These articles are compiled by the Otago Secondary Schools Sports Association which is proudly sponsored by Perpetual Guardian.
Taieri College
Sport at Taieri College has started off at a record pace.
It was all started at the school athletics day when 11 records were broken, including two set in 1977.
Ten pupils gained top-three finishes at the Otago secondary school athletics championships, including Hamish Mears, who broke the under-15 boys shot put record.
Twenty-two pupils qualified to represent Taieri College in the Otago-Southland athletics championships this Saturday and two relay teams also gained first places in their races.
Taieri College fielded a team in the Otago Rugby League nines tournament, the only school from the Dunedin area to do so.
The senior girls volleyball team finished fifth in the Otago secondary schools championship. The mixed touch team will head to Christchurch next weekend to compete in the South Island secondary schools tournament.
Cricket is experiencing great growth at the school and there are three junior teams playing on Saturday afternoons, along with several players making representative teams. Teams and individuals competed at the Otago schools multisport champs in Cromwell, best of which was the senior mixed team, which finished second.
East Otago High School
Two records were broken on the school's athletics day, by Anthony Duffy (senior boys 100m sprint) and Hayley Jenkinson (under-16 javelin). Twenty pupils went to the Caledonian to compete at the Otago schools championships and 16 have qualified for the Otago-Southland meeting.
Most outstanding was Hayley Jenkinson, who was first in the under-16 javelin, again breaking her own school record, and Kate McLelland, who finished first in the under-14 3000m.
The school's team finished in the top four in the Otago touch qualifying tournament in Mosgiel and has been invited to play in the South Island secondary schools champs in Christchurch.
Jessie Scurr and Kate Martin have just finished a very successful three-day tournament in Christchurch, playing for the Otago under-21 mixed touch team. After narrowly beating Auckland in the round robin, Otago had to play the same side again in the final.
Auckland, with 12 national representatives in its squad, was just too strong.
Logan Park High School
The school had 28 pupils competing in the Otago athletics championships last weekend. The best effort was from Jacob Gosling, who won the Otago senior shot put title. Sean Hall was third in the same event and Aglima Pokipoki was third in senior javelin and Rebecca Dalphin third in the under-14 1500m race. The school will have 13 pupils at the Otago-Southland championships this weekend.
Jonty Horwell continues to dominate in bowls, winning a historic title. During the summer holidays Jonty won the Dunedin open singles and became the youngest bowler in the 109-year history of Bowls Dunedin to win a senior title.
Jonty will travel to Hamilton next month to play in the nationals. Annie Kennedy Atchison competed in the two-day Southern Region (South Island) junior surf life-saving championships in which she won two gold, four silver and a bronze medal in water individual and team races.
Annie also competed in the sprint kayak nationals on Lake Karapiro and the Ocean's 16 junior surf life-saving nationals at Mount Maunganui in early March. Jaren Roy is in the Otago under-19 men's basketball team.
Otago Girls' High School
The tennis team of Eliza Booth, Amelia King, Illana Goossens and Bianka Shibuya was third at the South Island secondary schools tournament. At the Mainland volleyball tournament,the Senior Sirens team was fifth of 12 teams in the top divisionand the senior B team was third-equal in division two.
At the recent New Zealand track and field championships, Emma Ward was ninth in the under-20 100m and 200m and Gemma Millar eighth in the under-18 hammer. Grace Hurring has been selected in the Otago track cycling team and Erin Ford, Alice Moran and Tahlia Roome were second at the recent South Island secondary schools triathlon.
Charlotte Becconsall-Ryan and Rebecca McNaughton came third overall in the open women's category at the Otago IRB championships. Hannah Matehaere was fourth in the beach sprint and seventh in the board race in the under-14 category of the New Zealand life-saving championships.
Carina Donegan represented St Clair Surf Life Saving Club at the Southern Regional competition in Christchurch. She won gold in open women's surf team race and under-19 surf team race, silver in under-16 ski race, under-16 tube rescue, under-19 taplin, under-16 taplin, under-19 board relay and bronze in the under-16 board rescue.
King's High School
The holidays were hugely successful for many pupils who placed in national and regional competitions and received recognition for their commitment to their sport of choice through national selection.
Jordan Ward and Malachi Buschl were selected in the under-19 Junior Black Sticks hockey team to compete against Australia and Japan in January. Elliot Brown won the under-18 title at the NZ surfing champs in Dunedin in January.
Dylan Thomas was selected for the New Zealand Maori men's hockey team to compete in Napier at an international tournament next month. Kees Duyvesteyn was picked in the New Zealand under-19 cycling team that competed at the Oceania Games in Australia.
Sam Gouverneur has been selected in the New Zealand youth athletics team to compete in the 400m, 800m and the relay events at the Oceania regional games in Pape'ete, Tahiti, next month. Damian Samson has been picked to represent the ISA New Zealand under-15 boys softball team to play in Sydney. Sam Rowe has been selected in the New Zealand under-15 mixed touch team.
Felix MacDonald continued his fine form at the New Zealand track and field nationals in Dunedin, winning the under-20 110m hurdles and finishing second in the under-20 long jump.
Roxburgh Area School
The mixed team of Alex Darling, Danae Wales and Brooke Johnston was first in the senior mixed section of the OSSSA triathlon in Cromwell, and the junior boys team of Josh Reid, Haidyn Pringle and Ethan Kitto was fifth.
Nine records were broken at the swimming sports - seven by Haidyn Pringle and two by Brayden Whyte. Another 12 records were broken in the athletics sports by Brooke Johnston, Tiaan McKinnel, Zoe Moore and Jonty McKinnel. Ten pupils competed at the Otago athletics schools meeting.
Jonty McKinnel, Tiaan McKinnel and Jack Lennon won the under-23 New Zealand championships in rogaining at Waikouaiti recently, spending 24 hours on their feet running.
Brooke Johnston was placed eighth overall and fourth in the team event at the Horse of the Year in Hastings.
St Hilda's Collegiate
Five records were broken at the athletics day. Caitlyn George now holds the record for the senior 200m in a time of 26.00sec. The previous record had stood since 1983. Other records broken were the year 7-8 50m, Anna McIntyre (7.87sec); junior 200m, Sarah Langsbury (27.67sec); junior long jump, Sarah Langsbury (4.98m); the year7-8 shot put, Jordan Meltzer (6.75m). The champions for 2016 were: senior, Caitlyn George; intermediate, Olivia George; junior, Sarah Langsbury; year 7-8, Alika Croot.
St Hilda's was fourth at the Otago-Southland secondary schools water ski championships. Team member Olivia Dingle was first in the girls under-18 section. Anna Power was second with Olivia Hazlett first in the girls under-13 section.
St Hilda's won the Otago secondary school touch championships, qualifying to compete at the South Island championships.
Phoebe Aburn, Sophie Sinclair and Emily Hurdle placed first in the intermediate girls at the South Island secondary schools triathlon championship.
The first XI cricket team has progressed to the NZCT girls cricket regional final. The rowing team won gold in the under-18 lightweight double, silver in the under-17 quad and bronze in under-18 single and under-15 double at the Canterbury secondary schools championships.
Maniototo Area School
Reuben Pyle (16) plays for the Otago Country men's cricket team in the Hawke Cup competition. During last month's match against Mid Canterbury in Alexandra, Reuben kept wickets, taking two catches and scoring 13 runs.
Several students have been overseas competing in international curling events over the summer. The first trip was to the World Junior B2s in Lohja, Finland. Holly Thompson and Jessica Smith were in the New Zealand women's team and the New Zealand men's team had five players all from the Maniototo area: Simon Neilson, Matthew Neilson, Ben Smith, Josh Whyte (and Hamish Walker, of- OBHS).
The New Zealand women finished their campaign tied for fifth of 21 teams. The men's tournament ended after pool play. Four pupils, Matthew Neilson (16), Holly Thompson (17), Ben Smith (16) and Courtney Smith (16), have been curling at the second Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway.
They had a tough pool (with three of the top four teams in their pool) but played well and were thrilled to get a win over Japan. The side finished 13th of 16 teams.
Rina Watt (15) has been playing in the women's Southern League team (the Southern Storm). Rina travelled to Auckland to play in a tournament against Canterbury, winning the MVP award in one game.
Kaikorai Valley High
The athletics day was held on the school grounds with the whole school participating. Once again, the 1000k Challenge Sports Expo was held last week. More than 760 pupils were involved in the day. This year it included all of the year 7-10 KVC pupils, along with 480 primary pupils from surrounding schools. More than 24 different sports were offered including fly fishing, lacrosse, rowing, rock climbing, mountain biking, petanque and even theatre sports.
Last week a group of pupils travelled to Christchurch for the annual summer sports exchange with Riccarton High School. This is a tradition which has been going for more than 50 years.
Dunstan High School
Participation rates in the annual athletics and swimming days were high in both events and some long-standing records were broken.
The rowing squad will be looking to add to its success with strong performances at the South Island secondary schools and Maadi Cup regattas. Likewise the athletics team looks in good shape and will sent a large squad to Otago and South Island secondary school event. The girls softball tournament team is starting to take shape and will be ready to compete in the division 2 championships in Invercargill.
The kayak squad has been competing in various events throughout the summer and will head to the New Zealand secondary school championships in March with confidence.
John McGlashan College
Five records were broken at the athletics championship on February 25. Novice Nathan Harrison broke the 800m record, Nico Bowering the junior 100m, Johnny Baker the junior 400m, Leroy Ferguson the junior shot put and Max Gomez intermediate disc. Burns won the house trophy.
The rowing squad retained the Head of the Harbour trophy it won after a 47 year hiatus. Cameron Moran, Toby Jarvie and Josh Stoddard won the under-16 South Island team triathlon in Oamaru on March 6. Max Wolf won three gold medals at the South Island surf carnival at New Brighton Beach. He went on to claim a silver medal in the under-14 Iron Man event at the nationals at Mount Maunganui.
A the Otago water ski champs near Millers Flat, Henry Power was first in the under-13 and Mitchell Joint second in the same grade. Seamus Leahy has recently returned from representing New Zealand in the under-18 world ice hockey championships, finishing first in its grade.
Angus Scott has been selected in the Otago under-17 team that competed at nationals recently. The tennis squad retained the Otago title with a hard-fought victory over Mount Aspiring.
