SEVEN Ballarat students have been selected to represent Victoria at the national cross country championships in Canberra next month.
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Katherine Dowie from Ballarat Clarendon College will run for Athletics Victoria in the 16-17 year category.
The balance have been chosen in the School Sport Victoria team.
Nick Fidler (Ballarat Grammar School), Harry Sharp (St Patrick’s College) and Matthew Catterson (St Pat’s) will compete in the 14-15 year championship.
Ben Ludbrook (Ballarat High School) has been selected in the 13 year division, Andrew Amor in the 16-17 year age group and Lily Gilbert as a 13 year athlete.
SSV has selected a team of 30 boys and 30 girls.
The AV senior team is yet to announced, but Ballarat’s Jack Davies will be selected after finishing second in the state selection trials.
Meanwhile, Courtney Scott and Nathan Hartigan will start favourites in the Ballarat Regional Athletic Centre’s Chas Suffren Memorial 3km and 6.4km cross country events at Burrumbeet on Saturday.
This is an iconic race on the BRAC calendar – the fifth of six-event winter series.
The Suffren dates back to 1948, with Robert De Castella, Steve Moneghetti and Lee Troop three of seven Olympians to have won the prestigious event.
Marathon runner and two-time Olympian Chris Wardlaw (Glenhuntly) holds the race record of 19 minutes, five seconds for the 6.4km.
With the notable absence of 2014 winner Jack Davies and form athlete Duer Yoa, Hartigan is set to be prominent. He will be pushing to produce a sub 21-minute and better his 20:58 which he ran to win the 2013 Suffren.
Hartigan is using the hit-out to continue his preparation for Sydney’s City to Surf on Sunday, August 14, and then a marathon later in the year.
The Ballarat Harriers member is likely to be challenged by YCW’s Nic VanRaaphorst and Eureka’s Jesse Fullerton. Past winner Paul Burge (Harriers) should also be close to the pace.
The women’s 3km should see a domination from track runners with middle distance speed.
Scott’s biggest dangers are likely to be Louise Wood (YCW), Rachel Gibney (Harriers) and Natasha Typuszak (Wendouree), with improvers Amy Canavan (Eureka), Katherine Dowie (Eureka) and Lily Gilbert (Wendouree) not far away.
Ruth Bartlett’s (Eureka) set the race record 10:08 in 1996.
Schedule: 2pm, under-12 boys and girls, 1600m (one lap of racecourse); 2.15pm, men, 6.4km; 2.45pm, women, under-14 boys, 3km.