Lucia Stafford, Track & Field, Toronto

Burlington, Ont. – Lucia Stafford has been named Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Female Athlete of the Week for the period ending March 8, 2020.

Female Athlete of the Week – Lucia Stafford, Toronto Varsity Blues, Track & Field

A fourth-year middle distance specialist, Lucia Stafford reached the podium four times in leading the Varsity Blues women’s track and field team to a silver-medal finish at the 2020 U SPORTS championships in Edmonton.

The engineering major won both the 1000m and 1500m gold medals in dominant fashion. In the former, the first team all-Canadian turned in a result of 2:42.58 to top the field by over half a second. Her time in the latter, meanwhile, helped Stafford to cross the finish line more than two seconds ahead of her next closest competitor. The 4:22.21 performance helped her to wrap up the individual part of her championship just like she started it – with gold around her neck – but she wasn’t done there. Stafford would also join her fellow Blues in a pair of top-three finishes in the relays. The Toronto, Ont. native anchored the Blues 4x800 relay team to a silver-medal finish, while helping the 4x400 relay team to the bronze medal, bringing her hardware haul up to four for the meet.

Overall, Stafford played an instrumental role in Toronto’s second-place showing, as she wrapped up the three-day meet with 23.5 points earned to make her the top female point-getter on the national stage.