Cross-country champions

By Melissa Grant
MEET Pakenham’s cross-country champions.
Pakenham Consolidated Primary School student Jessica Cox and Beaconhills College student Luke Joiner recently returned from Perth where they competed in the national cross-country championships.
The year four students both finished eighth in their respective two kilometre races.
Luke, 10, qualified for the nationals after finishing first in both the district and zone championships and third at state level.
The head of Beaconhills junior school, Peter Hockey, said Luke’s achievement was a great result for the school, which prided itself on its sporting prowess.
“He is the second Victorian school athlete that we’ve had, which is pretty good for a (junior) school that has only been running for 13 years,” he said.
Jessica, 9, crossed the line first at the district and zone cross-country championships and finished third at state level to make it through to the nationals.
Jessica received a silver medal at the championships after her Victorian team finished second overall at the carnival.
Jessica’s mother, Claudia, also a physical education teacher at the school, said she was pleased that her daughter had managed to finish eighth against 34 of the country’s best in the under-10 girls individual event.
“When you think that it’s the best from the country, it’s a really good result,” she said.