Southland athletes James McLeay and Ollie Davis will look to test themselves at under 20 and senior level at the New Zealand track and field championships next week.

With close to 30 athletes competing at the March 6 to 9 pinnacle event in Dunedin, the Caledonian ground will be a familiar setting for the Southland athletes looking to develop their experience or push for a medal. The two provinces staged a combined Otago-Southland championships at the same venue a couple of weeks ago.

Amongst those medal chances will be middle distance runner McLeay, who recently defended his national mile title at the International Track Meet.

It was a welcome result for the United States-bound athlete who has battled illness over the summer but has signed on for the under 20 and senior 1500m in Dunedin.

Fellow ILT Academy Southland athlete Ollie Davis will contest the under 20 and senior men’s long jump, looking to claim a medal in the age group category with a leap beyond 7m.

Like Davis, Connor Gilliland moved up from the under 18 ranks to the under 20s after Christmas, and will contest the triple jump, 110m hurdles and long jump.

Carlie Scherp has been hampered by an ongoing ankle injury, but will compete in the under 20 discus and shotput.

Hector O’Rourke was rewarded with a couple of podiums in the Classics over the summer and could feature in the under 20 discus.

A number of Southlanders competing in the junior ranks will also hope to do well.

Abby O’Boyle, 15, will compete across the under 18 800m, 1500, 2km steeplechase and high jump and will be a medal contender across those events despite being one of the younger athletes in her division.

Charlotte Hawkes will gain some good experience competing at a national event, but has also been pushing O’Boyle locally in the steeplechase.

Gore’s Millie McFadzien will be favoured in both the steeplechase and 3km despite stepping up from the under 16 age group to the under 18 ranks.

Gore’s Max McGregor will run the 800m and 1500m at under 16 level, part of a highly-competitive trio of local runners which includes Invercargill’s Hunter Flowers and Queenstown’s James Weber.

Queenstown’s Siena Mackley recently finished third in the under 20 3km at the national championships over that distance and is running the 1500m and 5km.