School sport reached the Thanksgiving break, with a number of strong performances from both individuals and SMUS teams.
Cross Country
SMUS hosted the third race of the season at Cedar Hill Park. A nasty onslaught of hills, mixed in with a healthy dose of dog walkers, made for tricky conditions. Nonetheless, in the Junior Boys event, Owen Sandquist-Sherman enjoyed a spectacular afternoon, finishing in second place overall. Then, in the Junior Girls competition, Nella Meinecke (3rd), Avery Geddes (6th), and Maria Gilardi Gutierrez (9th) all placed in the top 10.
In the Senior divisions, Tion McLeish as expected ran a smooth, steady race to win the Senior Boys race comfortably, while Sophia Hedler, after storming out at the start of the Senior Girls race, did extremely well to finish in 18th place.
The next race for the team will take place Thursday, October 14th at UVIC.
In other running-related news, congratulations are in order for Grade 12 runner Kate LeRoy for completing the Royal Victoria Marathon half marathon. Her time of 1:56:29 resulted in a bronze medal in her age group. Earlier that same day, SMUS cross country coach Jeff Hunt competed over an 8km course, also finishing on the podium for his age group with a time of 30:56.
Field Hockey
The Senior Girls team ploughed through a demanding three games in four days. First up was a 1-1 draw versus Mount Douglas. Rebecca Stone potted the Blue Jags's goal from a well-executed penalty corner. Right on full time, SMUS scored what appeared to be the winner, only for the marker to be ruled out as the ball was still inches short of the goal line as the final horn sounded.
Twenty-four hours later, the team was again in action, securing a convincing 2-0 win over visiting Little Flower Academy. Eva Cuddihy and Fay Hoefer found their way on to the scoresheet and were backed up by solid midfield play from Stone, Wynn Brown and Allegra Nelson. Talia Pike recorded another shut out.
However, the overall strength of Oak Bay, a top three team at provincial AAA level, then proved too much. Three unanswered goals in the second half, against a tiring SMUS team, was the difference.
Next up, the Senior Girls play an important league game against Glenlyon Norfolk School before heading to Crofton House in Vancouver for the ISAs.
Volleyball
The Senior Girls Volleyball team defeated both Lambrick Park and Royal Bay in league play. Then, in the highly competitive Camosun Invitational, led by setter Ava Gillespie and serving specialist Alienor de Nanteuil, the team bounced back strongly from pool losses to Mount Douglas and Claremont to secure ninth place in the 24-team field.
Makena Anderson paced the offence with numerous powerful outside and back-row attacks, while Skye Farish was named team MVP for the tournament.
On the Senior Boys side, SMUS, holding steady at No. 5 in the provincial AA rankings, again showed its competitive chops, dumping traditional AAA powerhouse Oak Bay in straight sets before splitting games with an equally strong Belmont squad. Middle blockers Ben Ingimundson and Hugo Accad both performed extremely well, with Ryan Cheng and LeRoy Wang also prominent in setting and serving. Libero Nathan Chiao showcased some excellent defensive play while Will Liu added his usual array of massive hits.
