Niki Oudenaarden of St. Albert was honoured for a season to remember as the 2010 Athletics Alberta youth female athlete of the year.
At the Legion Canadian Youth Track and Field Championships in Ottawa, the 16-year-old heptathlete scored a personal-best 5,124 points, eclipsing the Canadian U18 youth and Legion national records.
The U18 Legion national heptathlon champion also set a new Alberta record for U16 females in javelin with a winning toss of 42.02 metres at the event.
The Grade 11 Paul Kane High School student also placed first in shot put (10.31m), long jump (5.82m) and in section 2 of the 200m (25.26 seconds). She placed fourth in section 2 of the 100m hurdles (14.85) and the high jump (1.56m after an unsuccessful attempt at 1.59m) and was fifth in the 800m (2:32.76).
The gold medal in the heptathlon was the second at Legion nationals in three trips with Team Alberta by the U18 provincial record holder. As a first-year midget in 2008, she was fifth in the U17 heptathlon. In 2009 she won bronze in the U15 shot put (12.18m).
Oudenaarden’s last meet before Legion nationals was westerns in late July in Winnipeg. In the youth division she concentrated on individual events and was victorious in shot put (10.78m), javelin (37.96m) and discus (29.92m) and was the runner-up in the 100m hurdles (15.00 was a PB).
The Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association record holder in the Grade 10 junior long jump (5.75m) also placed fourth at the 2010 junior nationals in the heptathlon.
Last year Oudenaarden competed for the Edmonton Olympic Track and Field Club.
Meanwhile, Hayley Francois of St. Albert and her father, Andre, were also recognized for their 2010 accomplishments by Athletics Alberta. Hayley was selected the top midget female in cross-country and Andre was the top male in the masters division. They belong to the Edmonton Harriers Track and Field Club.
Also nominated for individual awards were St. Albert athletes Morgan Walker (midget female) of the Olympic club, Rachel Francois (junior female) of the Harriers club and Garrett King (youth male) of the Olympic club.
St. Albert’s elite-level track and field athletes produced podium results at the Alberta indoor championships last weekend at the Butterdome.
Niki Oudenaarden, Capital City Track and Field Club, youth female: 60 metres - first, 7.83; 200m - first, 25.52; long jump - first, 5.91m; shot put 4 kilograms - first, 11.47m; 60m hurdles - third, 8.99; high jump - second, 1.60m.
Garrett King, Edmonton Olympic Track and Field Club, junior male: 400m - first, 50.75; 60m hurdles – first, 8.46.
Morgan Walker, Olympic club, midget female: 200m - first, 26.07; 300m - first, 41.46; 60m - second, 8.02.
Rachel Francois, Edmonton Harriers Track and Field Club, junior female: 800m - first, 2:16.39; 400m - second, 56.70.
The following St. Albert Track and Field Club members also recorded top three finishes at provincials.
Avriana Hebert, peewee female: 150m - first, 23.15; high jump - first, 1:30m; 60m - first, 9.34; long jump - first, 3.92m; shot put 2 kg - first, 6.74m; medicine ball 2 kg - second, 5.10m.
Alyssa Miller, bantam female: medicine ball 3 kg - first, 6.96m; 150m - second, 21.38.
Alyson Katerenchuk, peewee female: 800m - third, 2:58.93; 600m - third, 2:00.44.
Jessica Katerenchuk, bantam female: 800m - first, 2:35; 600m - second, 1:50.43.
Danai Fennell, peewee female: high jump - third, 1.15m; medicine ball 2 kg - third, 5.00m.
Danielle Fisher, peewee female: medicine ball 2 kg - first, 5.25m; long jump - third, 3.57m; shot put 2 kg - third, 6.22m.
Madelyn Curle, bantam female: high jump - second, 1.40m.
Sharon Batoche, junior female: shot put 4 kg - second, 4.42m.
Emmet Clarkin, bantam male: 150m - third, 21.56.
Wyatt Katerenchuk, bantam male: 800m - second, 2:36.55; 600m - third, 1:47.76.
Nicholas Cuciz, midget male: 60m hurdles - third, 10.90.
Sam Cuciz, bantam male: long jump - second, 4.10m; medicine ball 3 kg - second, 6.66m.
Liam Clarkin, peewee male: 60m - first, 9.45; long jump - first, 3.87m.
Ethan Burger, bantam male: high jump - third, 1.35m.
The St. Albert-based Ben Bellamy rink finished tied for fourth place at the recent Optimist juvenile provincials in Coaldale.
Bellamy, third Kenton Maschmeyer, second Brett Winfield and lead Jaques Bellamy won two and lost three in the six-team round robin draw.
The Saville Sports Centre foursome dropped their last two games after starting 2-1. Their first loss was 6-5 to Daylan Vavrek of Sexsmith in the second game of the draw to go 1-1. Vavrek counted deuces in the first, third and sixth ends to lead 6-3. Bellamy posted two in seven. The eighth and last end was scoreless.
Vavrek finished 4-1 for his second provincial title in a row.
Bellamy qualified for provincials as the A event winner in the 12-team northern Alberta playdowns.
