What a wonderful afternoon of all things Nowra Athletics Club we had on Saturday 15th August, at our home ground, UOW Shoalhaven Campus. The afternoon was full of fun, fitness and friendship as we celebrated the end of our 2026 cross country season and recognised our Point Score winners.
The afternoon kicked off with a 3 x 1km relay, with 14 teams taking to the course and battling it out for the coveted chocolate prizes! There was plenty of friendly competition, with our teams even coming up with some fantastic and very entertaining names. Congratulations to our winning teams!
- The Goats – Tristan Corbridge, Zayne Taylor, Declan Bennett
- The Jacks – Matt Kinsele, Ron Cozjinsen, Jack Kinsele
- Girl Squad – Hallie Browne, Piper Browne, Ivy Donougher
- Sproules – Will Sproule, Josie Sproule, Lily Sproule
- 2 Old Men & A Boy – Perry Strand, Leith Babian, Hamish McLaren
- Slow & Steady – Sam Keogh, Steph Donougher, Simon Donougher
- We’re the Best – Walter Cisneros, Ari Cisneros, Pete Dooley
- The Citrus Sprinters – Dean Bryce, Malachy Martin, Scott Martin
- Trail Runners – Bec Cooper, Glenn Sansom, Angela Bond
- The Rockets – Mitch Emmerton, Alex Emmerton, Ben Emmerton
- Jelly Bean Squad – Xander Day, Hamish Bennett, Chelsea Corbridge
- Parmy Army – Paige Connolly-Davies, Grace Parmenter, Lani Parmenter
- Vomit Hill – Sky Martin, Tash Toms, Katie Martin
- The Sturgiss Tribe – Olive Sturgiss, Lauren Sturgiss, Luca Sturgiss
We also had a 2km Dash, with approximately 35 competitors lining up for a fast and furious finish. Hamish McLaren took the win, followed by the hard-working Declan Bennett. Jack Kinsele pushed hard in the final metres to hold on to third place, followed by Emily McLaren, Zayne Taylor and Henry Giumelli then the rest of the field. Our final competitors Hollie and Sophie Giumelli were cheered home by the supportive crowd! It was fantastic to see so much enthusiasm and energy as our athletes raced one last time to finish the season.
This year we successfully completed 16 Point Score rounds, with just one cancelled round in Week 11.
Taking home the win in the 1km Point Score was Luca Sturgiss on 550 points from 13 completed rounds, followed by Ayla Parmenter on 530 points and Sophie Giumelli on 514 points.
In the 2km event, Hamish Bennett topped the Point Score with 524 points, with Lani Parmenter second on 509 points and Hollie Giumelli third on 493 points.
Declan Bennett took out the 3km Point Score with 531 points, followed by Mitch Emmerton on 512 points and Jack Kinsele on 509 points.
Scott Armstrong had a convincing win in the Medium Course, accruing 586 points from a perfect 100% competition attendance. Second and third place were separated by just one point, with Dean Bryce finishing on 493 points from 13 rounds and Gavin Dyball on 492 points from 11 rounds.
The Long Course was won by Rebecca Cooper on 540 points, followed by Scott Martin on 436 points and Scott Johnson on 338 points.
Congratulations to everyone who competed this season. There were some fantastic performances, personal bests and personal achievements along the way – whether it was an athlete competing for the first time, completing a new distance, achieving a new best time or simply challenging themselves to keep turning up and giving it their all.
To see where you finished in the points, check out the results here – 2026 FINAL CROSS COUNTRY POINTS
We also had a very special celebration on Saturday for two of our long-serving members, Erich Moeller-Duhme and Terry Bailey, who both will celebrate their 80th birthdays soon. We marked the occasion with a cake and took the opportunity to recognise and thank Erich and Terry for their many years of commitment, contribution and support to Nowra Athletics Club. What a wonderful milestone to celebrate with two very special members of our Club.
Once the Point Score winners had been recognised, and a sausage sandwich and cake had been enjoyed, we kept the fun going with some good old-fashioned sack races! There were plenty of laughs, competitive spirit and some very questionable sack-racing technique as we finished the afternoon on a high.
Thank you to our athletes, families, volunteers and supporters for making the afternoon, and the winter season, such a memorable one.
A big shout-out goes to our Trail Running Festival, which was a huge success in Round 12. We’re thrilled to announce that it will be back bigger and better in 2027, thanks to the wonderful support of our members and the wider community. Save the date – Sunday, 23 May 2027!
For now, we look forward to moving into our Track & Field season, kicking off at Shoalhaven High School on Wednesday 2nd September at 5.30pm. Keep an eye on our socials for all the information and updates.