TRACK AND FIELD ROUNDUP: 34th annual Can Am Classic
Lancers have strong showing at 34th annual Can Am Classic
The Windsor Lancer Track & Field team put in a strong performance at the 34th annual Can Am Classic this weekend at the St. Denis Centre.
The Blue & Gold captured nine medals and set a new meet record at their first home event of the season.
On the women's side, Jill VanDamme led the way for the Lancers with a gold medal performance in the women's weight throw. The fifth year thrower threw 16.69m to place first in the event.
Rookie thrower Sarah Mitton qualified for the CIS national championships, being held in Windsor in March, with a third place finish in the women's shot put. The Brooklyn, NS native threw an impressive 13.88m to capture the bronze medal.
Sarah Swain captured the Lancers others medal on the women's side with a third place finish in the pole vault with a height of 3.7m.
On the men's side, the Lancer team of Paul LaMarra, Taylor McArthur, Corey Bellemore and Alex Ullaman broke their own meet record set just one year ago with an impressive performance in the 4x800m relay. This year the team placed first in the race with a record breaking time of 4:35.42.
Milos Savic captured gold in the men's pole vault and qualified for the national championships with a height of 4.83m, while Brandon Wilhelm also qualified for the championships with a height of 2.03m in the men's high jump to place second overall in the event.
Other medal finishers included Brett Boersma in the men's shot put with a second place toss of 15.50m and Andrew Dandie in the men's long jump with a leap of 6.86m.
The event also saw a number of meet records broken over the course of the weekend.
Aaron Hendrikx of the Guelph Gryphons broke a 32 year old record in the men's 1500m. Previously set by Greg Beardsley in 1983 with a time of 3:51.08, Hendrikx ran a 3:51.00 to set the new record. Hendrikx's teammate Heather Petrick also broke a long standing record set by Donna Danowksi in 1988m with a new time of 9:36.15 in the women's 3000m. Danowksi's record was 9:36.90.
The Toronto Varsity Blues saw four records fall at the meet. Their women's 4x800m relay team set a new record with a time of 8:50.52, and Greg MacNeill became the meet's all time leader in the men's 60m hurdles with a time of 7.91 seconds. On the women's side of the hurdles, Hayley Warren broke Ashlea Maddex record of 8.39 seconds with a time of 8.27 seconds, while distance runner Gabriela Stafford broke a 30 year record in the women's 1500m with a time of 4:22.36. The record was previously set by Sue Schroeder in 1985 with a time of 4:24.18.
Western's Robin Bone broke his own record set one year ago in the men's pole vault. Last year Bone set the standard at 4.13m, and improved on that this season with a new height of 4.12m.
For complete results from the Can Am Classic, please click here.
The Lancers will now travel to Grand Valley, MI next weekend and compete in the Mike Lints Invitational.
Source: Windsor Lancers
Big weekend for Gryphons at Windsor Can/Am Classic
Windsor, Ont. - A trio of meet records, six wins and nine CIS automatic-qualifying marks highlighted an eventful weekend for the University of Guelph track and field teams at the Can-Am Challenge in Windsor this weekend. The performer of the meet for the Gryphons was Aaron Hendrikx (Parkhill, ON) who broke the meet record in both the men's 1500 and 3000 metres. In the 3000 metres, Hendrikx led a Gryphon sweep of the top six spots as teammates Kyle Grieve (Toronto, ON) and Chris Dulhanty (Mississauga, ON) joined Hendrikx in bettering the CIS automatic qualifying mark and breaking the meet record. Hendrikx's time 8 minutes 15.19 seconds is the top mark in the CIS this year. In the 1500 metres, Hendrikx was joined on the podium once again by Grieve, Hendrikx record a time of 3:51.00, with Grieve just behind in third in 3:51.13.
Heather Petrick (Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON) made it two-for-two in record breaking 3000 metre performances for the Gryphs as she broke the record in the women's 3000 metres with her time of 9:36.15, leading the Gryphons to a sweep of the top four spots. Joining Petrick in breaking the previous meet record was Katrina Allison (Vancouver, BC) with a time of 9 minutes 36.65 seconds; both marks are under the CIS automatic qualifying mark. Carise Thompson (Orkney, ON) rounded out the podium narrowly missing an automatic ticket to the CIS Championships with her 9 minutes 40.21 second clocking, the CIS standard is 9:39.41. Thompson did post an automatic qualifying mark in the 1500 metres as she finished third in a time 4 minutes 29.25 seconds. Other Gryphon winners on the track were the men's 4 x 200 metre relay team with a time of 1 minute 30.26 seconds and Tommy Land (Normandale, ON) in the men's 600 metres with a time of 1 minute 22.02 seconds. The Gryphons lone winner in the field was Sean Cate (Georgetown, ON), who set a lifetime best in winning the men's high jump in 2.08 metres, the jump bettered the CIS standard of 2.03 metres.
Ashley Connell (Brockville, ON) and the women's 4 x 800 metre relay were the Gryphons' other two automatic qualifiers. Connell finished second in the shot put with a throw of 13.90 metres falling to last year's CIS Champion Brittany Crew. While the women's 4 x 800 metre team record a time of 8:53.81 in placing third.
The Gryphons will be back in action next weekend at the Hal Brown Classic at the University of Toronto.
Source: Guelph Gryphons
Blues shine at Can Am Classic
The University of Toronto Varsity Blues track and field team wrapped up the 2015 Can Am Classic on Saturday, January 10 in Windsor, Ont.
Veteran distance runner Sasha Gollish (Toronto) won the women's 1000m race in a U of T record and CIS standard time of 2:45.07. Gollish betters four-time U of T female athlete of the year Megan Brown's 2007 (2:46.07) mark by a full second. Honor Walmsley placed third (2:50.85).
Gabriela Stafford and Gollish then placed 1-2 in the women's 1500m. Both broke the meet record and met CIS standards as Stafford clocked a 4:22.36 and Gollish a 4:22.38.
Stafford and Rachel Jewett also placed 1-2 in the women's 600m in times of 1:33.38 and 1:33.40, respesctively. Maddy Kelly and Fiona Callender placed fourth and fifth.
Toronto's 4x400 relay team of Callender, Kelly, Walmsley and Maggie Hanlon placed second in a time of 3:52.52, while Hanlon was third in the women's 300m (39.60), Julia Stille was third in the women's long jump (5.41m) and Kayla Greenberg was third in the high jump (1.60m).
In men's action, standout Greg MacNeill and Rayshaun Franklin finished 1-2 in the 300m event. MacNeill cross the finish line in 34.23 seconds, with Franklin right behind in 34.75. Both times meet the CIS standard. Rookie Riley Alvarez won the men's 1000m race in a time of 2:28.90.
Toronto's men's 4x400 relay team of MacNeill, Franklin, Isiah Weathers and Sacha Smart finished first in a time of 3:20.87, just .48 seconds off the CIS championship standard time.
The Varsity Blues return to action next weekend (Jan. 16-17) as they host the annual Fred Foot Classic at the Athletic Centre Field House.
Source: Toronto Varsity Blues
Lions shine at Cam Am Classic
The York University Lions track and field team put forth a tremendous showing at the annual Can Am Classic meet hosted by the University of Windsor this weekend, combining for 19 podium finishes and nine CIS automatic qualifying standards.
Holly Pitters (Mississauga, Ont.) had one of her best ever weekends with the Lions, winning the gold medal in the long jump and the silver in the triple jump with personal-best marks of 5.68 metres and 12.10 metres, respectively. Her distance in the triple jump also qualified her for the CIS championships later this year.
Also winning two medals on the weekend was Brittany Crew (East York, Ont.), who continued to dominate the shot put with another first-place showing and a CIS mark of 15.35 metres. She also picked up the bronze medal in the weight throw with a distance of 16.25 metres.
Teammate Jacinta Cowan (Bala, Ont.) also hit the CIS standard in the shot put, finishing in fourth place with a distance of 13.61 metres.
The final CIS standard on the women's side came from Christy Ihunaegbo (East York, Ont.), who ran the 300m in a time of 39.98 seconds to reach the national championships.
The Lions women's team won another three medals on the weekend. Mikeisha Bobb (London, Ont.) finished in third place in the 60m hurdles with a personal-best time of 8.89 seconds, and the Lions also won bronze medals in the 4x200m and 4x400m relays. Danielle Knight (Brampton, Ont.), Sheereen Harris (Toronto), Bobb and Courtney Dwyer (Orleans, Ont.) ran in the 4x200m relay in 1:43.22, while Harris, Ihunaegbo, Knight and Bobb finished the 4x400m event in 4:01.73.
The Lions men's team also had two athletes win multiple medals. Bismark Boateng (Toronto) was tremendous on the weekend, winning gold in the 60m in a time of 6.83 seconds and bronze in the 300m with a time of 34.96 seconds. His times qualified him for the CIS championships in both events.
Ayo Agusto (Toronto) ran the same time as Boateng in the 300m, finishing just behind him in fourth place, to also qualify for the CIS event. Finishing just behind Boateng in the 60m was Ike Omoruna (Brampton, Ont.), who won the bronze medal in a time of 6.97 seconds.
The Lions also had plenty of success in the field events. Eric Brathwaite (Brampton, Ont.) once again swept the throwing events and remains undefeated on the year in both. He hit the CIS standard in the weight throw with a distance of 18.18 metres, and also won the shot put with a throw of 16.31 metres.
He was joined on the podium in both events by Lions teammates. Chris Preece (Cookstown, Ont.) won the bronze in the weight throw with a distance of 17.08 metres, and Anojan Sivalingam (Scarborough, Ont.) was third in the shot put with a throw of 14.99 metres.
The final CIS automatic qualifier came courtesy of rookie Nicholas Fyffe (Vancouver), who won the gold medal in the triple jump with a distance of 14.73 metres. Teammate Richard Jansen (Bradford, Ont.) also reached the podium in the event with a jump of 14.34 metres.
The final individual medal was won by David McKay (Victoria), who won the silver in the pole vault with a height of 4.63 metres, and the Lions also won a pair of bronze medals in the relays. Jaley Pidlubny (Scarborough, Ont.), Agusto, Lucas Watson (Truro, N.S.) and Jameel Brown (Brampton, Ont.) finished third in the 4x200m relay with a time of 1:30.83, and Agusto, Pidlubny, Adrian Lawrence (Scarborough, Ont.) and Brown were third in the 4x400m with a time of 3:27.58.
The Lions will be back in action again next weekend when they travel downtown to the University of Toronto for the annual Fred Foot Pentathlon meet. Competition will be on Friday and Saturday (Jan. 16-17).
Source: York Lions
