NKEC impressive at badminton regionals

BY JOHN DECOSTE

jdecoste@kentvilleadvertiser.ca

NovaNewsNow.com

Athletes from Northeast Kings Education Centre stood up and were counted once again at the NSSAF Western Region badminton championships held April 11-12 in Bridgewater, Hebbville and Mahone Bay in Lunenburg County.

In the team competition, NKEC placed first in junior, second (to Ecole Par-en-Bas from Yarmouth County) in intermediate and first in senior, advancing teams to provincials this weekend in Halifax at all three levels.

The NKEC junior team consisted of Tineke Vanderweit in girls’ singles, Ashlin Warner in boys’ singles, Sarah Bennett and Gillian Tetlow in girls’ doubles, Alex Caldwell and Max Beveridge in boys’ doubles, Melissa Rafuse and Louis Pearson in mixed doubles.

The NKEC senior team, mostly all veterans of many years of interschool competition, was made up of Jacobi Vanderweit, Logan Coffill, Mishelle Melvin and Christine Manning, Blake Brown and Ian Manning, Jenny McGinis and Paul Manning.

The NKEC intermediate team consisted of Laura Roy, Joe Huyer-Upton, Victoria Brewster and Paige Veinot, Ben Pate and Garrett Whittsit, Claire MacDougall and Joe Harper.

In the individual competition, NKEC won three disciplines at the junior level, two at the intermediate level and four of five at the senior level.

In junior, Tineke Vanderweit won the girls’ singles, Louis Pearson the boys’ singles and Sarah Bennett and Gillian Tetlow the girls’ doubles.

At the intermediate level, Laura Roy won the girls’ singles and Claire MacDougall and

Joe Harper the mixed doubles. Joe Huyer-Upton was second in boys’ singles and Victoria Brewster and Tabitha Payzant were second in girls’ doubles, all advancing to provincials.

In senior, first place in all five disciplines went to Kings County athletes: Horton’s Justin Barkhouse in boys’ singles; NKEC’s Jacobi Vanderweit in girls’ singles; Mishelle Melvin and Christine Manning in girls’ doubles; Blake Brown and Ian Manning in boys’ doubles; and Jenny McGinis and Paul Manning in mixed doubles.

Lisa Fuller and Stephanie Howatt from Horton also advanced to provincials with a runner-up finish in senior girls’ doubles. Middleton advanced also with a runner-up finish in the junior team competition. NKEC’s Sam Huyer-Upton earned a medal with a third-place finish in senior boys’ singles, but did not advance.