In what may prove to be the final edition of the McGill Team Challenge, Lions athletes delivered a wave of breakthrough performances last weekend, combining to produce 51 new personal bests and seven all-time top-10 club marks over the two-day event.
McGill senior Luca Nicoletti was among the meet’s most dominant performers, anchoring a standout series of relay and sprint efforts. Nicoletti led off McGill’s 4×200-metre relay on Friday night, teaming with Jay Yetman and William Sanders as the Redbirds stormed to victory in 1:27.63 – the fastest time in Canada this season and a McGill school record, eclipsing a mark that had stood since 1986.
Nicoletti followed that effort by claiming victory in the men’s 300 metres on Saturday, stopping the clock in 34.28 seconds. Though just shy of the school record he set earlier this season, the performance reinforced his status among Canada’s top short-sprint talents. He closed the weekend by leading off McGill’s winning 4×400-metre relay, with Sanders anchoring the team to a 3:16.88 finish.
William Sanders also delivered one of the meet’s top all-around performances. Along with his relay contributions, Sanders set new personal bests in both the 300 metres (34.63) and the 600 metres (1:19.89). His 600-metre mark now ranks ninth on the Ottawa Lions’ all-time U23 list, as he builds momentum toward championship season.
Despite a disqualification in the 300 metres, Ange-Mathis Kramo delivered a breakthrough sprint performance in the 60 metres, slicing 0.14 seconds off his personal best with a 6.87 clocking. The run moves the Paul-Desmarais senior to sixth on the Lions’ U20 all-time list and currently ranks as the fifth-fastest U20 performance in Canada this season.
On the women’s side, Rose Basu of the Carleton Ravens posted personal bests in both the 60 metres and 300 metres. The third-year religion and communications student ran 7.66 seconds in the 60-metre heats before placing 10th in the final, then delivered a major breakthrough in the 300 metres with a 41.83 run, cutting more than a second from her previous best. The mark places her third on Carleton’s all-time list. Basu also led off the Ravens’ 4×200-metre relay, which recorded the second-fastest time in program history (1:46.39).
Elizabeth Vroom turned in one of the weekend’s most dramatic improvements, dropping nearly seven seconds from her previous best in the 1500 metres. The Queen’s University engineering student finished second overall in 4:25.64, a time that now ranks ninth on the Lions’ U23 all-time list and second in Queen’s program history. The night before, Vroom anchored Queen’s to victory in the 4×800-metre relay (9:07.70).
Relay success was a common theme in Montreal. The Ottawa Gee-Gees posted their fastest men’s 4×200-metre relaytime since 2013, clocking 1:28.65 – a mark that ranks 14th in school history and 12th nationally in U SPORTS. Meanwhile, the Carleton Ravens set a new school record in the same event with a 1:31.30 finish, breaking the previous standard established in 2018.
Individually, David Moulongou became the third Gee-Gee this season to break seven seconds in the 60 metres, running 6.99 in the heats before lowering his time to 6.98 in the final. Safwan El Mansari delivered an indoor-best 1:19.08 in the 600 metres, moving to third on the Gee-Gees’ all-time list and ranking ninth in U SPORTS. Leewinchell Jean continued his rise in the 60-metre hurdles, earning his second straight victory in 8.22 seconds – a seasonal best that places him 12th nationally and fifth in Gee-Gees history.
With championship season approaching, the performances at McGill underscored the growing momentum of Lions athletes heading into conference and national competition. They will look to build on that momentum this weekend at the Terrier Classic and Harvard Invitational in Boston.