Lions rack up top 8s at Brockville meet

Rideau District High School track and field athletes had 20 top eight finishes in one of the region's most prestigious meets in Brockville last week.

"I think it is the best meet around here except for OFSAA. You don't see a lot of the Toronto kids until OFSAA," coach Wendy McCourt said.

A total of 11 athletes combined for the 20 top eights including a first for Shannon Mueller in the spring hurdles and a second for Clay Patterson in the 800m. Patterson's race was one of the highlights of the meet with the top eight finishing in under two minutes, with the top three all breaking the meet record.

"When you are in that quality of a race it doesn't matter what place you come in Ð first, second or third Ð you're at the top of the top," McCourt said.

On the girls' side, Mueller was also third in the pole vault, the first Lion to compete in the event. It is something she gets to work on as a member of the Ottawa Lions Track Club. Her sister Stephanie, a junior, was third in triple jump, fourth in intermediate hurdles and fourth in the high jump. The school's midget girls had a big day led by Louise Harvey's second in spring hurdles.

Chelsea Murray was third in high jump and fourth in triple jump. Jaime Welch was fourth in the high jump while Keira Merkley was eighth among runners in the 100m. On the senior boy's slate, Patterson, Lee Jones and Christian Bresee had six top fives including a third for Patterson in the 400m.

Jones was second in the long jump and fourth in the triple jump while Bresee was third in shotput. The midget boys also had five top eights led by Logan Morris' third in triple jump and fifth in long jump. Sean Place was fifth in the 400m and Colin Tye was sixth in triple jump and eighth in the long jump.

"For all the kids who had top eights at that meet you know you're going to be competitive all the way through," McCourt said. The team is in Belleville Friday before hosting LGSSAA at T.I.S.S. May 15.