As we approach a flurry of collegiate conference championships this coming weekend, the Lions hosted the Ravens Last Chance this past weekend with a number of Gee Gee athletes improving their ranking ahead of the OUA Championships, highlighted by Caroline Poirier’s new University of Ottawa record in the pole vault.
Poirier’s clearance of 3.75 metres in Saturday’s event was the third school record of the season for the sophomore health sciences student. With the mark, she now ranks sixth nationally and heads into the OUA Championships looking to improve upon her fourth place finish from a year ago. For her new school record, Poirier was named the University of Ottawa’s Female Athlete of the Week.
Sixth year student Madison Clarke also raised her position in the national rankings with a silver medal finish in the 600 metres. Clarke’s time of 1:31.04 was the second fastest of her career and moves her to fourth nationally, where she leads a trio of Gee Gees (Maeliss Trapeau and Sydney Smith) in USports qualifying positions.
Across the pond in Europe, hurdler Farah Jacques ran her way to yet another lifetime best in the 60 metre hurdles. Jacques has now seen her best drop by nearly a tenth of a second this season as she sped her way to a 8.31 second clocking Monday in Eaubonne, France. The performance was a narrow improvement on her previous best of 8.33 seconds set last month and moves her out of her share of third place on the all-time rankings with Ashlea Maddex.
South of the border, Melissa Bishop-Nriagu placed fourth in the 1000 metres at the BU Valentine Invite. Bishop-Nriagu’s time of 2:39.96 is the third fastest in the Olympian’s career, leaving her just off a Canadian sweep of the podium.
Collegiate conference championships kick off this weekend on both sides of the border with the University of Ottawa Gee Gees headed to the OUA Championships at York University where they will look to build on their eight USports Top 12 qualifying positions.