The Boston University Track and Tennis Center has earned a reputation as one of North America’s fastest indoor tracks, particularly for distance runners chasing quick times on its responsive wooden subsurface. This weekend, it also proved fertile ground for a series of breakthrough sprint and field performances from Lions athletes.
Headlining the performance was the University of Ottawa men’s 4×400-metre relay team, which broke a 13-year school record at the Terrier Classic.
The quartet of James Compeau, Safwan El Mansari, William Harris and David Moulongou finished third overall and first in their heat in 3 minutes 13.67 seconds, eclipsing the previous program record of 3:15.36 set in 2013. The time briefly stood atop the U SPORTS national rankings before being surpassed later in the weekend by the University of Guelph.
Compeau opened the relay with a 48.77 split to establish an early lead. El Mansari and Harris maintained the advantage through the middle legs before Moulongou, a FISU games finalist with Canada’s relay squad last summer, anchored in 47.33 to secure the record performance.
The Gee-Gees will look to take top spot back from the Gryphons later this month at the OUA Championships at York University and the U SPORTS Championships next month in Winnipeg.
Compeau and Moulongou also delivered strong individual results. Moulongou clocked 47.58 for 400m to move to third on the Gee-Gees’ all-time list, less than half a second off the school record. Compeau moved up the list as well, dropping a 48.39 effort for sixth best among the Gee-Gees best. El Mansari added a breakthrough of his own in the 800 metres, placing 12th overall in 1:51.87 to become the second-fastest performer in program history.
Competing for Simon Fraser University, Zachary Jeggo posted an indoor personal best of 47.15 in the men’s 400 to finish fourth. The performance established a new Great Northwest Athletic Conference record, and Jeggo was later named GNAC Male Track Athlete of the Week for the second time this season. He currently ranks fifth nationally in NCAA Division II in the 400 metres.
Also at Boston University, Ange-Mathis Kramo produced one of the top sprint performances of the weekend with a bronze-medal finish in the 200 metres. The Paul-Desmarais senior ran a personal best 21.34 seconds, improving by 0.07 and recording the third-fastest Canadian U20 indoor time in the event, trailing only Tooni Ogunyeye and national record holder William Floyd.
On the women’s side, Lauren Gale opened her season with a second-place finish in the 400 metres in 52.74 to put her in a qualifying position for March’s World Indoor Championships in Poland. Gale also added an eighth-place showing in the 60 metres in 7.74. Jorai Oppong-Nketiah finished fifth in the 60-metre final in 7.64.
Carleton’s Rose Basu set a lifetime best of 24.92 in the 200 metres, finishing ninth and breaking the Ravens’ school record of 25.32 that had stood since 2016. Teammate Michaella Appriah-Kubi also ran a personal best 25.55 to move to third on the program’s all-time list.
In the field events, Jessica Gyamfi recorded a season’s best throw of 13.33 metres to place fifth in the shot put, a mark that ranks fourth in U SPORTS this season.
Athletes also competed at the Harvard Invitational, held nearby in Cambridge.
University of Ottawa high jumper Thomas Senechal-Becker cleared a season’s best 2.08 metres to finish second and confirm his place at the upcoming U SPORTS Championships. The 2024 national champion returned this season after missing last year due to injury.
Teammate Leewinchell Jean placed third in the 60-metre hurdles in 8.14 seconds, a season best that moves him to fourth on the Gee-Gees’ all-time list and just shy of his personal record.
Basu added another personal best at Harvard, running 7.61 in the women’s 60 metres to finish seventh in the final. The time moves her into a tie for 10th on the Ottawa Lions’ all-time list while maintaining her No. 2 position in Carleton program history.
In the women’s 500 metres, Lions athletes claimed four of the top seven places. First-year Lion Amy Stieh won in 1:14.79, moving to seventh on the club’s all-time list. Ellie McGregor placed second in 1:16.01, rising to No. 2 on the U18 rankings. Alexandra Telford finished fourth in 1:18.84, while Carleton’s Aria MacDonald placed seventh in 1:20.24 to set a new Ravens school record.
Full results can be found on our website.
Updated Club and University rankings can be found at the following links:
Lions Rankings
uOttawa Rankings
Carleton Rankings