The Abbotsford Christian School Knights senior track and field team may have moved tiers, but that didn’t stop the squad from repeating as provincial champions at the B.C. track and field high school championships in Kelowna last weekend.
The Knights senior boys collected an impressive 41 points, breaking the record of 29.5 they set in 2018, while the senior girls scored 19 total points.
Both the ACS senior boys and girls won their respective divisions in the A tier, and also won the combined A championship with 60 points. Previously, the school competed at the AA level.
The 60 points were good for the fourth best total in the entire province. Only Walnut Grove, Oak Bay and Maple Ridge achieved more total points.
The senior boys were led by silver medalists Evan Castellani (400 metres hurdles) and Logan Onderwater (pole vault). Castellani finished just .38 milliseconds out of first place. Onderwater’s leap was .6m behind the gold-medal winner from Oak Bay. The senior boys also scored a bronze medal from Cole Brandsma in the high jump.
The seniors girls’ 19 points were two better than Southridge, and the win was highlighted by bronze medals from Johannah Brandsma (triple jump) and Cassie Brandsma (high jump).
In total, the Knights senior team is graduating 12 boys and four girls. Those 16 athletes have helped lead the Knights to eight Fraser Valley and six provincial titles over their five years competing at the Grade 8, junior and senior levels.
The next generation of Knights athletes also had strong days, with junior girls athlete Lexie Kampman winning bronze in high jump, James De Jager earning bronze in junior boys 1500m steeplechase and Spencer Langelaar taking home bronze in junior boys long jump.
The Knight Grade 8 athletes also had success, as Kendra Dewolde scored silver in the girls javelin throw with a toss of 30.43m. Kayla Schuurman also won bronze in the girls pentathlon.
The Knights Grade 8 girls also excelled in relay events, winning the first two provincial relay medals in school history.
The foursome of Naa Oskere, Schuurman, Diedre Simon and Naomi Brown won bronze in 4X100m. The same foursome then won silver in the 4X400m.
ACS students weren’t the only local athletes to excel in Kelowna, as several students from MEI and W.J. Mouat also took home medals.
Eagles athlete Josh Carsience scored silver in the junior boys pole vault, leaping a height of 3.6m. MEI also earned bronze medals from Marijke Meindertsma (junior girls shot put) and Kaitlyn Bay (Grade 8 girls triple jump).
Mouat’s Rachel Mortimer closed off an excellent high school track career with bronze medals in both the senior girls 3000m and 1500m races.
For complete results from the event, visit bctfa.ca.