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ATHLETICS Bendigo clubs finished one, two, three in the race for the teams award after Sunday's finale to the three-day Flack Advisory-backed Victoria Country athletics championships in Bendigo.
The Bendigo Harriers celebrated winning the Margraret Saunders Country Cup as No.1 team for the first time in many years.
After hot competition across all disciplines at the Latrobe University Bendigo athletics complex in Flora Hill, Bendigo Harriers was on 1839 points.
South Bendigo was runner-up on 975 as Eaglehawk achieved third place on 970.5 points.
Although it fielded just four competitors, Bendigo University racked up 104 points.
Home-track advantage played a big role in Eaglehawk retaining the Ex-Athletes Cup as the leading women's team.
Eaglehawk scored 530.5 as Geelong Guild scored 510.
For the fourth year in a row, Bendigo Harriers won the David Kitt Memorial Trophy for the leading men's team.
Bendigo Harriers was a runaway winner on 1495 points from South Bendigo on 541.
There were many outsanding performances from athletes from many pockets in Victoria.
Bendigo Harriers sprint star Luke Rowlatt earned the Australia Day Medal for most outstanding performace by a male athlete.
Rowlatt won the under-20 men's 400m in 49.02 seconds.
The Australia Day Medal for most outstanding performance by a female athlete was presented to Ballarat Harriers' race walk champion Kelly Ruddick.
After soaring 2.04m to win the men's open high jump, Joseph Baldwin from Bendigo Harriers capped another high.
The talented teenager was presented with the Joyce Lockyer Memorial Shield for sportsmanship and dedication to their field event.
Klara Dess from Geelong Guild earned the Stuart Hunter Memorial Shield for most outstanding under-16 athlete.
The Chilwell Athletics-sponsored veterans award was presented for the first time. Recipients were Wendouree's Robert Lehmann and Angela Williams.
After being runner-up in 2015, Bendigo Harriers' president Geoff Jordan said every member played their part, on and off the track, to the success.
"We were pipped at the post last year, so there was a lot of determination within the club.
"A big focus was on the relays, but we had a lot of fantastic individual performances.
"To see the elation at the end of relays, whether it was or win or not. was fantastic.
"For the Bendigo clubs to be the top three shows how strong athletics is in this region."
Next year's championships are in Geelong.