St Cath’s boasts a proud tradition in track and field, but our 2024 Athletics and Cross Country teams weren’t content to simply rest on past successes.
Kristina B’s (Year 6) parents often joked that she learned to run before she could walk, while Abigail W’s (Year 5) mum and dad spent her childhood chasing after their energetic daughter. So, when the two girls joined St Catherine’s, signing up for Athletics felt like the natural choice. Over time, the team has become a second family for the
two of them. “I love having the opportunity to travel and compete at different levels with my friends, experiencing things together that we wouldn’t have had the chance to do otherwise,” Kristina shared.
This season, Kristina and Abigail, alongside teammates Chloe A (Year 6) and Eloise O (Year 6), were fortunate enough to experience something most people could only dream of when they broke a state record which had been held for 27 years.
“We trained a lot and worked together as team, so when we won, I felt very proud of us for doing such a great job,” Abigail said. Competing in the Senior Girls Relay at the NSWPSSA Primary Athletics Championships, the team won gold for the third year in a row, beating the state record by an impressive 0.04 seconds. St Cath’s now holds the state records at this event for both Junior and Senior Relays. Chloe A was also selected for the NSW relay team to race at nationals later this year.
Being part of the St Cath’s team means you are part of something bigger than yourself, as every person tries their hardest to achieve the same goal. The whole team is so supportive and helped me race to the best of my ability.
Sophie H (Year 9)
But the track and field achievements didn’t stop there. At the IGSA Athletics Carnival, our girls made 35 finals, placing third overall — our best-ever result. Special mentions must go to Amelia E (Year 11), who competed back-to-back in multiple events and Cobi R (Year 9) who clocked the fastest 100m of the season at 12.89 seconds. From this event, several of our girls were selected for the IGSA team to compete at the CIS Athletics Championships. Congratulations to Audrey K (Year 10), who won gold in the High Jump and Silver in the Hurdles, as well as Alyssa McDrury (Year 7), who won gold in the 200m, Caydence Lim (Year 7), who won gold in Shot Put and Sophie H (Year 9), who won gold in the 3000m.
Our girls also did St Catherine’s proud by representing Australia at a series of competitions this year. At the Australian Athletics Championships in Adelaide, Georgiana G (Year 10) placed sixth in the 200m Hurdles, Sophie H came 10th in the U16 3000m, Audrey K placed third in the U16 Triple Jump, fourth in the U17 Heptathlon and eighth in the U16 Long Jump, Siena N (Year 9) placed fourth in the U15 800m and seventh in the U15 400m, Lily O (Year 11) placed 11th in the U20 3000m and Piper S (Year 11) placed fourth in both the U17 800m and 3000m and fifth in the U20 1500m. The school also dominated the Australian Cross Country Championships, with Piper S placing seventh and Lily O placing 33rd in the U17/18 4km and Sophie Hufton placing 26th in the U15/16 4km.
Although we are so proud of everything our athletes have achieved this year, what truly matters is how they work together as a team. As Sophie H put it: “Being part of the St Cath’s team means you are part of something bigger than yourself, as every person tries their hardest to achieve the same goal. The team environment helps everyone stay motivated to try their best. For example, at the IGSA Athletics Carnival, I was running several age groups above, which was quite intimidating. But the whole team was so supportive and helped me race to the best of my ability to help the team.”
