St Margaret’s rider Susanna Bates finished third in the junior girls’ under-13 novice category at the VSCC mountain bike championships. 85241 Picture: JARROD POTTER
FOLLOWING on from their excellent achievements in the recent zone road cycling, the St Margaret’s and Berwick Grammar school riders produced outstanding results to win the State Champion School title on a tough and muddy course at Upper Beaconsfield on Sunday 5 August.
The State Champion School title is decided by a combination of zone and state final results, and after the zone finals Ballarat Grammar led with St Margaret’s and Berwick Grammar battling it out against Dromana Secondary College for second place.
The local riders, however, lifted their performances and came away as clear winners in the three-way battle for the school championship.
In a tribute to team performance, every one of the 10 riders who had qualified for St Margaret’s and Berwick Grammar won a medal. Lachlan Clarke, Saffron Button and Sophie Weston were individual state champions, Sienna Grove, Max Terlato, Elise Hutchinson and Alexandra Weston won silver medals, and Susanna Bates, Madeline Blackwood and Sam Clarke won bronze.
Two other local riders also featured in the medals with Georgia Wilson from Berwick Primary School winning silver and Ben Walkerden from Berwick Secondary College winning a bronze.
