2023 Queensland State Track and Field Championships

Over the past week, ten students from Somerset College participated in the Queensland State Track and Field Championships held at QSAC. To qualify students had to place top two at regionals or beat the strict qualifying standards set by Athletics Queensland. To get to this level is an achievement in itself.

The 10 to 12 age group had their meet Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 October. Four students from Somerset competed over these two days with great success.

Ezra Zosel (Year 6) demonstrated real power, despite giving away both a height and weight difference to much larger competitors. His throw of 34.55m saw him finish sixth in the state.

Willow Truscott (Year 6) competed in a quality 11-Year-Old Girls High Jump field. Her jump of 1.33m saw her finish seventh equal in the state.

Cara McQuaid (Year 7) also gave away a significant size difference to many of her peers in the 12-Year-Old Girls Discus field. On her final throw Cara managed to heave the disc out to 30.21m and finish seventh in the state.

Rainer Drew (Year 5) entered in the Tetrathlon event which is a combined event consisting of the four disciplines of 100m, Long Jump, Shot Put and 800m. In Rainer’s first major championship he performed exceedingly well to finish 13th in the state.

The following four days from Wednesday 12 until Sunday 15 October was dedicated towards the 13 to 19 age group. Six athletes from Somerset College competed across several disciplines.

Minka Tukino (Year 10) had an excellent four days. Initially entered in the 100, 200 and 400m, Minka wisely chose the forgo the 400m to concentrate on the 100 and 200m. In the 100m she finished sixth in a time of 12.83 seconds into a stiff head wind. Minka also represented the state for the 4x100m relay in which the team finished a credible fourth. However, it was in the 200m Minka excelled. Despite only just qualifying through to the final, Minka ran a blistering final eclipsing her previous personal best to record 25.05 and finish third in the state!

Jorja Grocott (Year 7) in her first state athletics competition performed up to her previous best in the 13 Girls High Jump. In hot and humid conditions, Jorja leaped 1.50m to finish 11th in the state. The winner jumped a mere 9cm more, demonstrating it was a very tightly contested event.

Cru Scott (Year 10) cruised through both his 800m and 1500m heats demonstrating his potential in both middle-distance events. Unfortunately, in both finals he was not feeling his best but still ran a credible 8th and 10th respectively.

Noku Mhlanga (Year 9) gained valuable experience in her first state championships. In the 15 Girls 90m Hurdles Noku finished a respectful 11th in the state, recording 15.21 seconds.

Jack Mewing (Year 10) competed in the 15 boys Long Jump event. Unfortunately, Jack fouled his first two attempts which meant he had to get his third jump accurate to progress. Jack managed to successfully hit the board without fouling but his speed on the runway was compromised and his 5.55m was not quite enough to progress into the top 8. Nonetheless a good learning experience for the future.

Jake Giltrap-Good (Year 11) was returning from a serious back injury that had seen him sidelined for most of the athletic season. In the 17 Boys 400m Jake comfortably qualified through to the final by finishing third in his heat. His final produced a much-improved performance and a personal best of 50.92 seconds saw Jake finish fourth in the state.