Megan McPhail (Waitaki Girls') can rise to the occasion.
McPhail (17) did this at Wellington at the weekend at the 39th annual New Zealand secondary schools championships.
She won the senior girls sprint double in the 100m (12.39sec) and 200m (25.18sec).
They were both personal best times and it lifted her Athletics New Zealand ranking in the women's 19 grade in the 100m this season from sixth to first. She retained her top 200m ranking.
The Brent Ward trained sprinter travels from Oamaru to Dunedin to train with the elite sprint squad.
Her efforts were rewarded when she was one of seven Otago athletes named in the New Zealand secondary schools paper team after the championships.
The other athletes named in the team were Rebekah Greene (St Hilda's), Andrew Whyte (South Otago High School), Dean Rusbatch (Otago Boys'), Anna Kean (Otago Girls'), Caitlin O'Brien (St Hilda's), and Sophie Napper (Columba College).
Rusbatch received the reward for his consistent training over the winter months when he finished runner-up in the senior boys hammer throw with a personal best 55.22m.
Kean, a solid middle distance runner, finished second behind Greene in the 1500m in a time of 4min 42.64sec.
O'Brien, a member of coach Jim Baird's stable with Greene and Whyte, was second in the senior girls 800m.
Napper was third in the senior girls 100m, fourth in the 200m and was a member of the Columba College 4 x 100m relay team that won the senior girls title from Mount Albert Grammar in a time of 49.89sec.
The other members of the team were Renaye Flockton, Melissa-Jane Austen and Laura Saville.
Nikita White (Otago Girls') won five gold medals in the senior girls AWD class in the 100m, 200m, 400m, shot put and javelin. They were all New Zealand records.
Holly Robinson (Taieri College) was also dominant in the girls AWD class and broke the New Zealand discus record with a throw of 32.31m.
George Woodhouse (Otago Boys') won the junior boys' 100m in 11.47sec.
Sam Porter was one of 13 athletes from East Otago High School at the championships and won a silver medal in the junior boy's javelin with a personal best 45.74m.
