St. Mary’s Anna Ptaszek Secures First GHAC Title
By Larry Moko
Cross-country runner Anna Ptaszek of the St. Mary Crusaders qualified for the 2024 Ontario high school championships and at the same time out-legged a long time rival.
Ptaszek came first in the senior girls' 6,000-metre race during the Golden Horseshoe Athletic Conference meet at Bronte Creek Tuesday, edging out runner-up Maya Markowska of Burlington Central by 15 seconds.
Ptaszek's time was 22 minutes, 6.4 seconds.
Those two have been 1-2 at the wire many times before. However, Markowska most often had the edge -- like at the past two GHAC competitions when they were novice and junior and again at the Shnurricane Classic earlier this month.
On the track, too, Markowska has bettered Hamilton Olympic Club member Ptaszek in the 1500 metres several times.
"Anna got the up on somebody who had bested her for years at many competitions for cross-country and track," St. Mary coach Robert Zaccaria said.
The top five individuals in each of the novice, junior and senior age groups advance to the OFSAA meet Nov. 4 in Ottawa. First and second place teams also go.
"It was good ... fun to win," Ptaszek said. "I just pulled ahead about halfway through and kept the lead the rest of the way.
"This is the first GHAC I have beaten her."
Both are Grade 11 students.
"Anna is always a humble runner," Zaccaria added. "She's a great sport and a great person, someone who always focuses on doing her best. That's what I like about Anna. For her, it's all about personal growth as an athlete."
Previously at OFSAA, Ptaszek placed 32nd as a novice and fourth last year as a junior.
"She's got an excellent shot at breaking into the top 3 podium," the Crusaders coach said. "I hope that's in the cards for her."
In addition to the individual accomplishment by Ptaszek, the St. Mary novice boys' team punched its ticket to provincials. It was close, though. The second-place Crusaders finished only one point ahead of Oakville Trafalgar in the standings.
St. Mary was led by Simon Castelli, who came third in the 4,000m (15:07.9). Other Crusader placings that counted were by Jude Heinrichs (15th), Pharoah Opoku-Warner (22nd) and Luke Settimi (39th).
Andrew Bunkowsky of St. Mary earned an OFSAA berth, too, with a second-place finish (64th overall) in the Para division.
"The training for our boys clearly paid off," Zaccaria said. "It wasn't a shock. It was more jubilation. We were hoping they would qualify and they actually did."
In other action, the Cathedral Gaels senior boys' team raced to a first-place finish. Natnael Mulugefa (19:35.6) was sixth, followed by Jeremy Pinho (9th), Frederik Dreise (19th) and Terrance Kersteins (36th).
And for the second consecutive year the St. Thomas More Knights senior girls team has qualified for provincials. Their top four were Lidia Iannarelli (12th in 26.03), Callea Mule (15th), Kianna Reppington (17th) and Lyliana Jones (32nd).
In the junior girls' 5,000m event, Sophie Dobbin of the St. Jean de Brébeuf Braves cracked the top five with a clocking of 21:39.8, while teammate Alex Gray came third in junior boys (18:20.4).
Other Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic Athletic Association representatives who qualified for OFSAA include Coby King of the Bishop Ryan Celtics and Renton Leighton of the Bishop Tonnos Titans. They were sixth and seventh, respectively, in junior boys.
Photos by R.F. (Bob) Butrym, RFB Sport Photography
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