Cross Country Carnival
The whole-school College Cross Country Carnival: results and House points from Friday 8 May 2026, age champions, course and distances by age group, how the day runs, what to bring, and the 2027 date (Friday 7 May 2027).
The College Cross Country Carnival is the one sporting day of the year when the whole school — Prep to Year 12 — is on the Main Oval together. Held on a Friday in early May, it starts and finishes on the Main Oval with courses looping through the campus and the adjacent Wattle Creek Linear Park. Every student runs or walks a course suited to their age group, and every finisher earns House points. Results select the College teams for the CSSA (Years 7–12) and NDPSA (Years 3–6) cross country championships.
2026 results — Friday 8 May 2026
| Place | House | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | MacKillop (green) | 1,214 |
| 2nd | Romero (red) | 1,180 |
| 3rd | Chisholm (blue) | 1,102 |
| 4th | Polding (gold) | 1,065 |
MacKillop won the Cross Country Shield for the second year in a row on the strength of participation — 97 per cent of MacKillop students finished their course. A total of 1,391 students completed a course on the day.
Age champions 2026
| Age group | Girls | Boys |
|---|---|---|
| 9/10 years | Evie C. (MacKillop) | Archer B. (Romero) |
| 11 years | Willow J. (Chisholm) | Patrick O. (MacKillop) |
| 12/13 years | Sienna P. (Romero) | Leo M. (Polding) |
| 14 years | Isla K. (Chisholm) | Henry D. (MacKillop) |
| 15 years | Grace T. (Polding) | Liam O. (MacKillop) |
| 16 years | Matilda C. (Romero) | Kai N. (Chisholm) |
| 17 years | Annabel W. (MacKillop) | Tom R. (Romero) |
| 20 years | Sophie G. (Polding) | Declan F. (MacKillop) |
Liam O. (MacKillop) set a new 15 years boys record of 13:28 for the 4km course.
CSSA and NDPSA follow-up
The College team of 64 runners finished 2nd of 12 schools at the CSSA Cross Country Championships at Bundoora Park on Thursday 4 June 2026, and the Years 3–6 team won the NDPSA Cross Country at Kingsley Park Reserve on Friday 19 June 2026 for the first time since 2018.
The course and distances
All courses start and finish on the Main Oval. Age is as at 31 December of the carnival year.
| Age group | Distance | Course |
|---|---|---|
| Prep – Year 2 | 800m–1km | Junior Oval fun run (with class teachers) |
| Years 3–4 (9/10 years) | 2km | Two laps of the campus loop |
| Years 5–6 (11 and 12/13 years) | 3km | Campus loop + one Linear Park loop |
| Years 7–8 (12/13 and 14 years) | 3km | Campus loop + one Linear Park loop |
| Years 9–10 (15 and 16 years) | 4km | Campus loop + two Linear Park loops |
| Years 11–12 (17 and 20 years) | 4km (girls) / 5km (boys) | Campus loop + two or three Linear Park loops |
The Linear Park loop is on sealed path and mown grass with one short hill behind the Sports Centre. Marshals (staff and Year 12 volunteers) are stationed at every turn and a first-aid station is at the 2km mark.
How the day runs (2026 timings, indicative for 2027)
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 9:15am | Whole-school Mass is not held this Friday; House assemblies on the Main Oval |
| 9:30am | Prep – Year 2 fun run (parents welcome on the Junior Oval) |
| 10:00am | Years 3–4 |
| 10:30am | Years 5–6 |
| 11:00am | Recess |
| 11:30am | Years 7–8 |
| 12:10pm | Years 9–10 |
| 12:50pm | Years 11–12 and staff |
| 1:30pm | Lunch |
| 2:15pm | Presentations on the Main Oval; Junior assembly does not run |
| 3:20pm / 3:25pm | Normal dismissal |
Points
Every finisher earns 5 points for their House; the top 20 in each age group earn bonus points on a sliding scale from 30 (1st) to 1 (20th). Walkers are welcome and score full participation points. Students who are unwell or injured attend as marshals or supporters and earn 2 points for their House.
What to bring
House polo, navy sport shorts, sport tracksuit for the morning, running shoes (not school shoes), hat and sunscreen, drink bottle, lunch, a spare pair of socks and a small towel. Students with asthma carry their puffer; tell the starter before your race. In May the mornings are cold — bring a jumper.
Wet weather
Cross country is run in rain. The carnival is postponed only for lightning, flooding of the Linear Park path, a 35°C forecast at 9:00am (unlikely in May) or a Total Fire Ban. A decision is posted on the Parent Portal by 7:00am; the backup date is the following Friday.
2027 date
Friday 7 May 2027, Main Oval, 9:30am–2:30pm. Prep to Year 12. Parents welcome; please sign in at the Junior gate marquee and use street parking on Chapel Road. The CSSA Cross Country Championships follow on Thursday 3 June 2027.
Students who want to prepare can join the Cross Country squad, which trains Tuesday and Thursday mornings all year.
Contact
Mr Luke Ferraro, Director of Sport — sport@stmaryswc.vic.edu.au — (03) 9555 0100. Junior enquiries: Mr Daniel Ruiz, juniorsport@stmaryswc.vic.edu.au.