OUA Track and Field Championships underway from the Dennis Fairall Fieldhouse

BURLINGTON, Ont. – The top track and field athletes from across the province will invade the St. Denis Centre on the campus of the University of Windsor on Friday for the OUA Track and Field Championships.  Fans can watch all the action live this weekend on OUA.tv.

Action begins on Friday at 10:00am with the men's weight throw and concludes Saturday at 3:15pm with the men's 4 x 400m finals.

The host Windsor Lancers enter the OUA championships as the top ranked men's team in the country.  The Lancers are led by a pair of distance specialists in Corey Bellemore (Windsor, Ont.) and Paul Janikowski (LaSalle, Ont.).  Last year at the OUA championship, Bellemore, a fourth-year criminology & sociology major, broke the 600m OUA record with a time of 1:18:47 and finished third in the 1000m.  Janikowski, who finished second at the 2015 OUA Cross Country Championship, will look to improve upon his ninth place finish in the 3000m a year ago.

The No. 1 ranked Lancers will also look to Chris Waugh (London, Ont.) and Eli Pawliw (Dundas, Ont.) to help them reclaim the Guthrie Trophy after finishing third overall last season.  Waugh earned an OUA silver medal in pole vault last year, while Pawliw placed fifth with a throw of 15.26m in the shot put.

On the women's side, the No. 7 nationally-ranked Lancers will be chasing their first Waterloo Trophy as overall women's champions in program history.  Distance specialist Stefanie Smith (London, Ont.) will lead the charge for Windsor and is a legitimate podium contender in both the 1500m and 3000m races.  Earlier this season, Smith, a third-year human kinetics major, crossed the line in the 1500m in a time of 4:23.50, to not only break the Lancers' team mark, but also establishing a new McGill Team Challenge meet record in the process.

Other medal threats this weekend for the Lancers are pole vault and hurdles standout Rachel Wolfs (Southwold, Ont.) and Jordana Baldey-Castello (Scarborough, Ont.) in weight throw.  Wolfs, a third-year human kinetics student-athlete, finished fifth last year at the OUA championship with a vault of 3.57m in the finals. 

As the No. 1 ranked team in CIS and the defending OUA champions, the University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's team opens the meet looking to capture their eighth banner.  Should the Blues find themselves on the top step of the podium come Saturday, it would mark the first time in program history Toronto has captured back-to-back women's team titles in school history.

Distance specialist Gabriela Stafford (Toronto, Ont.) enters the OUA championship as the women to beat in the 1000m.  Last season, the third-year psychology major finished first in the event with a time of 2:44.80.  Stafford, who won the 1500m event in 2014, finished second in 2015 to former teammate Sasha Gollish by .01 of a second.

Rachel Jewett (Toronto, Ont.) is no stranger to the podium at the OUA championship and the Varsity Blues' middle distance specialist could be back in a familiar spot once again this weekend.  Jewett, a Toronto, Ont. native and two-time OUA gold medalist in the pentathlon, is a member of Toronto's gold medal winning 4x400m and 4x800m relay teams and finished second behind the aforementioned Gollish last year.

The Blues have a double threat to medal in the pentathlon lead by 2015 OUA gold medalist Danielle Delage (Victoria, BC) and Carolyn Adams (London, Ont.).  Last season at the OUA championship, Delage totaled 3805 points in the six events to break the OUA pentathlon record set in 2001 by former Lancer Beth Stroud.  Adams, a second-year kinesiology major, finished seventh at the 2014 CIS championship.

Toronto has not captured Guthrie Trophy since 1989 but as the No. 2 ranked men's track and field team in Canada, the Varsity Blues believe that this could be their year.  Led by two-time OUA heptathlon champion James Turner (Brampton, Ont.), Toronto is looking to improve upon their fifth place overall finish in 2015.  Turner, a fifth-year American studies major, is the defending pentathlon champion after totaling 4090 points to shatter the OUA meet record set by former York Lion Ben Krul in 2007.

In the 60m hurdles event, sprinter Greg MacNeill (Kelowna, Ont.) enters as not only the two-time defending champion but also the favourite after capturing CIS gold last year.  The fourth-year kinesiology major was also a member of the Blues' 4x400m relay team that won OUA gold last season in record breaking time, crossing the finish line in 3:17.10 to break the mark set the by the rival Lancers a season earlier.

Joining MacNeill on that gold medal winning relay team is middle distance specialist Sacha Smart (Kelowna, Ont.).  Smart, a fourth-year kinesiology student-athlete, found the podium in three of four events at last year's championship, winning gold in the relay, silver in the 600m (1:18.65) and 1000m (2:25.11) and finished fourth in the 1500m (3:50.70).  However, with the three top finishers from Guelph not returning to defend their medals, Smart enters the championship with top step aspirations.

Speaking of Guelph, the No. 3 ranked Gryphons men's team will travel to Windsor, Ont. this weekend looking to defend the Guthrie Trophy.  Despite their historical OUA and CIS cross country dominance, the Gryphons have been crowned OUA champions only twice in program history.

After a silver medal last year, Jared Skeath (Toronto, Ont.) enters this weekend ranked nationally No. 1 in weight throw and will be out for gold on Friday.  Earlier this season at the Bob Eubanks Open in Allendale, Michigan, the Toronto, Ont. native recently broke the Gryphons team record (which he co-held with Tim Hendry) with a best toss of 19.82. 

Like Skeath, Sean Cate (Georgetown, Ont.) is also a Gryphons record holder after he broke the Gryphons' men's high jump record with a jump of 2.14 metres at the same meet.  The fourth-year political science major is also the defending OUA champion with a jump of 2.10 metres at last year's meet.

The Guelph Gryphons women's team is looking to reclaim the Waterloo Trophy after conceding it to the Varsity Blues last year.  The Gryphons, who went back-to-back in 2013 and 2014, are in search of their fourth title in program history.

Katelyn Ayers (Orillia, Ont.) and Sophie Watts (Halifax, NS) are legitimate medal contenders in several events for the Gryphons and their success on the track could go a long way towards Guelph's championship hopes. 

Last year at the OUA championship, Ayers finished second in the 1000m (2:47.64) and just off the podium in fourth in the 600m (1:33.11).  At the Spire Division 1 Challenge in Geneva, Ohio, Ayers turned in a time of 1:32.54 in the 600m, which would have earned her the bronze medal at the 2015 OUA championship. Also earlier this season at the University of Windsor's Can-Am Classic, the Orillia, Ont. native won bronze in a time of 4:33.48.

Watts, a third year science-agriculture major, finished third behind her teammate Ayers in the 1000m (2:47.67) and fourth in the 1500m (4.28.78) at the 2015 OUA championship.  The Halifax, NS native, who will be competing in the 600m at this year's meet, turned in a time of 1.32.82 in the event at the Spire Division 1 Challenge and will be looking for a podium finish this weekend.

After winning double bronze a season ago in the women's shot put and weight throw, Ashley Connell (Brockville, Ont.) will look to trade those in for silver this weekend.  Connell holds both the Gryphons weight throw (17.75m) and shot put (15.16m) records which she set in back-to-back weeks earlier this year.  

The Western Mustangs head down the 401 to the the OUA championship on Friday with the No. 3 ranked women's and the No. 6 ranked men's teams in the country.  Pole vault specialist Robin Bone (London, Ont.) enters the competition Friday as the reigning OUA champion.  The fourth-year BMOS major cleared 4.21m last year, not only establishing a new OUA record but also beating the second place finisher by 0.34m.  Earlier this year Bone set a new meet record at the 45th Annual York Open with a vault of 4.16m.

Ahead of hosting the CIS Track and Field Championship next month, the York Lions will travel to Windsor, Ont. this weekend as the No. 5 ranked teams in the nation.  Led by two-time CIS first-team all-Canadians Ayo Agusto (Lagos, Nigeria) and Bismark Boateng (Etobicoke, Ont.), the Lions, who finished second last year to Guelph, will have be on the prowl for their first men's title in program history. 

Last year, Agusto won double gold in the 300m event at both the OUA (34.23) and CIS (34.00) championships.  This past summer, Agusto competed for Nigeria internationally at the FISU Summer Games in Gwangju, South Korea.  Like his teammate Agusto, Boateng was also a double gold medallist last year, winning the 60m event at both the OUA (6.80) and CIS (6.76) championships.  Both runners were also members of the 4x200m relay team that finished first at both meets and will look to defend their OUA title in 2016.

In the field for the Lions, the pride is led by pole vault specialist David McKay (Victoria, BC).  The fifth-year political science major enters competition this weekend as the four-time defending OUA champion.  McKay won the event a season ago with a vault of 5.05m, beating the second place finisher by 0.16m.  Earlier this season, the three-time CIS gold medalist cleared 5.20m to win the gold medal at the Akron Pole Vault Convention in Akron, Ohio.

After winning double gold in the weigh throw and shot put last year, Brittany Crew (East York, Ont.) enters the OUA championship as one of the favorites in both events.  The Lions have not won the Waterloo Trophy since the 1989-90 season, a streak that Crew and York would like to see come to an end on Saturday.  At the 2015 OUA championship, the East York, Ont. native broke the OUA record in both the shot put (16.11) and weigh throw (18.69m) and if her previous meets are any indication, both records will tumble again this weekend.  Earlier this season, Crew set personal bests in both the shot put (17.78) and weight throw (19.38).

In her fifth and final season, Sheereen Harris (Toronto, Ont.) is still in search of the 300m OUA title that has so far eluded her.  In 2014, the kinesiology & health science major, won silver in 300m (39.68) after winning bronze the previous year. However, the Toronto, Ont. native enters the meet as the reigning CIS champion in the event, winning gold in 2015 in a time of 38.97.  Earlier this season at the Windsor Team Challenge, Harris placed first in the women's 300m in a time of 39.09 and also ran lead off the women's 4x200m (1:40.49) relay team and the anchor in the women's 4x400m (3:54.65) relay teams. 

Jeff Tweedle (Stoney Creek, Ont.) and Connor Darlington (Whitby, Ont.) will lead the high flying McMaster Marauders this weekend as they look to crack the top five at the 2015 OUA championship. 

Last year, Tweedle finished ninth in the 1000m (2:29.75).  However, the fourth-year civil engineering major is the Marauders record holder in the event.  Last year in Boston, Tweedle ran a 2:23.66 in the event, a time that would have won gold at last year's championship.  Earlier this year at the Don Wright Team Challenge in London, Ont., Darlington won the 3000m race with a time of 8:19.01 while teammate Blair Morgan (Yarker, Ont.) won silver in 8:22.71.  This past fall at the OUA Cross Country championship, Morgan finished sixth in the 10km event, while Darlington placed eighth.

Gee-Gees are typically known for their speed but this weekend it will be their jumping that will be on display.  As a rookie last year, Steve Nkusi (Ottawa, Ont.) finished tied for fifth in high jump at the OUA championship.  However, the 2015 junior national champion, will be looking for a podium finish this time around.  On the women's side, Ottawa hopes that Devyani Biswal (Ottawa, Ont.) will get out of the gates quickly in the 60m hurdles.  Biswal, who enters the meet ranked third in the country, won a bronze medal in the event in 2015 in a time of 8.66.

The Laurier Golden Hawks medal hopes this weekend rest with middle distance specialist Adam Cornwall (St. Mary's, Ont.).  The fifth-year kinesiology/physical education major appears to be peaking at the perfect time as last week he set a new school record in the 3000m (8:20.19) by nearly nine seconds while also breaking the old track record of 8:22.29 set back in 2002.  Last year the St. Mary's Ont. native finished 12th in the event at the OUA championship, however, his record setting time would have earned him the bronze medal in the race. 

Staying in Waterloo, the Warriors' Mohamed Yassin (Waterloo, Ont.) and rookie Adam Richardson (Ottawa, Ont.) lead the charge on the men's side.  Earlier this year at the 2016 SPIRE Team Challenge, the fourth-year mechanical engineering major, ran a personal best time of 6.96s in the 60m race.  Richardson turned heads earlier this season with a 3000m gold medal performance in Ottawa, with a personal best time of 8:24.69. 

For the Warrior women, Sian Smart (Kingston, Jamaica) and Naomi Lance (Kitchener, Ont.) hope that strong regular season results will translate into provincial success.

A couple weeks ago, Smart tied a personal best time of 7.69 in the 60m at the 27th Annual Team Challenge at the University of Windsor.  The time would have earned Smart a sixth place finish at last year's OUA championship. 

Lance rewrote the Warriors' record book this year breaking school records in both the 200m and 400m.  At the 2016 SPIRE Team Challenge, Lance broke the Warriors 42-year old record set in 1974 by Joan (Eddy) Wenzel with a time of 55.54 to win the race.  She followed that up by breaking the 200m record held by Heather Moyse (two-time Olympic gold medalist, two-women bobsleigh, 2010, 2014) with a time of 24.88.    

Ryan Chong (Thornhill, Ont.) and Aaron McQuaid (Newmarket, Ont.) will be part of school history this weekend for the Ryerson Rams as the team will be making their first appearance at the OUA championship.  At the Sharon Anderson indoor track meet earlier this month, Chong finished fifth in the 60m in a time of 7.21, while McQuaid ran a 1:26 in the 600m race.

Individual medal presentations and recognition of OUA All-Star achievements for all events will take place throughout the meet, while team trophies, banners and championship medals will be presented following the final event on Saturday. 

For a detailed schedule of events, click here.