• Pakenham News

4th June 2009 02:05:34 AM

Above: Justin Smaluch soared in the high jump.

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BEACONHILLS College athletics captains Justin Smaluch and Elley Butcher came up trumps at the Gippsland Independent Schools athletics carnival.

Elley won Open Girls’ Champion, while Justin was pipped for the Open Boys’ title by a solitary point.

The eight Gippsland Independent Schools (GIS) gathered at the athletics track in Newborough for the annual competition in May and, though Beaconhills finished just behind Gippsland Grammar and St. Paul’s Warragul in the overall points, they did have three age champions.

Elley recorded placings in all her events, including a win in the triple jump and seconds in the high jump and long jump.

Justin won three events – the 100 metre sprint, high jump and 4x100m relay – as well as second in the long jump. His victory in the high jump was his fourth in succession in the competition.

Future champions were unearthed in Matthew Debruin and Mikaela Davis, who both convincingly won the under-13 Boys and Girls titles. Matthew had four firsts in the 100m, high jump, long jump and triple jump and Mikaela had three firsts in the 100m, 200m and 400m and two thirds in the discus and long jump.

The school’s ongoing success in the field events, especially the high jump, is reflected in the fact that nine of the 12 GIS high jump records are still held by Beaconhills College students, stretching back to 1993.

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