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Kevin Nagel Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Sports i n g a l i f t By Herb Garbutt Oakville Beaver staff 35 | Thursday, June 2, 2016 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com "Connected to your Community" g e t t SAT exam forces O'Neill to skip OFSAA Following a decorated high school career that included six OFSAA medals, Kristin O'Neill was a highly sought after recruit by American colleges. The remarkable part is that only one of the medals the Loyola student won over the past four years came in the sport that she will play at Cornell University next year. O'Neill earned her first Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations medal, a silver, in hockey in Grade 9. She may have added more if Halton had not banned rep players from its league the following year. Instead, she began collecting OFSAA track medals. O'Neill won two medals in both Grade 9 and 10, including back-to-back 800-metre golds. Last year, she added a silver in the 800m. Competing against rivals who run for track clubs and train specifically for their events, O'Neill's accomplishments were even more impressive. "I said to her, `You're a hockey player. You have no business standing on the track podium at OFSAA," said Loyola coach Barb Celestini. "She's good enough that she could have done both, but hockey's her first love. No matter what she takes on, she excels at it. She's the best athlete I've ever coached." O'Neill might have added to her collection this week. She won the 800m at the South Regional championships and her time of two minutes, 13.44 seconds ranks third in the province. But O'Neill will miss OFSAA to write an SAT exam she needs to complete before attending Cornell in the fall. "We tried to work around it, but it wasn't possible," Celestini said. "I know it was killing her. It's her future, so that has to be her priority." O'Neill, who was also second in the 400m at regionals, played for Canada at the last two World Women's Under-18 Hockey Championships. She was an alternate captain and finished third in team scoring at this year's championship in St. Catharines, where the U.S. edged Canada in overtime in the gold-medal game for the second year in a row. Abbey Park's Yihang Qin will be heading to OFSAA for the second year in a row after winning the junior boys' long jump and finishing second in the triple jump at regionals. Webb (second, 400m, 54.66). Junior girls: Tamia Noel (second, discus, 31:34m; third, shot put, 11.18m); Isabella Carunna, St. Thomas Aquinas (second, 100m, 12.61); Nicole Parsons (third, 400m, 1:00.55; fourth, 300m hurdles, 48.04); Darena Choliy, Loy (third, 300m hurdles, 47.85); Bridget Ball, Iroquois Ridge (fourth, 3,000m, 11:03.31). Hockey star had good shot at earning a track medal in Sr. girls' 800 metres Last year at regionals, Qin qualified for OFSAA in the triple jump on his final attempt and went on to finish 13th at OFSAA last year. That promising start convinced him to join the Burlington Track and Field Club last summer. He was part of the club's national champion midget boys' 4x100m relay team and won a bronze medal in the triple jump. At regionals, Qin matched his personal best of 6.10m in the long jump. In the triple jump, he used just one of his attempts, knowing it was enough to qualify, which he did easily. Qin finished second with a jump of 12.62m, which ranks him 10th heading to OFSAA. "He's got a great work ethic," said Eagles' coach Julie Burr. "He's on the wrestling team, he's a top academic student. He excels in everything." Oakville Trafalgar's Rachel DonWauchop earned a victory in the midget girls' 3,000m. She stayed with the lead group throughout the race before pulling away to win in 11:05.71. "At GHAC, she placed third (in the 1,500m; second in the 3,000m)," said OT coach Cliff Murphy. "She learned from that. She held the pace and when it was time, she went." Senior boys: Jordan Mabbott, Abbey Park (second, 400m hurdles, 58.18; third, 400m, 50.05); Jonathan Reid, Garth Webb (second, javelin, 47.52m). Senior girls: Julia Scott (second, high jump, 1.50m); Melissa Langegger, Abbey Park (third, triple jump, 10.83; fourth, long jump, 5.07m); T.A. Blakelock: Scott, Taja McLean, Kaleigh Jeffrey, Zaria Armstong (third, 4x100m relay, 49.78). Other OFSAA qualifiers: Midget girls: Alex Hurd, T.A. Blakelock (second, 200m, 27:06); Posey O'Keefe, King's Christian Collegiate (third, 800m, 2:30.83; fourth, 1,500m, 5:04.01); King's Christian Collegiate: Mide Oriyomi, Laeticia Amihere, Tiena Neale, Maddy Bergsma (third, 4x100m relay, 51.79). Midget boys: Vahaab Ladha, Garth Joelle Attard (top), Emma Gray (left), and Danielle Durbin of the Oakville Gymnastics Club compete in the Level 6 Acro Women Group category during the National Acrobatics Cup & Aerobics Invitational in Oakville last weekend. Hundreds of athletes from across Canada as well as Europe and the United States competed.| photo by Nikki Wesley ­ Oakville Beaver FRIDAY 4 Jäger Bombs 4.75 MGD or Miller Lite Tall Cans $ 5 Pints of Canadian/Coors Lite $ $ $ $ Choose from Canadian or Coors Light & Any One of our 1/2 Pound Fresh Ground AAA Chuck Burgers $ 4.00 JÄGER BOMBS 4.75 MGD OR MILLER LITE TALL CANS 5.00 PINTS OF CANADIAN/COORS LITE Buy One Pound of our Delicious Signature Wings and Enjoy a Second Pound for Choose any One of Our Domestic pints, Canadian, Coors Light, Budweiser or Bud Lite and One Pound of Our Delicious Wings for Yes That's Right....Order Any One of Our Signature Wings, Burgers or Main Event and Receive One Kids Meal Absolutely FREE!* *Conditions apply ask your server for details 1¢ $ 1599 905-338-5458 www.draftedsportsbar.com 379 Speers Rd., @ Dorval