ISLAND HIGH SCHOOL TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

The senior girls’ 1,500-metre race unfolds at the Island high school track and field championships at Centennial Stadium on Thursday.

If an air of nostalgia hung over Centennial Stadium on Thursday, there was a reason.

The facility, built to commemorate Canada’s 100th anniversary in 1967, is celebrating its 50th year.

The Island high school track and field championships have been taking place at the stadium since its opening.

Some great names – including Olympians Murray Keating, Phil Olsen, Debbie Bowker, Dave Campbell, Harold Willers, Zach Whitmarsh, Mike Mason and Cam Levins – have come out of the Island school meet.

But in its half century at the Gordon Head stadium, there has never been a dynasty in the Island meet like that of Oak Bay. The Bays won their 25th consecutive team championship and have literally owned the last half of the meet’s history at Centennial Stadium.

Oak Bay won the Island high school team title with 398 points. The Ballenas Whalers of Parksville were second with 87 points and Parkland Panthers of Sidney third with 68.5.

The Bays juggernaut now sets its sights on a potential 12th provincial title in 16 years at the B.C. high school track and field championships, June 1-3 at Langley.

“It will come down to us and Vancouver College,” predicted Oak Bay sprinter Liam Gatensby, who won three medals Thursday, in the boys’ 100 and 200 metres and 4x100.

Hassy Fashina-Bombata of the Wellington Wildcats, a UBC Thunderbirds-bound sprinter, swept the girls’ 100 metres in 12.40 seconds and the 200 metres in 25.59 to be named female track athlete of the Island meet. She came to Nanaimo with her family from Nigeria when she was 10 and will be a name to watch.

Tyler Dozzi of Oak Bay, who relocated to the Island from Terrace last year to race with the Prairie Inn Harriers under coach and two-time Olympian Bruce Deacon, added the boys’ 1,500 metres title Thursday to the 3,000 metres he won Wednesday in record time and was named male athlete of the meet.

Dozzi, also headed to the UBC Thunderbirds, was the B.C. high school cross-country champion in the fall.

Desirae Ridenour of the Cowichan Thunderbirds broke a 41-year-old record in winning the girls’ 1,500 metres in 4:33.41.

The former record of 4:34.60 was set by Olympian Bowker at the height of the disco era in 1976.

Ridenour, an all-rounder who trains at the Triathlon Canada national centre in Victoria, also won the girls’ 3,000 metres Thursday.

In the junior high category, Oak Bay led the team standings with 270 points, followed by St. Michaels University School with 148.5 and St. Andrew’s with 105.