By Larry Moko
Top-ranked track and field qualifiers from the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic School Board are about to become very familiar with the Queen Elizabeth Highway.
That's because both the 2026 South Regional meet and OFSAA championships are scheduled to be held in St. Catharines.
Niagara Olympic Club will be the site for five days of competition.
Action begins with South Regionals from May 28-29.
And following that, it's the provincial high school showcase event from June 4-6.
In recent weeks, the Ray Lewis Track and Field Centre at Mohawk Sports Park was the scene of the Golden Horseshoe Athletic Conference championships for Hamilton Catholic and Halton schools. The three-day meet wrapped up May 22.
The top five finishers in each event qualify for South Regionals.
This year, 39 schools and 1,619 athletes took part in GHAC.
In the girls' 4x100m novice relay, a GHAC record was set by the St. Thomas More foursome of Penelope Dodds, Gabrielle Ajagunmo, Danielle Charters and Evangelina Sullivan. They sped to victory in 51.81 seconds. Dodds also won at the 400m distance in 59.40.
Another outstanding performance by More came in the senior boys' sprints. Luca Rosa was a double gold-medal winner in the 100 and 200m (10.90 and 21.93 seconds, respectively), while his teammate, Maleik Allen, finished second in each.
Other double-gold winners were Simon Castelli of St. Mary along with Bishop Tonnos' Reese FitzGibbon and Alina Finochio.
Castelli took the junior boys' 3,000m (9:28.73) and 1500m (4:17.73).
FitzGibbon, the defending OFSAA novice champion in girls' discus, had a winning GHAC toss this year of 32.32m in junior. She also finished first in shot put (11.34) and came second in javelin (28.65).
Finochio led the novice girls' field in discus (24.45m) and shot put (8.89m).
Other Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic gold-medal winners were Anna Ptaszek of St. Mary (SG 3,000, 10:15.94); Mohammed Abbass of Bishop Ryan (NB 800, 2:12.96); Anthony Mastrangeli of St. Jean de Brébeuf (SB 400 hurdles, 59.21); Lilly MacIntosh of Tonnos (NG high jump, 1.46m); Josh Granger of Cathedral, SB high jump, 1.87); Latoya Fletcher of More (SG high jump, 1.45); Thomas Hemming of Cathedral (NB high jump, 1.60); Nathaniel King of Cathedral (JB high jump, 1.68); Zion Gough of More (NB discus, 34.97); Kai Jeremie of Bishop Ryan (JB 400, 52.96); Rayshaun Lewis of Cathedral (SB 400, 52.16); Samuel Dairo of Brebeuf (NB 100, 11.69); Mackenzie Whitehouse of More (SG shot put, 9.89); Adam Klotz-Foglietta of Brebeuf (JB discus, 42.86), Victoria Zolaturiuk of Tonnos (SG 200, 23.50); Adrianna Kupis of Cathedral (JG 80m hurdles, 14.19); Osman Osman of Brébeuf (B wheelchair shot, 1.58); Molly Marcotte of Brebeuf (G wheelchair shot, 1.62); Roedane Williams of Brébeuf (B 200 visually imp, 58.87 and 100 visually imp, 27.80); Zackary Ridgeway of More (B 400 intellectually imp, 1:21.39); Nathan Osborne of Brébeuf (B 100 ambulatory, 29.42).
Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic also picked up a couple of other relay-race victories -- by Tonnos in junior girls' 4x100 (51.66) and by Brebeuf in open boys' 4x400 (3:37.13).
The St. Jean de Brébeuf Braves won the boys' team trophy.
Photos by Richard Andoga
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