YCW’s division one team of Kelli Baird, left, Louise Wood, Karen Clark and Rebecca Wood after their win in the Ballarat Regional Athletic Centre cross country relays on Saturday.
IN-FORM Duer Yoa led Eureka to victory in the testing Ballarat Regional Athletics Centre relays at the University of Ballarat on Saturday.
Yoa set the tone for the event with a fast opening leg to set up Eureka’s win by almost three minutes over YCW in men’s division one.
In the second year of the format, each competitor ran twice - completing two laps of a challenging 1500m loop in their first leg and a single lap in the second leg.
Yoa teamed up with promising teenagers Jack Davies and Stewart McSweyn to run one hour, 29 minutes, 48 seconds.
Coming off a win in the Victorian half marathon, Yoa’s 3000m and 1500m legs of 9:20 and 4:31 were the fastest of the day.
The next fastest combined times went to YCW’s Jamie Huggett (9:29, 4:34) and Davies (9:37, 4:44).
Eureka won with five of its six division one runners making up the top eight fastest times.
Sisters Rebecca and Louise Wood paired up with Karen Clark and Kelli Baird to help YCW take out the women’s division one relay.
They were closely followed in by Harriers and then Wendouree in race tight from start to finish as all four clubs leading at some point.
Eureka led at the first change, Wendouree at the second and then YCW after the third.
Eureka’s Courtney Scott ran her team’s second legs in 11:09 and 5:31 to take fastest combined time honours in front of Wendouree’s Angela Williams (11:16, 5:28) and teammate Rhiannan White (11:26, 5:54).
YCW took out the men’s division two category as well as the women’s divisions one, two and three, and under-16. Wendouree had convincing wins in the men’s 40-plus, under-14 and women’s under-14.
david.brehaut@thecourier.com.au
