a battle, with the three top placed teams performing very strongly.  Western Athletics won the race with a bold performance.  They had very fast times for Division 2 and would have finished in fifth place in Division 1.  Old Xavierians were second with a phenomenal run from David McNeill, an Olympian, running the sizzling time of 17 m. 26, one minute 52 behind Western Athletics.  Box Hill placed third with convincing legs run by Sam Dipnall, running an excellent time of 19:08, Daniel Clark (19:56), Peter Green (19:45) and Michael Dowel (19:33) anchoring the team to third place, 22 second behind Old Xavierians.

Premier Division

Andre Waring               9:17                 9:42                                      18.59

Stephen Dinneen          9:42                 9:51                                      19:33

Matt O’Donnell            9:03                 9:31                                      19:28

James O’Connell           9:17                 9:40                                      18.57

Nicholas Baggott                                                                              19:03

William Potter              9:00                 9:23                                      18:23

1. Box Hill                          113:29
2. SSH                            114:32
3. Melbourne University     115:31
4. Doncaster                      117.17
5. Essendon                       118:41
6. Glen Huntly                    118:59

Division 2

Sam Dipnall                  9:22                 9:46                                       19:08

Daniel Clark                 9:41                 10:15                                      19:56

Peter Green                   9:42                 10:03                                      19:45

Michael Vaughan         10:16               10:53                                      21.09

Klarie McIntyre                                                                                  20:03

Michael Dowel             9:40                 9:53                                      19:33

1. Western Suburbs             117:42
2. Old Xavier                      119:22
3. Box Hill                          119:44

Leading performances

Dave McNeil                OX                  17:46

Will Potter                   BH                  18:23

Ben Buckingham          SSH                18:25

Nick Earl                      M Uni             18:27

Mitch Brown                Ess.                 18:28

Harry Smithers             Geel.               18:32

Matt O’Donnell          BH                  18:34

Liam Adams                 Ess                  18:36

Matthew Clarke            OX                  18:37

Liam Cashin                 Western          18:45

Anthony Aloisio           Rich.               18:47

Callum Drake               Wes                 18:48

Isaac Hockey                M Uni             18:51

Reilly Shaw                  Geel                18:53

Bwn Kelly                    GH                  18:54

Sean Guiney                 SSH                18:56

James O’Connell        BH                  18:57

Thomas Thorpe            SSH                18:57

Ben Ashkettle               Don                 18:57

Andre Waring             BH                  18:59

Division 4 Results

1. Box Hill                  113:07
2. GH                          117:57
3. Maccabi                  118:14

Division 6

1. Box Hill (Invitation) 88:17
2. Richmond               93:20
3. GH                          94:53

Division 7

1. SSH                        90:48
2. Melbourne Uni       100:56
3. Box Hill                  102: 36

Under 20 Men

1. Mornington             62:21
2. Box Hill                  62:41
3. SSH                        64:20

Under 18 Men

10. Box Hill (Invitation) 33:59

Under 14 Men

1. Box Hill                  32:47
2. Williamstown         34:29
3. Collingwood           34:40

40+ Men

6. Box Hill (invitation) 70:03

50+ Men

1. Box Hill                  66:20
2. Victorian Masters   70:05
3. GH                          7149

13   Box Hill 2              84:01

BHAC Annual Report 2016 – 2017

April 21, 2017

BHAC Annual Report 2017 pdf