By Larry Moko
For the fourth consecutive year Victoria Zolaturiuk of the Bishop Tonnos Titans has earned a trip to the Ontario high school track and field championships.
For three of those seasons, she qualified in both the 100 and 200-metre events.
The other year -- as a Grade 9 student -- she only competed in the OFSAA 100 because of her fifth-place showing in the 200 at the South Regional qualifying meet (only the top four advance).
"I've been to OFSAA every year of high school, but I've never medalled," Zolaturiuk said last week at the 2026 South Regionals in St. Catharines. "I've always come up short. This year looks like my best chance."
Zolaturiuk raced to victory in both her events. She took the senior girls' 100 metres in 11.42 seconds and the 200 in 23.88.
"I trained hard and I executed perfectly," Zolaturiuk said. "I'm very happy with my times. Today, running a sub-24 was my goal."
This year's OFSAA meet is scheduled for June 4-6 at Niagara Olympic Club.
"She's just blowing it out of the water," Zolaturiuk's Hamilton Olympic Club coach Heidi Davidson said of her progress. "She's having a PB every time she runs."
Zolaturiuk set a U20 women's indoor record (24.56) at the Canadian national championships last March in Toronto. And recently she agreed to a scholarship offer from London's Western University.
Last year, Zolaturiuk also won the HOC's prestigious President's Award. Former HOC president and coach Rich Gelder said: "Victoria has been a finalist throughout her OFSAA career, but now she's starting to be in the conversation for gold medals. She's improved by leaps and bounds."
The only other gold-medal winners from the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic Athletic Association were middle distance runner Anna Ptaszek of the St. Mary Crusaders and high jumper Josh Granger from the Cathedral Gaels.
Ptaszek took top honours in the senior girls' 3000. Her time was 9 minutes, 47.17 seconds, well ahead of the rest of the field.
Ptaszek also placed second in the 1500 (4:32.56).
Granger, an all-star guard with dunk ability on the basketball court, soared over the bar at 1.85m to finish first in senior boys' high jump.
Another Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic athlete who qualified for OFSAA in two individual events was Penelope Dodds. In novice girls' 400 she came second (59.64) and in the 200 she ended up second again (26.45).
Dodds is a cousin of Amelia and Olivia Dodds who both had standout high school track careers at More.
Also qualifying from St. Thomas More as individuals were a couple of other dash athletes. Danielle Charters advanced by finishing fourth in the novice girls' 100 (12.63) and Luca Rosa came third in the senior boys' 100 (10.69).
More coach Tania Grahn said Rosa and teammate Maleik Allen continue to turn in outstanding performances this spring. At the recent Golden Horseshoe Athletic Conference finals, Rosa and Allen finished 1-2 at both the 100 and 200m distances.
"They're great friends," Grahn said. "They compete in a friendly way.
"In one of the heats here (at South Regionals) they both had the exact same qualifying time. So that was interesting to see. They got a kick out of that."
Although neither qualified for OFSAA in the 200, they were part of More's 4x100 relay team that finished third (43.48).
Latoya Fletcher and Juliet Nguyen were the other individual More athletes to punch their OFSAA tickets. Fletcher was fourth in senior girls' high jump (1.50) and Nguyen qualified in girls' 800 intellectually impaired (4:20.37).
Other top-four placings by Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic: Kai Jeremie, Bishop Ryan, fourth, JB 400, 51.06; Miami McLean Lara, Brébeuf, fourth, girls' intellectually impaired 100, 19.90; Roedane Williams, Brébeuf, third, visually impaired 100m, 23.76; Nathan Osborne, Brébeuf, second, boys' 100 ambulatory, 30.91; Chloe Owata, Tonnos, third, NG long jump, 4.66; Adam Klotz-Foglietta, Brébeuf, second, JB discus, 41.58; Rodney Ebonzo, Cathedral, second, boys' intellectually impaired shot put, 8.20; Simon Castelli, St. Mary, third, JB 3000, 9:15.27; Lilly MacIntosh, Tonnos, third, NG high jump, 1.54; Fiona McFadyen, Bishop Ryan, fourth, NG javelin, 24.95; Karmyn Porco, St. Mary, fourth, NG 800, 2:21.73; Jayla Swistak, Cathedral, fourth, JG 300 hurdles, 48.39; Shay Paddy, Brébeuf, second, JB 300 hurdles, 43.74; Elijah Ibrahim Adekunmi, Brébeuf, third, JB 300 hurdles, 43.76.
In relay-race action, the following Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic teams earned berths to provincials: More, third, NG 4x100, Gabrielle Ajagunmo, Danielle Charters, Penelope Dodds, Evangeline Sullivan, 51.76; Tonnos, third, JG 4x100, Isla Cristiano, Aylla Peters, Chloe Owata, Siena LeMastra, 51.22; Brebeuf, SB 4x100, second, Saunjay Johnson, William Canjura Pena, Peter Konney, Isaiah Slegtenhorst, Anthony Mastrangeli, 42.92; More, SB 4x100, fourth, Maleik Allen, Luca Rosa, Zion Ilobe, Aiden Custodio, Landen Mehlenbacher, Savion Berrio, 43.48; Cathedral, Open B 4x400, fourth, Rayshaun Lewis, Ralph Decius, Daniel Nawej, Dieumerci Nguweneza, Anderson McEachnie, Josh Garing, 3:32.78.
