SPRING training has reaped dividends for Port Stephens Athletics Club’s budding track and field hopefuls.

A core of the club’s emerging young talent produced record-breaking performances at the recent Port Hunter Zone Little Athletics Championships staged at Federal Park, Wallsend.

Six of the 38 zone records broken at the championships were achieved by Port Stephens Athletics Club products, including talented Anna Bay siblings Landen and Brayden Weine.

Both captured 200m sprint titles with Landen setting a new mark in the Boys 9 years division and elder brother Brayden smashing the previous record in the 11 years age category.

The versatile brothers later teamed up with promising club mates Rhylin Green and Hunter Travers to claim another record in the Junior Boys Relay event.

They were part of a contingent of 45 Port Stephens club athletes to stamp their mark at the prestigious Hunter-based carnival.

Other record-breaking achievements included boom Tomaree High School students Anna Taylor-Anderson (14 yrs Girls) and Mia McDonald (14 yrs Girls) winning their respective 90m hurdles and 300m hurdles finals and Elara Barnes (13 yrs Girls) snaring gold in the 200m hurdles decider.

It capped an amazing weekend for the Port Stephens club, which finished second to Adamstown New Lambton Athletics Club on raw scores and runner-up to Raymond Terrace Athletics Club on the final handicap score.

Thirty four of the club’s athletes have now qualified for a total of 92 events for the Hunter Regional Athletic Championships to be held next February 6-7 in Maitland.

A jubilant club president Michelle Chan told News Of The Area that the squad’s overall performance at the zone titles was “incredible.”

“There were many personal best times achieved and across the board our athletes brought home a swag of medals,” said Michelle, a former leading athlete from the Narromine region.

“Unfortunately two of our top seven-year-old medalists Lydia Lalai-Smith and Sierra White, who performed strongly, won’t progress to the regionals due to the age limit.”.

Lydia claimed silver in the 7 yrs Girls 500m and 200m events with Sierra finishing runner-up in the shot put.

Port Stephens underlined their depth of talent by winning both the Junior Girls and Boys Relay finals and snaring silver in the Senior Girls category.

The Junior Girls squad comprised top nine-year-old prospects Malia Foster and Joy Schneider plus boom sprinters Isla Trayerling, aged eleven, and Lucinda Bristow, aged twelve.

Versatile Malia is a three time club champion while Isla is the current champion of her age group.

Port Stephens Athletics Club juniors that have qualified for the regionals include Elayna Chesters, Iyla Green, Maya White, George Collier, Marcus Auguste, Landen Weine, Tommy Buckton, Evelyn Jurisic, Isla Gattenof, Joy Schneider, Malia Foster, Braxx Buckton, Denver Trojkovic, Rhylin Green, Laylah Standing, Anthony Ford, Brayden Weine, Amarli Buckton, Isla Trayerling, Shanique Robertson, Max Hanrahan, Hunter Travers, Royal Turner-Bryans, Brynne Dagwell, Jamie Taylor-Anderson, Lucinda Bristow, Zoe McKee, Elara Barnes, Amelia McKee, Anna Taylor-Anderson, Eva Hanrahan, Mia McDonald, Tom Collier and Naomi Rengkitchaya.

By Chris KARAS