EAGLEHAWK ATHLETICS CLUB is flying high on top of the premier division ladder after the first round of Athletics Victoria’s Shield League field and track action for the 2024-25 season.

The Hawks were in hot form in Saturday’s meet at Lar Birpa athletics complex in Flora Hill’s Retreat Road.

A score of 46,881 points meant Eaglehawk led Premier division from metro powers Essendon, 37,251; and reigning champion, Diamond Valley, 37,000.

South Bendigo also performed well in the top bracket to score 25,223 and be in seventh place.

The Bendigo Harriers scored 13,876 points to be sixth in division three.

Although it was just a team of three which competed, Bendigo University tallied 1228 points to be sixth in division five.

There were many highlights across the meet at Lar Birpa which drew 115 competitors.

Several newcomers took to the track, field, or both against many long-time athletes.

Under the AVSL format scores from an athlete’s three best results are added to the team’s tally.

A score of 1228 points put Eaglehawk’s Mila Childs in fourth place in the Most Valuable Athlete award.

Highest scoring event for the talented youngster was 421 points after she leapt 9.74m at triple jump.

Victory in the first of the women’s 400m heats in 1:06.52 earned 414 points.

First-up for Childs was the 100m dash in which she charged to the line in 13.89 seconds and scored 393 points.

Eaglehawk clubmate Catherine Monahan was 14th in the MVA standings on 1149 points.

A time of 1:20.27 in the 400m earned Monahan a score of 420.

Other events on her program were the 100m and shot put.

Plenty of athletes from Bendigo Region featured in the top 100 of the Most Valuable Athlete award.

Eaglehawk’s Cooper Richardson was 21st on 1114 as clubmates Madelyn Beaton, Alyssa Beaton and Imogen Brown achieved marks of 1085, 1079 and 1073 to be 34th, 40th and 44th.

Highest scorers for South Bendigo were Emma Orme, 29th on 1095, and Kai Norton, equal 35th on 1084 points.

Another of the region’s rising stars in Jenna Gaskell from Bendigo Harriers scored 1067 points to be 47th.

Also in the top 100 of the MVA were Eaglehawk’s Dave Chisholm, Terry Hicks, Jorja Morrison and Lucy Richard; Bendigo Harriers’ Reeve Evans; and South Bendigo’s Piper Fynch, Jordyn Lewis and Joan Self.

Athletes to surpass a score of 400 points were Eaglehawk’s Fletch Watchman, 421 for a run of 11.38 in the 100m; Cooper Richardson, 11.81 in the 100m for a score of 407 points.

University’s Ingrid Woodward ran the 1500m in 5:26.74 to earn 426 points.

A mark of 54.67m by Kai Norton at javelin brought up the meet’s highest score of 428.

Some of the best duels of the day were in the 1500m where South Bendigo’s Jake Hilson fought on to defeat Shepparton’s Jack Gospel as they ran 4:14.95 and 4:15.15.

At triple jump it was Eaglehawk’s Cameron Greenwood, 12.27; Daniel Chisholm, 11.93; and Jorja Morrison, 10.80, who were to the fore.

Round two in AVSL will be run next Saturday at Lar Birpa.

First-up will be hammer at 1pm, with the track action and first flight of field disciplines on from 1.30pm.