Reynolds secondary’s Chase Haagensen confirmed he is a promising talent in B.C.’s track scene as he broke a 46-year-old record in the 200m junior boys dash at the Vancouver Island Track and Field Championships in Port Alberni on Thursday.
Haagensen (inset photo) led a Reynolds team that won seven gold medals.
The Grade 10 Haagensen set the new Island record in the 200m with a time of 22.82, breaking Bruce Vye’s adjusted time of 22.94 (originally 22.7 but adjusted for electronic timing) which he set at the 1972 championships as a Lansdowne Junior High student. Haagensen also won gold in the 100m dash, with a time of 11.28 seconds, .01 faster than the winning time for the senior boys race. Reynolds’ Kadin Martin was sixth in the same race.
The future is bright for Haagensen, who leads the Reynolds team to the provincials in Langley from May 31 to June 2. He’s the defending junior boys provincial 100m sprint champion. Both of Haagensen’s 100m and 200m at the Island championships were actually faster than the winning times for the senior boys.
Saanich athlete Sarah Kedves, a home schooled Grade 12 student who trains with Lambrick Park but competes on behalf of the South Island Distance Education School (and is a member of the Canadian Sports School at PISE), was named the most inspirational senior girl. Kedves won the senior pole vault (2.45m) and high jump (1.55m) and was second in the triple jump (9.9m) behind Rebecca Dutchak’s 11.14m (see Dutchak’s results below).
Reynolds had its own double-event winner in Grade 12 Kalum Delaney, who capped a massive day for Reynolds by winning the senior boys 2,000m steeplechase for the second straight year with a time of 6:12. Delaney, a middle-distance specialist, also won gold in the 3,000m. Reynolds Grade 12 Gabe Van Hezewijk won gold in the senior boys 1,500m and bronze in the 3,000m. Gabriele Landi won gold in the senior boys 400m hurdles. Michael Leung won gold in the senior boys shot put with a personal best throw of 13.38 meters with the 6kg shot put and was fifth in discus. Senior Chris Hyggen took silver in the triple jump.
Among the top achievers was Claremont’s Grade 11 athlete Rebecca Dutchak, who won gold in the senior women’s long jump, gold in the triple jump, silver in the 200m dash and silver with Claremont’s senior girls 4x100m relay with Rebecca Vowles, Emma Meyer and Sarah Thomson.
St. Margaret’s Colette Reimer, in Grade 11, out-maneuvered Oak Bay’s Sarah Bryan to win the girls 3,000m and finished third in the 1,500m.
St. Michaels University student Nathan von Hagen won the senior boys triple jump with a total of 12.84m and took silver in the long jump.
St. Mikes Grade 10 Angelina Shandro was another a double-gold winner, taking the junior girls 200m and 400m sprints.