2025 Australian Schools Championships – ACT Team Report

A strong ACT team of 20 students travelled to Brisbane to compete at the 2025 Australian Schools Championships, part of the 2025 Australian Championships Carnival which comprised seven races over nine days. The team was managed by Peter Miller and Sarah Bruce, and coached by David Stocks.

After challenging selection trials earlier this year, students were selected to compete in one of four Schools Championship classes: junior (12-15 yrs) and senior (16-19 yrs), boys and girls. Other teams represented each state and territory (except NT), and two New Zealand teams also competed against the Australian teams in the Southern Cross Junior Challenge.

Junior Girls	Junior Boys	Senior Girls	Senior Boys
Layla Dent	Hayden Dent	Sanda Halpin	Oliver Bishop
Naomi Penton	Benjamin Mansell	Ella Hogg (Captain)	Elye Dent
Tessa Radajewski	Patrick Maundrell	Katy Hogg	Matthew Maundrell
Alma Walter	Rajeev Tamhane	Katherine Maundrell	Joshua Mansell
Isobel Walter	Mica Walter	Mira Walter	Max Walter (Captain)

Always a highlight of the orienteering calendar, preparations and planning for ASOC began early. Map-geeking and lots of relevant training in the preceding months gave the students plenty of time to create ambitious goals both individually and for the team.

The ACT Team delivered upon these ambitions with a very successful 2025 Australian Championships campaign, winning the ASOC trophy (convincingly over TAS, and NSW who have wielded it for the past 6 years), and becoming the only Australian team ever to get their name etched on the Southern Cross Junior Challenge Trophy (in a tie with NZ Harua).

In addition, an astounding 7 of 16 Australian Schools Honour Team members were ACT Team members: congratulations to Hayden Dent, Matty Maundrell, Elye Dent, Mica Walter, Ella Hogg, Katherine Maundrell and Layla Dent.

Layla Dent also received the prestigious Rob Simson Memorial Shield for Best Newcomer.

Saturday 27 September, Australian Championships Sprint – UQ Saint Lucia

The carnival opened with a technical university campus sprint on the banks of the Brisbane river. Winter ACT sprint series events did their job, as the students seemed unfazed by any of the many challenges thrown at them in this race.

Ariadna Iskhakova – who was initially selected for the team but was unable to compete due to injury – was each day an invaluable part of the group. She had many roles but shone most as Manager in Charge of Team Morale, celebrating and consoling teammates through inevitable highs and lows through the week.

As a Brisvegas bonus, a mass start race was held for the top 8 runners in each of men’s and women’s elite. A short ‘Dash for Cash’ lasting only 8min would award $1000 to the fastest athlete. All aspects of the race were specially designed for spectator viewing, with pre-race interviews, mid-race battles for position and photo finishes on full display.

Standout runs of the day included:

Elye Dent, second in M20E and second in the Dash for Cash, winning $500!
Tessa Radajewski, first in W12A
Ben Mansell, third in M14A
Josh Mansell second Australian in M18A

Sunday 28 September, Australian Championships Long – Platypus Cliffs

“Hot!” was probably the most used word in the long-distance arena. The heat was a shock for runners, leading to a plethora of initiatives for cooling and rehydration at events: ice from the servo, misting spray bottles, wet towels and LOTS of electrolyte powder! The steep, physical terrain lent itself to competitors who focused on contours and took efficient routes to minimise climb.

The day concluded with the start of the ASOC scavenger hunt, where teams complete various challenges to score points. Josh and Sarah took one for the team to see who could eat an entire pie the fastest! Others enjoyed pastry and protein at a more relaxed pace.

Highlights of the day included:

Naomi Penton, second in W14A
Hayden Dent, first in M16A
Layla Dent, second in W12A

Monday 29 September, Rest Day

It was just the third day of the carnival, but everyone was glad to have a day off from racing. It wasn’t strictly a day of rest however, as the team got further stuck into the official scavenger hunt and exploring Brisbane. There were acts of goodwill on the Goodwill Bridge, imitations of sculptures, and catching of a ‘cat’ (but which kind…?) on the river.

Tuesday 30 September, Schools Championship Sprint – Forest Lake

Tuesday marked the start of the ASOC carnival. Queensland is known for its tricky urban maps, and the ASOC sprint courses did not disappoint. 12 separate areas of confusing multilevel terrain (where it was possible to run over a balcony, underneath, or a mix of both by taking a flight of stairs) and dozens of temporary barriers covered the map, putting athletes through their paces as they tried to find the fastest route through the labyrinth.

It was a successful day for ACT, with no mis punches despite many opportunities, and consistent performances by all members of the team giving ACT an early lead in the ASOC point score.

ACT’s own ASOC alumnus Owen Radajewski provided well-researched and exciting commentary to cover all the action across the ASOC events.
Runs of the day included:

Elye Dent, first in Senior Boys
Hayden Dent, first in Junior Boys
Katherine Maundrell, third Australian in Senior Girls
Matty Maundrell, third Australian in Senior Boys

Wednesday 1 October, Schools Championship Long – Old Hidden Vale

Starts were moved an hour earlier to beat the heat for the long. It was tough to be thankful when waking up before 5am, but the excitement and adrenaline on the bus provided enough energy to get in the zone. The terrain felt familiar, with the steeper slopes reminiscent of Black Mountain and Mt Jerrabomberra. Longer route choice legs with flat tracks or challenging straight-line options allowed competitors to play to their strengths. Once again, the ACT Team delivered strong performances, continuing to avoid mis punches (not without close calls!) or large-scale navigational errors.

Highlights included:

Three ACT Senior Boys in top four Australians (Matty, Elye, Oli)
Katherine Maundrell, third in Senior Girls
Layla Dent, second in Junior Girls
Hayden Dent, first in Junior Boys
Mica Walter, third Australian in Junior Boys (despite sickness)

Thursday 2 October, Schools Championship Relay – Deebing Creek

We must thank the illegal 4-wheel drive hoons for this event; A sandy creek bed gouged away by off-road vehicles, creating significant erosion features similar to complex gold-mining terrain. Relays are the pinnacle of the ASOC carnival, with braided hair, ribbons, nail polish, zinc and hairspray to make state allegiances clear. Relays also bring with them the most pressure, as each member of the 3-person team relying on the others to avoid errors and run their best.

Oliver Gladwin and Veronika Iskhakova were welcome additions to round out two strong teams in each junior class.

Once again, the ACT Team rose to the occasion, finishing the ASOC carnival with no mis punches. ACT was the only team to have placed on the podium in all 4 classes. This sealed a decisive win in the overall ASOC competition, and coupled with some close finishes, brought the team to a historic tied victory in the Southern Cross Junior Challenge.

Final ASOC points: ACT 75, Tasmania 63, NSW 58, Queensland 46, SA 36, Victoria 30, WA 16.

Final SCJC points: Harua 87, ACT 87, Tasmania 72, Karahiwi 68, NSW 65, Queensland 48, SA 38, Victoria 33, WA 19.

To finish an enjoyable day, the coaches relay was contested by David and Peter, with the team taking delight in providing ‘questionable’ refreshments at the spectator run-through.

Runs of the day included:

Max Walter, gained 11 places on leg 2 in Senior Boys
Ella Hogg, anchoring to second place in Senior Girls after an exciting sprint finish
Sanda Halpin, fifth on leg 1 in Senior Girls.
Rajeev Tamhane, fourth on leg 1 in Junior Boys
Ben Mansell, bringing his team into second position after leg 2 in Junior Boys
Naomi Penton, taking third for ACT on leg 3 in Junior Girls

Friday 3 October, Rest Day

Again, not a real rest day as the team took a full day excursion to Wet n’ Wild! It was a popular decision with busy crowds and long lines, but still reported to be a fun day.

Saturday 4 October, Australian Championships Relay – Logan Inlet

The Australian relays were held near the long-distance terrain from the previous weekend, but this time the flatter slopes and a recent bushfire made for incredibly fast running, with careful attention to compass direction a key to success. ACT athletes would have felt at home amongst the unmapped, undersize termite mounds sprinkled across the entire area.

For something different, the elite classes had a later start, getting a rare chance to enjoy night orienteering! Cooler air and trains of headtorches dancing through the trees made it an enjoyable evening for spectators.

Sunday 5 October, Australian Championships Middle – White Rock

The final day of the carnival had competitors facing detailed sandstone terrain. The forest was thicker and hills steeper, so success lay less in running speed and more in careful, precise navigation. The heat was again a factor for runners, particularly by the end of a long and tiring week.

It was very difficult to have a clean run, but competitors who remained composed and avoided large time losses were rewarded.