Our athletes recently performed superbly in the 2025 McEvedy Shield athletics event.
2025 McEvedy Shield
2025 McEvedy shield - News - Rongotai College
The 2025 McEvedy Shield was an extremely positive event for Rongotai College. The spectators present were brilliantly behaved and brought great energy and loud support for our team, and witnessed a great spectacle from our athletes. There were many great examples of the school values evident on the day – before, during and after the event.
The 101 points scored by our athletes, marks the highest total since Rongotai College finished 3rd in 2007. This is also only the third time in the last 30 years that the 100-point mark has been reached. This total – and the growth of our points total from 46 in 2023 and 84 in 2024 - highlights the work and dedication of our students in showing up to training and taking on advice from coaches.
This year's competition showcased our success in all age groups and our continued push with our juniors. Our Under 14's scored 34 points in total and were led by the following athletes: Zachary Atkin (1st in Long Jump, 3rd in 100m and 200m), Lucas Kendrick (3rd in 3000m), Oscar Politini (3rd in 800m and 4th in 400m), Harry Barton (3rd 1500m and 4th 3000m), Kingsley Mcguigan (3rd in 400m and 4th in 800m), Mataio Davidson (1st in Shot Put and 2nd in Javelin) and Ngatoa Mullane-Ronaki (3rd in Shot Put).
Our Under 15 athletes scored a total of 35 points and were led by the following athletes: Gyan Wilson (photo below) who achieved a triple crown winning the 100m, 200m and 400m, while also winning the Long Jump and 100m Hurdles. This was the second year in a row that Gyan has scored 20 points on the day! He was ably supported by JJ Popham (2nd in 200m, 3rd in hurdles and 4th in 100m), Sebastian Campion (3rd in 3000m and 4th in 1500m), T K Maladina (2nd in High Jump) and Codie Tawhiri (2nd in Javelin).
Our Seniors were led by the following athletes, Caeden Ioapo (1st in High Jump), Brooklyn Boyd (3rd in 100m, 200m and 400m), Hugo Campion (4th in 3000m), Roman Fa'atoafe (4th in Discus), Aston Burwell-Garratt (1st in 110m Hurdles, 3rd in Triple Jump and 4th in Long Jump), Desmond Reddy (2nd in 3000m and 3rd in 1500m), Theo Bray (3rd in 3000m), Ben Young (4th in High Jump), Fletcher Cowan (4th in Triple Jump), Zion King (4th Shot Put) and TJ Robinson (4th in Javelin).
Topping off our great day we had 3 school records broken. Gyan Wilson broke both the Under 15 200m record (with a time of 23.31 seconds) and the 400m record with a time of 53.26 seconds. Aston Burwell-Garratt broke the Over 16 110m Hurdles record, with a time of 15.78 seconds.
Looking ahead, we know that this year is only the beginning. Our athletes have set the bar high, and as a school, we will continue to push forward. We will support and nurture our talent, and ensure that every student has the opportunity to shine. We will strive to keep improving, build on this momentum, and create even more opportunities for our athletes to reach their full potential.
Mr Stephen Isaac (Head of Athletics) states that the future is bright, and together, we will make the most of it. We need to continue to work hard, support each other, and keep striving for excellence. Rongotai College has proven once again that we can be a force to be reckoned with and this is just another crucial step forward. Onward and upwards!
