It was a successful time on the track for a handful of high school track and field athletes who qualified for the NOSSA Track and Field Championships which took place at the Laurentian Community Track Complex in Sudbury.
Bear success led by Popp
There was a whole lot of "Popp" to the St. Joseph Scollard Hall Bears track team at NOSSA.
It was a big day for St. Joseph-Scollard Hall's Carlie Popp who led all North Bay athletes with 2 NOSSA golds and 2 silvers.
The grade 9 student finished first with a time of 49.47 in the Novice Women's 300 M hurdles.
Scollard Hall's Women's Novice 4 x 100 M relay team finished in second place with the team that included Popp, Madison Gravel, Wayve Lefebvre, and Anna Moore.
Then competing with older girls, Carlie Popp captured silver in the Women's Open 4 x 400 M Relay.
Carlie Popp, Maeve Blake, Chloe Popp, Hannah Gignac, Paetyn Siebert, and Ava Caverly were part of the Bears Open team.
Nathan Weber and Jackson Culin finished first and second respectively for Scollard Hall in the Junior Men's Shot Put event.
Culin added a second silver in the Junior Men's Discus.
Trojan Track Power
In Novice, it was a great day on track for West Ferris' Fiona Madigan.
Madigan broke a NOSSA record by finishing first in the Novice Women's Triple Jump with a 10.69 m jump; nearly a full metre further than the second place finisher from Manitoulin who finished with a 9.85 m jump.
Madigan added another gold in the long jump and placed second in the 100 M sprint.
West Ferris' Owen Lacroix finished second in the Novice Men's 400 M Dash with a time of 54.92.
West Ferris' Taryn Wozney, finished first in the Junior Women's 80 M Hurdles.
Barons to OFSAA
Algonquin's Sam Pannell finished first in the Senior Men's Shot Put, where he finished fourth as a Junior at NOSSA last year.
Dane Meyer is heading to OFSAA courtesy of his second-place finish in the Novice Men's Discus.
The Barons' Tristan Landriault finished a close second in the Junior Men's; just over half a second behind the first-place finisher Regan Houle from Espanola.
Alqonquin's Jordyn McGinley topped all NOSSA athletes in the Women's Junior Discus.
Bradley and Carruthers; the OFSAA Raiders
Chippewa's Heath Bradley finished on top in the Senior Men's Discus.
"My reaction to getting gold was honestly just relief and the feeling of joy of having all my hard work pay off," said Bradley, who also won a U18 Great North U18 AAA hockey championship with the North Bay U18 Trappers in 2023.
"I have spent hours working on my technique and it felt so nice to put it all together.
"I would like to give a massive thank you to my coach Mr. Milne who worked with me everyday and through thick and thin no matter the conditions. lastly I would like to thank my Mom, she was my greatest supporter and coach," added Bradley.
Liam Carruthers finished in first place in the Senior Men's 200 M Dash and is the other Raiders athlete heading to OFSAA.
The North Bay athletes don't have a lot of rest as they will travel to Ottawa next Thursday for the OFSAA Track and Field Championships.
