Cronulla victory in Wollongong

It was a close affair at the Wollongong Triathlon as the Sydney South West Interclub drew to a close with the Cronulla Sharks edging out several teams to win their third event of the season.

Cronulla have been superb over the second half of the season, outscoring Hills over the last five events on the Calendar. This will keep the Sharks warm during the winter months as they prepare to knock the Red Army off next season.

Jennifer McDonald was the star for Cronulla with victory in her AG. Jennifer has enjoyed a superb season, winning the Cronulla Shark MVP in the inaugural season. No small feat with the number of great athletes in the Cronulla fold.

Jennifer was well supported in Wollongong by James Martin, Kevin Robertson, Ellen Glennan and Glenn Gorick who all produced podium earning performances.

Ben Duff, Jarrod Crump, John De Luca, Marcello Rossi, Deborah Davidson, Laura Kelly, Sarah Willets, Rolf Behrens and Chris Davis also added Performance Points to the Shark tally with top 10’s.

The Hills Red Army were second at Wollongong to round out a superb campaign. 42 points was the final point gap to Cronulla in 2^nd, highlighting just how impressive Hills have been this season.

Crowned Champions an event earlier in Orange, Hills were still out in full force to once again go toe to toe with Cronulla.

Helen McArthur won her AG as did Club and Region MVP, Dave McEwan. Paul Fisher, Jessica Edwards and Greg Baxter all finished 2^nd for the Red Army, with Jason Howie a superb 3^rd.

Darren Bush, David Henderson, Susan Pace, Leah Smith, Dominique Smith, Don McArthur, Greg Smith and Daniel Connell were the other Hills athletes who secured Performance Points on the day.

A club that has flown under the radar a lot this season despite enjoying a stellar season, Macarthur, were third. Spurred on by league MVP candidates, Rachael Eagles and Craig Odewahn, Macarthur earnt enough points down in Wollongong to claim third place overall in the Sydney South West Interclub.

Rachel Eagles was once again on the top step of the podium as was Robert Picken. Craig Odewahn capped off a superb year with a 4^th. Kye Simpson and Bryce Hudson adding to the Mac tally with top 10’s.

Engadine, a club who rarely featured in the first half of the season have finished like a train, adding a fourth place at Wollongong to several other impressive late season performances.

Madeline Morgan with a superb AG victory, Rachel Kennedy chipping in with a fine 7^th.

Engadine finished seventh overall and will hope to carry their end of season momentum through the winter, so they can get out of the blocks a bit quicker in Interclub 02.

Balance were fifth at the Gong and finished fifth overall.

One of the stars of the season, Jocie Evison, once again winning her AG in emphatic fashion. As did young Zanzi Hocknell, a great talent and one to keep an eye out for over the coming years.

Martin Hill, Monique Van Camp, Brooke Bowman and Gary Maddox increased the Balance Bolt total with top 10’s.

A strong year for Balance and one that they will look to build on for next season.

The FilOz Eagles were sixth, just half a point behind Balance.

Sharon Mojica finished 10^th in her AG which was enough to secure the FilOz MVP title for Interclub 01.

FilOz finish ninth overall in a season with many highlights.

Hawkesbury and Concord tied for seventh. Geoff Luscombe with a 4^th for the Hawks. Luke Jones victorious for Concord, Gwenola Le Lu and James Martin finishing runners up.

The Hawks finish in tenth overall whilst Concord secured sixth.

Panthers were eighth down in Wollongong and finish fifth overall.

Melissa Fanning 3^rd, Michelle Kurp 5^th and Chris Waring in 10^th securing Performance Points for the Penrith based club.

LAPD were ninth thanks to a Timothy Molesworth 5^th. The Lightning finish the season in eighth overall.

Pulse didn’t score at Wollongong and finish 11^th overall.

Interclub 02 will witness a complete overhaul of the Sydney Interclub competitions.

The three existing divisions (Sydney North, Sydney South East and Sydney South West) are being combined into a three-tiered structure with promotion and relegation allowing for clubs to move up and down based on their recent event performance.

The Sydney Premier Triathlon League will feature the Hills Red Army, Cronulla Sharks, Macarthur, Balance Bolt and Panthers.

The Sydney Triathlon League 1 will feature Concord and the Engadine Dingoes.

The Sydney Triathlon League 3 will feature LAPD Lightning, Western Sydney FilOz Eagles, Hawkesbury Hawks and Pulse.

More information on the restructure can be found here