2023 Track and Field Award winners
On Tuesday last week we gathered at the Carlton Tavern, next to Paddington track to celebrate the successes of this year's track and field season.
On Tuesday last week we gathered at the Carlton Tavern, next to Paddington track to celebrate the successes of this year's track and field season. As part of the evening the winners of the annual track and field awards were announced:
Robin Kindersley Trophy (given to the most deserving athlete in the senior men's SAL or Rosenheim teams)
Winner: Stuart Leigh
Stuart rejoined Serpentine after a year competing for Hercules Wimbledon and he made an immediate impact for the team. Over the season he's locked down spots in some of the hardest to fill events like the 110m and 400m hurdles and often coming first or second, while also contributing in the sprints, jumps and relays, regularly racking up 7 or 8 events in a day. This dedication made him the top points scorer in the SAL team. We're glad to have him back and congratulations Stuart!
Ladies' Track & Field Trophy (given to the most deserving athlete in the senior women's SAL or Rosenheim teams)
Winner: Katy Casterton
This year, the winner of the SAL ladies award is Katy Casterton. Katy has proven herself as a force to be reckoned with in the 1500m and mile (knocking 35 seconds off her 1500m PB), and has consistently placed in the top 3 at the SAL matches this season. Katy also showed her dedication to the team by running every distance from the 200m up to 5k to gain us valuable points. We're all excited to see her take her great form into the XC season and beyond. Congrats Katy!
Jan Farmer Trophy (given to the most deserving female athlete in the veterans team)
Winner: Marielle Vestlund
Marielle was back with the team for the first time since 2010. Marielle joined us at every meet and participated in true Serpie spirit ensuring we could maximise points including doing several events she had never done before (or at least not for a very long time!). She did the 2km walk for the first time at the first meet (and came back to give it a second go and managed to knock over 1min 30 secs off her time) and she gained valuable points as a novice in the discus, javelin and hammer after a quick lesson from fellow team mate, Mary Davies; she also ran various distances between 100m and 800m.
Derek Paterson Trophy (given to the most deserving male athlete in the veterans team)
Winner: Tom McKelvey
Tom has been a regular member of the vets team for several years. In 2023 he competed in 10 events which included not only his preferred jumps but also filling in for the sprints and relays. He really made his presence felt, coming first in 6 of the 10 events with 2 seconds and 2 thirds thrown in for good measure.
Tony McGahan Trophy (given to the person for their overall contribution and inspiration across all teams)
Winner: Jeremy Freer
Jeremy has been a fixture of our track and field teams for many years, competing in the SAL, Rosenheim and vets leagues. Over the years we've always been able to rely on Jeremy to compete in the sprints, relays and jumps when called upon. But besides of his own contributions on the track, what makes Jeremy a deserving winner of this award is his unwavering competitive spirit. He's always willing to take on an event to help the team gain an extra few points and is also encouraging other team members to give new events a try. He's a great example for the "every point counts" mindset that has always been a strength of Serpies in track and field.
On behalf of the team team captains, we wanted to say thank you to everyone who got involved in track and field this year, be it as an athlete, official or supporter. We appreciate every one of you.
And while it's time for cross country now, if you are interested in track field, check out the athletics page on the website or get in touch via email.
T&F team's captains and Committee Liason (Frank, Holly, Andrew, Catkin, Sophie, Dave, Tony)
Submitted: 9 October 2023