No ordinary underclassmen
Grade 11 students Morgan Cormier and Owen MacFadyen win PEISAA 100-metre finals
Bobcat sprinters painted the track blue as their uniforms Friday as two of Bluefield’s Grade 11 students won the Prince Edward Island School Athletic Association (PEISAA) men’s and women’s senior 100-metre titles in Charlottetown.
Morgan Cormier earned the women’s crown, her second straight provincial title, while Owen MacFadyen nabbed his first men’s title.
Cormier finished in :13:88 as her solid start gave her the foundation to pull away from the field in the final 20 metres.
Last year, she raced with Grade 10 runners in the juvenile division and set a provincial record of :13:69. This season, in the senior division, the secondand third-years are lumped into one group so, she said, Friday’s win was the sweeter of the two.
“This one feels really good. . . It’s really exciting. I don’t really have words,” said the Cornwall native, who approached the race semi-casually. “I try to take it easy, don’t overthink it, I guess.”
Second in the women’s race was Charlottetown Rural’s Kelly McCardle (:14:02) while third went to Tori Hogan (:14:12) of Westisle. MacFadyen’s win in :11:82 was more of a comeback effort as his slow start set him back early. But the speedster found his legs and passed Souris Regional’s Noah Manning (:11:83) by a nose at the finish.
“Overall a great race and much respect to Noah for the great competition,” said MacFadyen, also a Cornwall native. “I’m not exactly pleased with my race, but I’ll take it. My start was brutal. I had to catch up.”
Third went to Elijah Hood (:12:24) of Colonel Gray.
Like Cormier, MacFadyen said he tried not look past those few moments of work in a race that’s over in seconds.
“I tried to stay confident, not cocky. Stay focused on my race, no one else’s,” he said.
Hillary MacLean of Kensington Intermediate Senior High won the juvenile women’s 100 metres in :13:69, while Bluefield’s Zack Wilson earned the juvenile men’s 100 metres gold in :11:94 and gave Bluefield three of the four 100-metres titles.
Action continues today at Alumni Canada Games stadium at 9:15 a.m. with the 1,000-, 1,200- and 1,500-metre finals and different event running all day, culminating in finals in bantam girls discus, senior women’s long jump, intermediate girls shot put and juvenile boys triple jump.