The last time Zachary Jeggo competed in a high-stakes race, he was celebrating gold for Ontario as a member of the 4×400-metre relay team at last August’s Canada Summer Games. This past Saturday, he returned to competition, and once again found himself at the top of the podium.
Competing in his first meet for the Simon Fraser Red Leafs, Jeggo captured victory in the men’s 400 metres at the UW Preview, hosted at the University of Washington’s 307-metre Dempsey Fieldhouse. The first-year student-athlete crossed the line in 47.29 seconds, the fastest season opener of his career, winning decisively over Stanford’s Zachary Ryan (47.84).
Jeggo’s time stands as the second-fastest indoor 400 metres in Great Northwest Athletic Conference history, just 0.07 seconds shy of the conference record, and currently ranks him third nationally in NCAA Division II. For his efforts, he was named GNAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week.
SFU head coach Britt Townsend praised the freshman’s composure and competitive edge, calling Jeggo “one of the most exciting sprinters we have ever had at SFU” and noting that his debut confirmed he is already among the NCAA’s elite.
Closer to home, Elizabeth Vroom opened her indoor season in winning fashion at the Utica Winter Opener, taking top spot in the women’s 3,000 metres. Vroom clocked a personal best 9:55.52, sharing pacing duties early with former Lion and fellow Gael Olivia Baggley before pulling away decisively on the final lap to win by five seconds. The pair finished nearly a full lap ahead of the rest of the field.
At the Don Wright Team Challenge, Liam Davis delivered a dominant performance in the weight throw, winning by more than a metre and a half with a best mark of 17.90 metres. Davis later added a fourth-place finish in the shot put with a throw of 14.24 metres.
Additional strong performances came on the track, where McMaster’s Derek Strachan rounded out the podium in the men’s 3,000 metres, posting a personal best 8:42.12. Nicolas Belan placed fourth in the men’s 1,000 metres in a Guelph sweep, finishing in 2:30.17, while Cora McQuin (Western) was fourth in the women’s 300 metres with a seasonal best of 40.80.
Lions athletes return to action this Friday at the McGill Team Challenge in Montreal.