Brentwood College School had nine qualifiers for the provincial track and field championships from the Island meet last week, while Duncan Christian School wasn’t far behind with six.
To qualify for provincials, an athlete must finish in the top five in an event at the Island championship, with some exemptions.
Brentwood’s group included one gold medal as Keaton Heisterman won the senior boys 800m, while also placing second in the 1500m. Sam Prokopchuk also qualified in two events, taking silver in the senior boys long jump and placing fifth in the 200m. Also in senior boys events, Ope Remi-Adelasoye placed third in the 400m and Tony Else finished fifth in high jump.
Brentwood ended up fifth in the senior boys team rankings and ninth in the overall senior rankings.
Ben Rossouw, a national silver medallist last summer, will also represent Brentwood in the senior boys high jump and triple jump as an open zone entry.
In the junior ranks, Yang Luo took bronze in the boys 100m hurdles and placed fifth in triple jump, while Chloe Cady was third in the girls 1500m race walk.
Duncan Christian also claimed a gold medal at Islands as Rajan Hayer finished first in the senior boys Special Olympics 100m. DCS had a pair of double qualifiers in the junior boys events as Josh Greir placed second in both the 100m and 200m, and Jameson Hengstler was third in shot put and fifth in hammer. Michael De Vries qualified fourth in the senior boys high jump. Conor Hengstler placed sixth in both the junior boys discus and shot put, and qualified as an open zone entry.
DCS placed ninth in the junior boys team rankings.
Another gold medal at Islands went to Cowichan Secondary’s Jessica Castle in the 1500m steeplechase. Victoria Dailey also qualified from Cow High, finishing fourth in the junior girls hammer.
Katia Bannister of Chemainus Secondary doubled with gold medals in the junior girls 100m and 200m.
Three of Frances Kelsey Secondary’s four qualifiers came in junior girls events as Emily Carlson took silver in the 80m hurdles, Tahara Brown claimed bronze in high jump, and Jayda Lauzon was fifth in long jump. Mowat De Valk-Zaiss also qualified by placing fifth in the junior boys long jump.
Margo Blumel and Gina Martin each qualified in two events for Quamichan School. Blumel took silver in the junior girls 1500m race walk and fifth in high jump, while Martin was fifth in the junior girls hammer and sixth in high jump.
Queen Margaret’s School had one provincial qualifier as Gabrielle Austin placed fourth in the senior girls triple jump.