Region’s athletes unite for relay showdowns

ALL clubs in Athletics Bendigo Region are represented across this weekend’s Profeet track relay championships at South Melbourne’s Lakeside Stadium.

The three-day titles start on Friday and will include some finals as part of Saturday night’s Zatopek 10 program at Athletics Victoria’s home.

In the men’s open 4 x 400m it will be South Bendigo’s Ollie Muggleton who teams up with Eaglehawk young guns Fletch Watchman, Daniel Chisholm and Lewis McIntosh.

Heats will be run on Friday night in which 12 teams will be vying to qualify for Saturday’s final at 7.27pm.

Echuca Moama’s Scarlett Southern will take on the boys as she races in the under-20 men’s 4 x 400m.

Southern will team up with South Bendigo’s Rhys Hansen, and Eaglehawk’s Oscar Kerby and Cooper Brasher.

The under-16 girls 4 x 100m has drawn 17 teams.

An all Echuca Moama team of Tahlia Blight, Georgina Farrell, Hannah Downward and Sophie Jardine will pursue glory.

The under-16 girls medley relay will have 16 teams spread across two heats.

Bendigo’s line-up will be Hannah Downward, Georgina Farrell and Tahlia Blight from Echuca Moama, and South Bendigo’s Lucy Jones.

A 14-team field in the under-14 girls 4 x 100m will include two Bendigo line-ups.

Abigail King, Caitlin Geoghegan, Cleo Haw, Emily Harris, Ivy Walker, Jenna Gaskell and Ruby Currie have nominated to represent Bendigo.

A six-team field will conteset the under-14 girls 4 x 400m.

Emily Harris, Lucy Jones, Jenna Gaskell and Cleo Haw will race for the blue and gold.

Bendigo will also be strongly represented across the veteran classes.

The 40-plus women’s 4 x 100m team is Echuca Moama’s Kate Downward and Hayley Currie; Eaglehawk’s Sandra Kadri, and Bendigo Harriers’ Rebecca Soulsby.

In the 4 x 400m for 40-plus women it will be Kadri, Downward, Currie, and Bendigo Harriers’ Anne Buckley who team up.

The 50-plus women’s 4 x 1500m line-up is Anne Buckley and Ruth Sandeman from Bendigo Harriers, South Bendigo’s Debby Kirne, and Eaglehawk’s Julie Verga.

University’s Mike Bieleny, Dave Heislers and Russ Jenkins will team with Eaglehawk’s Trevor Kelly in the 60-plus men’s 4 x 1500m contest.