WESTERN Athletics was the epitome of team spirit at the Victorian Cross Country Championships held at Yarra Bend Park in Fairfield recently.

With devoted family members and team-mates in tow, six relay teams ran their way through gruelling courses for the second run of the 2006 Winter Series.

The relays saw an outstanding performance from the men’s division four open age team, which claimed second spot in its 30km relay in a time of 1:43.40.

Adam Clark got off to a great start in his 6km, running the fastest leg of 22 minutes and 10 seconds and putting the team in early contention for a placing. Fellow team-mates Adrian Jeffkins, David Tranter and Darren Casha ran solid legs, maintaining a comfortable position for Cameron Macaulay to bring it home for the team.

The women’s under 20 team also tasted success, with Rebecca Gatt, Ashleigh Daniel and Melissa Casha covering the 9km course in an overall time of 35.53 minutes to snare third. Gatt ran a superb first leg, covering her 3km in 11.50 minutes and setting Daniels up for second spot.

In a well-fought pursuit, Daniels succumbed to Box Hill in her leg, while Casha kept up the pace and ran her team all the way to bronze.

The women’s under 20 team had another reason to be proud, with the emergence of a younger generation of Gatts and Daniels on the field.

The relays marked the debut of under 14 girls Allison Gatt, Morgan Mitchell and Lucy Daniel to the senior cross country relay circuit, valiantly covering their 9km course in an overall time of 43.29 minutes and placing eighth.

The day was capped off when the 2005 division three women’s and under 20 men’s team were presented with the premiership flags after blitzing the competition during last year’s Winter Series.

The Western Athletics team is preparing for the upcoming run at Sandown this Saturday.