111th NSW Short Course XC Championships – Titles for Kate Spencer and Joshua Philips

12 July 2026

111th NSW Short Course XC Championships – Kate Spencer and Joshua Philips dominate

Glorious conditions at West Dapto greeted the athletes competing at the 111th NSW Short Course State Cross Country Championships. In a rare XC appearance from Joshua Phillips, he took the men’s race in a terrific battle, while defending champion, Kate Spencer dominated the women’s race.

MEN Senior 7.5km

Recent three-time NSW 3000m champion, Joshua Phillips headed back to the hills for a hard-fought win. The former junior World Cross Country competitor, who also ran XC in college at Villanova University, had since his return from America concentrated on track and road racing.

For yesterday’s race, it was a really deep line-up with a number of athletes with strong credentials including Josh Phillips, Kembla Joggers local and silver medallist at the NSW XC Benjamin Ngandu, visiting British athlete Jack Millar, triathlete Logan Campbell, steeplechaser Liam Hinchcliffe and NSW XC fourth place getter Isaac Shaw.

Phillips had a race clear race strategy.

“My plan was to take it out hard. But I got caught off guard when at 1km Ben (Benjamin Ngandu), made a move. From then one we were neck and neck,” Phillips said.

The pair had broken away from the field, but Phillips didn’t want to leave it to a sprint finish.

“With about 1.5/2km to go I made my move and was able to hold off Ben in the end.”

Phillips really put his foot down, going on to an eight seconds win in 22:42. It was the second fastest winning time on this course, which was made tougher this year with the change in course where athletes were put over the steep back hill twice, compared to once in previous years.

Benjamin Ngandu was excellent in second clocking 22:50.

There was another neck and neck battle going on throughout for the bronze medal. It was reminiscent of the battle for bronze in Nowra, where Run Crew’s Jack Millar took the medal ahead of Bankstown’s Isaac Shaw. Yesterday Shaw turned the table grabbing the medal from Millar 22:55 to 23:02.

Another six athletes crossed the line within 36 seconds for a very deep race. Fifth was Logan Campbell, 6th Liam Hinchliffe, 7th Stefan Music, 8th Ethan McKenzie, 9th Luca Gillard and 10th Luke Shaw. 

WOMEN Senior 7.5km

Defending champion Kate Spencer dominated the race to win her third NSW Short Course XC title. From early in the race, deep into the first lap Spencer streeted away from the field, going through the mid-way point 18 seconds up. By the finish tape the margin was 50 seconds, reached in a time of 26.12 minutes. Spencer, now aged 31, seems to be getting better with age. Her time yesterday, on the tougher 7.5km course, was one seconds faster than last year, and 49 seconds faster than her win a decade ago in 2016. This year Spencer has won the Sydney 10 and was second in the NSW XC. Over her NSW Athletics Winter career she has now won sixth titles. 

The main battle in the women’s race was for the bronze medal. Mid race, Canberra-based Emily Ryan, who was second at Nowra, looked safe for silver, but in third Athletics Wollongong’s Olivia Sivills was chasing the podium from third position, with Run Crew coach Katie St Lawrence in pursuit. On the second lap, St Lawrence pushed on for the bronze medal with Run Crew teammates Angela Jebb in fourth and Sophie Chudley fifth. Olivia Sivills would place 7th.

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW

Image: Joshua Phillips batting the final hill (image courtesy of David Tarbotton)