High marks for Pelham high school in track
Twelfth straight Zone 3 title carries Crossley into SOSSA championships
‘‘ “I want my athletes to learn hard work does pay off, that their goals should be to improve each week.” MARYANN MERGL E.L. Crossley track and field head coach
A track and field powerhouse lies on the highest point of land in Niagara.
E.L. Crossley Secondary in Fonthill extended its winning streak to 12 consecutive years by winning the Zone 3 track and field championship last week at Niagara Olympic Club in St. Catharines.
The Cyclone just didn’t slip by, they crushed the field. Crossley posted 364 points in the final rankings, well ahead of Welland Centennial, with 201 points. A.N. Myer finished third with 190.
In fact, Crossley has missed the top spot in the zone championships only once in the past 25 years.
“When I first started coaching in ’93 we were zone champions every year back then as well. It actually is what I expect,” said head coach Maryann Mergl. “Since then I have lost one zone championship and that was to my husband, who at the time was coaching at Ridgeway Crystal
Beach.”
Mergl credits the school’s coach during the 1980s, Earl Church, for a lot of her current philosophies on track and field.
Church currently lives out east and is a decorated paralympic coach.
“I learned so much from him,” said Mergl. “All of my practices are from his ideas of what should be trained every day.
“I will always be grateful to him. I recently let him know that after all this time, Crossley will be getting a rubber track.”
At zone, Crossley celebrated 24 athletes winning gold medals, and new records.
Audrey Morrison set a record in the senior girls triple jump with a leap of 10.94 metres. The girls 4x400-metre relay team of Sofia Labricciosa, Lauren Knafelc, Cate Gualtieri and Jessie Fennell also set a new benchmark with a time of 4:19.68.
“I want my athletes to learn hard work does pay off, that their goals should be to improve each week,” said Mergl. “If that happens then nothing else should matter because you can’t control who your competition is.”
Other gold winners include Brock Deba, Carly Faulds, Sydney Grummett, Gwen Cudmore, Jonathan Hooker, Kate Knafelc, Tommy Leavens, Ross Michalko, Taryn Mitchell, Sommer Newton, Jayden Pelletier, Hunter Roszell, Carter Teal, Grace Teal and relay runners Mya Newton, Alison O’Connor, Norah Burns, Emilie Hamilton and Kaileigh Smith.
Crossley now sets its sights on the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association (SOSSA) track and field championships taking place Thursday, also at Niagara Olympic Club.
“I have great athletes who want to do well,” she said. “Student athletes who want to be present and do well is what is most important.
“Every athlete provides something to the team, even if they don’t advance.
“I enjoy seeing the hard work pay off at SOSSA, because that championship is even harder to win.”