Once again Emmy Sim, a junior runner, has prevailed in seniors competition, taking home the title of Okanagan champion and qualifying for the upcoming Provincial Cross Country Championships.
Held at Larch Hills last Tuesday, the Okanagans had 110 female athletes and nine teams compete, while the boys attracted 107 competitors and 10 teams overall.
With a time of 17:13, Sim’s finished ahead of two runners from Revelstoke to hold on to the top spot, while her younger sister, Glynis, (Shuswap Middle School) finished in fourth. The only female team member to qualify, the SAS girls team placed fifth overall with just five points separating the third- through fifth-place standings. Girls running for SAS included Stella Mozin, Elena Bruns, Emma Shaule, Taylor Bahen, Lisa Petterson, Meryn Sim, Eliza-Jane Kitchen, Carmen Underhill, Jasmine Hare, Brittany Burge and Heather Savage.
Named Okanagan champions in both the junior and senior categories, for the boys it was a victorious day overall.Thomas Hardy won second with a time of 21:49, and the team had an outstanding nine runners qualify for provincials after finishing in the top 20. They include Jon Bakker 7th, Cole Smith 8th, Don Robinson 10th, John Connor 14th, Brady Roy 15th, James Whitehead 16th, Caleb Leyenhorst 18th and Kyle Flatman 20th. Also competing for SAS were Tahvo Simonson, Max Scharf, Mitchell Smith, Thiabault Pellet and Brody Burge. Due to championship rules, the first seven athletes in the top 20 will compete as a team at the event and Leyenhorst and Flatman will compete as individuals.
SAS run organizers appreciated the many volunteers, including current and past parents, former SAS runners and Larch Hills’ Cross Country Ski Club members for making the last two races held at Larch Hills a success.
The Provincial Cross Country Championships will take place at the Telemark Cross Country Ski Club trails in Kelowna on Saturday. The girls’ racing starts at 10 a.m., the boysæ at 11.