(Ottawa, Canada---10 June 2023) Zachary Jeggo of Louis-Riel - Ottawa competes in the intermediate hurdles (gold) at the 2023 OFSAA Ontario High School Track and Field Championships. Photograph Copyright 2023 Sean Burges / Mundo Sport Images. If posting to social media please tag @mundosportimages

Jeggo leads 19 medal haul for Lions at OFSAA Championship

by High Schoollinkinbio

Ottawa Lions athletes made a remarkable impact at last weekend’s OFSAA Track and Field Championship in London as they captured an impressive 19 medals. In addition to the hardware collection, which included seven golds, the more than 50 athletes in attendance also set a total of 38 personal bests over the three day event.

As he did a year ago, Zachary Jeggo took home gold in both the 400 metres and intermediate hurdles.The Louis-Riel student produced lifetime bests in each of the two finals he contested. 

In the flat 400 final, Jeggo lined up inside of Clubmate Stephan Balson who took the race out hard and had a narrow edge as the pair entered the home stretch. However, over the final 100 Jeggo showed why he’s become king of the 400 as he crossed the finish line in a blazing 47.82 seconds. Balson finished in the silver medal position with a time of 48.27. 

Over the hurdles, Jeggo utilised his superior speed to run away from the competition, as he took down the defending champion in time of 53.72 seconds. The performance moved Zachary to 10th on the Club’s All-Time U20 list.

After a bronze last year, Grace Streek added a gold and silver medal to her OFSAA medal collection. The grade 11 student took top spot in the 2000 metre steeplechase with a time of 7 minutes and 1.61 seconds, finishing four seconds ahead of second place. At 3000 metres, Streek put forward a strong finish to pull herself from fourth into the silver medal position over the final 200 metres. 

Ange-Mathis Kramo made a significant mark at the OFSAA Track and Field Championship, capturing the junior boys’ 200-metre title and narrowly missing the top spot in the 100 metres by a mere 0.01 seconds. Kramo’s victory in the 200 metres, clocking in at an impressive 21.69 seconds, not only secured him the gold but also marked an upgrade from his silver in 2023. The Paul-Desmarais student’s time ranks second all-time for U18 in Club history. Over 100 metres, Kramo’s remarkable time of 10.72 seconds gave him the silver and moved him to equal third on the U18 list.

Winning the novice girls long jump with a personal best leap of 5.41 metres was Tahlia Aird-Greaves. The Gisele-Lalonde students jump bettered Keira Christie-Galloway’s 10-year-old U16 Club record of 5.38 metres. 

Similar to Christie-Galloway, Aird-Greaves also demonstrated some prowess in the sprint hurdles as she nabbed bronze, finishing in a personal best of 11.75 seconds. Her hurdle time was just six-hundredths of a second short of Christie-Galloway’s Club U16 record.

Rounding out the list of double medalists was Taisei Tan who quickly signalled he was a force to be reckoned with in the hurdles. The grade 10 student grabbed silver and bronze in the sprint and intermediate hurdle events respectively. Tan’s time of 39.45 seconds in the 300 metre hurdles now ranks him 9th all-time among U18 runners.

A pair of medals came in the open men’s 2000 metre steeplechase as Glebe’s Derek Strachan won the event in a personal best time of 6:00.83. Joining Derek on the podium was training partner Daniel Cova who placed third at 6:06.94. Cova’s time was also a lifetime best. With their efforts, Strachan moved to tenth  on the Club’s U20 list while Cova moved to third on the U18 list.

Rounding out the list of gold medal winners was Eli Mordel, who captured top spot in the junior boys pole vault. The grade 10 student at Sir Robert Bordern was the only jumper to clear 3.95 metres – securing his first OFSAA victory. Mordel’s leap was a 45 centimetre improvement on his East Regional winning jump and moved him into seventh on the Club’s U18 all-time list. 

Other medalists from the OFSAA Championships included:

Quinn Coughlin – Senior Girls 400m Hurdles (Silver)
Safwan El Mansari – Senior Boys 800m (Silver)
Maxime Chartrand – Novice Boys Pole Vault (Bronze)
Balqis Chouikhi – Senior Girls Pole Vault (Bronze)
Liam Davis – Senior Boys Shot Put (Bronze)

This year’s medal haul was the largest since 2009 when Club athletes won 22 medals. The highest total is 25 medals from the 2007 Championships held in Ottawa. 

For updated Club rankings, please visit https://milesrowat.shinyapps.io/ottl_rankings

(Ottawa, Canada---23 May 2024) Eli Mordel of Sir Robert Borden - Ottawa races in the 100m at the National Capital Secondary School Athletic Association (NCSSAA) Track and Field Championships. Photograph Copyright 2024 Sean Burges / Mundo Sport Images. If posting to social media please tag @mundosportimages

More than 50 Lions qualify for OFSAA Track and Field Championship

by High Schoollinkinbio

When the final performance was recorded Friday afternoon in Belleville an impressive 50 Lions athletes had qualified for the pinnacle of high school track and field in Canada – the OFSAA Championships. In total, Lions athletes qualified in 77 individual events over the two-day event, winning an impressive 24 events and setting one new meet record.

A total of four athletes qualified in the maximum of three individual events led by first year senior competitor Grace Streek. The grade 11 student continued her record run in the open girls 2000 metre steeplechase as she nearly broke the 7-minute barrier with her 7:00.04 clocking. The performance is the sixth fastest in Club history. Streek also took top spot in the senior girls 3000 metres and added a silver at 1500m. 

Gisèle-Lalonde’s Tahlia Aird-Greaves sped her way into her first OFSAA Track and Field appearance. The grade nine student nabbed gold in the novice girls long jump event with a leap of 5.03 metres (#5 U16) and picked up a pair of silvers in both the 100 metres (12.48w) and 80 metre hurdle (12.12w) events.

Rounding out the quartet of triple qualifiers were Sir Robert Borden’s Eli Mordel and Colonel By’s Laila Lebel. Mordel took top spot in the junior boys pole vault with a leap of 3.50 metres and added silver and bronze in the 300 and 100 metre hurdles respectively. 

Lebel successfully qualified in all three of the novice girls distance races from 800 through 3000 metres. Over the longest distance, the grade nine student won convincingly in 11 and 10.00 seconds – a full 12 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor. Lebel took home silver over 1500 metres (5:01.78) and was fourth at 800 metres (2:27.82).

Three other Lions were double gold medal winners at the regional championship – Quinn Coughlin, Zachary Jeggo, and Taisei Tan. 

Coughlin and Jeggo each took home gold in the senior 400 metre and 400 metre hurdle events. Coughlin, a grade 11 student at Opeongo High School, set a new personal best of 1:01.90 in the hurdles and also ran a seasonal best 57.21 in the flat 400. Coming off personal bests at the City Championships, Jeggo posted times of 48.19 and 55.46 in the flat and hurdle events respectively.

Rounding out the double gold medalists, Taisei Tan took home top spot in both the junior boys sprint (13.71w) and intermediate hurdles (40.53). 

Lions complete list of OFSAA individual qualifiers:

Gold – Bianca Arabackyj Novice Girls 1500m – 4:54.43 (De La Salle)

Gold – Laila Lebel Novice Girls 3000m – 11:10.00 (Colonel By)

Gold – Tahlia Aird-Greaves Novice Girls Long Jump – 5.03m (Gisèle-Lalonde)

Gold – Shannon Dewar Junior Girls 400m – 1:00.40 (St. Francis Xavier)

Gold – Quinn Coughlin Senior Girls 400m – 57.21 (Opeongo)

Gold – Grace Streek Senior Girls 3000m – 10:23.87 (Peak Centre)

Gold – Quinn Coughlin Senior Girls 400m Hurdles – 1:01.90 (Opeongo)

Gold – Waverley Lyons Senior Girls High Jump – 1.56m (Glebe)

Gold – Kaiya Woodcock Senior Girls Long Jump – 5.21m (Sacred Heart)

Gold – Sadie Gilbert Senior Girls Shot Put – 10.98m (Paul-Desmarais)

Gold – Grace Streek Open Girls 2000m Steeplechase – 7:00.04 (Peak Centre)

Gold – Luke Van Brabant Novice Boys 800m – 2:07.30 (Earl of March)

Gold – Zachary Benfaida Novice Boys 300m Hurdles – 43.00 (Merivale)

Gold – Ange-Mathis Kramo Junior Boys 200m – 22.33 (Paul-Desmarais)

Gold – Taisei Tan Junior Boys 100m Hurdles – 13.71 (Béatrice-Desloges)

Gold – Taisei Tan Junior Boys 300m Hurdles – 40.53 (Béatrice-Desloges)

Gold – Eli Mordel Junior Boys 300m Hurdles – 3.50m (Sir Robert Borden)

Gold – Zachary Jeggo Senior Boys 400m – 48.19 (Louis-Riel)

Gold – Timeo Atonfo Senior Boys 110m Hurdles – 14.24 (Gisèle-Lalonde)

Gold – Zachary Jeggo Senior Boys 400m Hurdles – 55.46 (Louis-Riel)

Gold – Liam Davis Senior Boys Shot Put – 16.56m (Opeongo)

Gold – Daniel Cova Open Boys 2000m Steeplechase – 6:08.86 (Louis-Riel)

Gold – Maxime Chartrand Novice Boys Pole Vault – 2.75m (Louis-Riel)

Gold – Balqis Chouikhi Senior Girls Pole Vault – 3.25m (Wilfrid Laurier)

Silver – Tahlia Aird-Greaves Novice Girls 100m – 12.48 (Gisèle-Lalonde)

Silver – Bianca Arabackyj Novice Girls 800m – 2:24.76 (De La Salle)

Silver – Laila Lebel Novice Girls 1500m – 5:01.78 (Colonel By)

Silver – Riley Daniels Novice Girls 3000m – 11:12.12 (The Element)

Silver – Tahlia Aird-Greaves Novice Girls 80m Hurdles – 12.12 (Gisèle-Lalonde)

Silver – Abby MacLeod Junior Girls 1000m – 12.63 (Tagwi)

Silver – Shannon Dewar Junior Girls 200m – 26.33 (St. Francis Xavier)

Silver – Kaiya Woodcock Senior Girls 100m – 11.88 (Sacred Heart)

Silver – Jocelyn Giannotti Senior Girls 800m – 2:20.84 (Holy Trinity)

Silver – Grace Streek Senior Girls 1500m – 4:40.42 (Peak Centre)

Silver – Luke Van Brabant Novice Boys 1500m – 4:23.80 (Earl of March)

Silver – Zachary Benfaida Novice Boys 100m Hurdles – 15.43 (Merivale)

Silver – Ange-Mathis Kramo Junior Boys 100m – 10.81 (Paul-Desmarais)

Silver – Eli Mordel Junior Boys 300m Hurdles – 41.11 (Sir Robert Borden)

Silver – Stephan Balson Senior Boys 400m – 48.49 (Lisgar)

Silver – Saul Taler Senior Boys 800m – 1:56.78 (Glebe)

Silver – Saul Taler Senior Boys 1500m – 3:58.48 (Glebe)

Silver – Daniel Cova Senior Boys 3000m – 8:45.21 (Louis-Riel)

Silver – Simon Salisbury Senior Boys 110m Hurdles – 14.32 (Notre Dame)

Silver – Kyle London Senior Boys 400m Hurdles – 56.72 (Wilfrid Laurier)

Silver – Timeo Atonfo Senior Boys Long Jump – 6.60m (Gisèle-Lalonde)

Silver – Derek Strachan Open Boys 2000m Steeplechase – 6:12.89 (Glebe)

Bronze – Riley Daniels Novice Girls 1500m – 5:02.31 (The Element)

Bronze – Roxy Gardiner Novice Girls High Jump – J1.48m (Sir Robert Borden)

Bronze – Abby Lorz Novice Girls Javelin – 31.21m (AY Jackson)

Bronze – Salome Kuemmerle Junior Girls High Jump – 1.45m (Brookfield)

Bronze – Sophia McIntyre Senior Girls 400m – 1:00.72 (St. Francis Xavier)

Bronze – Jocelyn Giannotti Senior Girls 1500m – 4:42.26 (Holy Trinity)

Bronze – Connor England Junior Boys 100m – 11.16 (North Dundas)

Bronze – Connor England Junior Boys 200m – 23.11 (North Dundas)

Bronze – Charlie Mortimer Junior Boys 3000m – 9:04.50 (Hillcrest)

Bronze – Eli Mordel Junior Boys 100m Hurdles – 14.12 (Sir Robert Borden)

Bronze – Stephan Balson Senior Boys 200m – 21.98 (Lisgar)

Bronze – William Sanders Senior Boys 400m – 49.18 (Mother Teresa)

Bronze – Safwan El Mansari Senior Boys 800m – 1:57.16 (De La Salle)

Bronze – Jonah Gratton Senior Boys 110m Hurdles – 14.47 (La Citadelle)

Bronze – Eric Zielonka Senior Boys 400m Hurdles – 58.02 (Brookfield)

Bronze – Sophia Procter Novice Girls Pole Vault – J2.30m (Ashbury)

4th – Laila Lebel Novice Girls 800m – 2:27.82 (Colonel By)

4th – Dahlia Loreti Novice Girls 1500m – 5:05.97 (Pierre Savard)

4th – Meredith McCabe Junior Girls 400m – 1:02.44 (Lisgar)

4th – Naomi Olberg Junior Girls Long Jump – 5.02m (Lisgar)

4th – Amy LeBlanc Senior Girls 200m – 25.54 (St. Francis Xavier)

4th – Lauren Alexander Senior Girls 1500m – 4:47.15 (Glebe)

4th – Waverley Lyons Senior Girls 400m Hurdles – 1:07.41 (Glebe)

4th – Andromeda Bromwich Senior Girls High Jump – J1.50m (Colonel By)

4th – Katie Purves Senior Girls Shot Put – 10.06m (Franco-Citea)

4th – Brennan Lee Junior Boys 800m – 2:03.34 (Mother Teresa)

4th – Noah Smith Senior Boys 3000m – 9:01.40 (Immaculata)

4th – Mason Brennan Senior Boys 110m Hurdles – 14.79 (Colonel By)

4th – Jonah Gratton Senior Boys 400m Hurdles – 58.31 (La Citadelle)

4th – Kyra Dobson Takoff Junior Girls Pole Vault – J2.45m (Sir Robert Borden)

4th – Maxime Chartrand Novice Boys 300m Hurdles – 44.70 (Louis-Riel)

(Ottawa, Canada---10 June 2023) Jonah Gratton of La Citadelle - Cornwall competing in the intermediate hurdles at the 2023 OFSAA Ontario High School Track and Field Championships. Photograph Copyright 2023 Geoff Robins / Mundo Sport Images. If posting to social media please tag @mundosportimages

Ottawa Lions Athletes Excel at EOSSAA Championships

by High Schoollinkinbio

Eleven more Lions athletes advanced to the OFSAA East Regional Championship last Thursday and Friday. Competing at the EOSSAA Track and Field Championships at Thousand Islands Secondary School in Brockville, athletes recorded 18 new personal bests and brought home six gold medals.

Quinn Coughlin was the most well decorated Lion at EOSSAA, capturing three medals including two golds. The grade 11 student at Cobden’s Opeongo High School, swept the senior girls 400 and 400 metre hurdle events, the latter in a personal best time of 1:02.70. Coughlin also added a silver over 200 metres, finishing in a time of 25.96 seconds.

Abby MacLeod of Tagwi Secondary School excelled in the short sprint events. The grade 10 student secured second place in the junior girls 100 metres with a time of 13.17 seconds and finished fourth in the 200 metres, clocking in at 27.12 seconds. Her teammate, Averi Whitton, also from Tagwi, ran her way to a bronze medal over 3000 metres, finishing with a time of 12:43.98.

North Dundas’ Connor England picked up a pair of silver medals in the junior boys 100 and 200 metres with times of 11.35 and 22.87 seconds, respectively. England also placed fifth in the 300 metres hurdles. Rowan McCooeye from St. Joseph’s (Cornwall) put his speed to good use, placing second in the 100 metres hurdles with a time of 15.66 seconds. McCooeye also put forward a pair of top-five finishes in the 100 and 200 metre events.

On the road back from injury, last year’s EOSSAA sprint king John McGowan was dethroned on Friday. The St. Michael’s student had to settle for silver in Friday’s senior boys 100 metre final as he crossed the line in a time of 11.23 seconds

Lions athletes took the top two spots in each of the senior boys hurdle events led by La Citadelle’s Jonah Gratton. The grade 11 student posted a pair of personal bests on his way to gold in times of 14.80 and 59.78 seconds respectively. 

In the sprint hurdles, it was Notre Dame’s (Carleton Place) Simon Salisbury hot on Gratton’s heels as he also posted a personal best effort to nab silver in 14.96 seconds.

Ethan Lavictoire of St. Joseph’s (Arnprior) took silver over the 400 metre hurdles in 1:02.30.

Moving up to the senior ranks didn’t slow Malachi Kenny’s medal haul in the 800 metres. Last year’s junior boys OFSAA Champion found himself on top of the podium in Brockville with a 1:58.34 effort, good for a 1.4 second victory.

In the field, Opeongo’s Liam Davis from Opeongo easily captured top spot in the senior boys shot put. Davis’ best throw on the day measured 15.37 metres, about 2.5 metres further than his nearest competitor. 

Full results from the meet are available on our website.

Updated club rankings can be found here.

(Ottawa, Canada---23 May 2024) Taisei Tan of B_rice-Desloges races in the 100m at the National Capital Secondary School Athletic Association (NCSSAA) Track and Field Championships. Photograph Copyright 2024 Sean Burges / Mundo Sport Images. If posting to social media please tag @mundosportimages

Lions Break Four Records; Set 140 Personal Bests at Ottawa High School Championship

by High Schoollinkinbio

Athletes at last week’s National Capital Secondary School Athletic Association (NCSSAA) championship at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility enjoyed ideal conditions as they competed for a chance to advance to the OFSAA East Regional Championships in Belleville this Thursday and Friday. A total of 83 Lions athletes progressed in 147 individual events, continuing their journey on the Road to OFSAA.

The City Championships were not just about advancing; Lions athletes delivered outstanding performances, achieving 140 personal bests over the two-day event and setting four new meet records.

Peak Academy’s Grace Streek set the tone by breaking Elizabeth Vroom’s record in the 2000-metre steeplechase in the first event of the Championship. Streek finished in a blazing 7 minutes and 6.58 seconds, nearly seven seconds faster than Vroom’s previous standard. The grade 11 student’s performance now ranks her seventh in Club history. Grace also claimed gold medals at 1500 and 3000 metres.

Zachary Jeggo of Louis-Riel made history by becoming the first athlete to break the 48-second barrier in the 400 metres at the NCSSAA Championship. The grade 11’s student’s time of 47.96 seconds surpassed Phillip Hughes’ 1986 record of 48.32 seconds.

Jeggo’s victory led a quartet of impressive performances in the senior boys’ 400 metres. Lisgar’s Stephan Balson secured silver with a time of 48.48 seconds, while Mother Teresa’s Will Sanders also broke the 50-second barrier, finishing at 49.37 – both times were personal bests. De La Salle’s Safwan El Mansari completed the top four with a time of 50.84.

Jeggo also set a personal best of 54.22 seconds in the 400-metre hurdles, ranking as the top high school performance this season and the second fastest U20 performance in Canada so far this season.

Béatrice-Desloges’ Taisei Tran nearly set two championship records in the hurdle events. He finished the 100-metre hurdles in 13.90 seconds, faster than Leewinchell Jean’s record of 13.93, but a trailing wind of 2.6 metres per second nullified the record. However, Tran redeemed himself by breaking former Lion Matt Stenson’s 28-year-old 300-metre hurdle record with a time of 40.08 seconds.

Ange-Mathis Kramo of Paul-Desmarais broke the junior boys’ 200-metre record that had stood since 1991. Kramo’s time of 22.15 seconds shaved four hundredths off the previous mark and gave him a comfortable 1.15-second margin of victory.

Kramo’s success extended beyond the 200 metres as he swept all three sprint events with personal best times. He broke the 11-second barrier in the 100 metres for the first time and set a personal best of 50.29 seconds in the 400 metres, trimming more than a second off his previous best.

Below is a list of all individual winners:

Bianca Arabackyj (De La Salle) – Novice Girls 1500m 5:04.23

Laila Lebel (Colonel By) – Novice Girls 3000m 11:22.21

Roxy Gardiner (Sir Robert Borden) – Novice Girls High Jump 1.50m

Roxy Gardiner (Sir Robert Borden) – Novice Girls Triple Jump 10.47m

Shannon Dewar (St. Francis Xavier) – Junior Girls 200m 27.06

Shannon Dewar (St. Francis Xavier) – Junior Girls 400m 59.34

Maya Allibon (John McCrae) – Junior Girls 1500m 5:08.34

Shannon Dewar (St. Francis Xavier) – Junior Girls 300m Hurdles 48.33

Salome Kuemmerle (Brookfield H) – Junior Girls High Jump 1.55m

Sophia McIntyre (St. Francis Xavier) – Senior Girls 400m 1:01.38

Jocelyn Giannotti (Holy Trinity) – Senior Girls 800m 2:21.75

Grace Streek (Peak Centre) – Senior Girls 1500m 4:42.79

Grace Streek (Peak Centre) – Senior Girls 3000m 10:50.26

Waverley Lyons (Glebe) – Senior Girls 400m Hurdles 1:09.70

Waverley Lyons (Glebe) – Senior Girls High Jump 1.50m

Balqis Chouikhi (Sir Wilfred Laurier) – Senior Girls Pole Vault 3.05m

Kaiya Woodcock (Sacred Heart) – Senior Girls Long Jump 5.73m
Sadie Gilbert (Paul-Desmarais) – Senior Girls Shot Put 10.87m

Grace Streek (Peak Centre) – Open Girls 2000m Steeplechase 7:06.58

Luke Van Brabant (Earl of March) – Novice Boys 800m 2:10.93

Luke Van Brabant (Earl of March) – Novice Boys 1500m 4:39.49

Ange-Mathis Kramo (Paul-Desmarais) – Junior Boys 100m 10.94

Ange-Mathis Kramo (Paul-Desmarais) – Junior Boys 200m 22.15

Ange-Mathis Kramo (Paul-Desmarais) – Junior Boys 400m 50.29

Brennan Lee (Mother Teresa) – Junior Boys 800m 2:04.62

Charlie Mortimer (Hillcrest) – Junior Boys 1500m 4:21.59

Charlie Mortimer (Hillcrest) – Junior Boys 3000m 9:16.21

Taisei Tan (Béatrice-Desloges) – Junior Boys 100m Hurdles 13.90

Taisei Tan (Béatrice-Desloges) – Junior Boys 300m Hurdles 40.08

Eli Mordel (Sir Robert Borden) – Junior Boys Pole Vault 3.50m

Zachary Jeggo (Louis-Riel) – Senior Boys 400m 47.96

Saul Taler (Glebe) – Senior Boys 1500m 3:58.79

Daniel Cova (Louis-Riel) – Senior Boys 3000m 9:02.41

Timeo Atonfo (Gisèle-Lalonde) – Senior Boys 110m Hurdles 14.92

Zachary Jeggo (Louis-Riel) – Senior Boys 400m Hurdles 54.22

Timeo Atonfo (Gisèle-Lalonde) – Senior Boys Long Jump 6.80m

Derek Strachan (Glebe) – Open Boys 2000m Steeplechase 6:05.60

FULL MEET RESULTS ARE AVAILABLE HERE

(Ottawa, Canada---10 June 2023) Zachary Jeggo of Louis-Riel - Ottawa competes in the intermediate hurdles (gold) at the 2023 OFSAA Ontario High School Track and Field Championships. Photograph Copyright 2023 Sean Burges / Mundo Sport Images. If posting to social media please tag @mundosportimages

Lions shine at NCSSAA East Conference Championships with 25 gold medal haul

by High Schoollinkinbio

With the West Conference Championship already in the books, last Thursday was the kick off to the road to OFSAA for those schools in the NCSSAA East Conference. An exciting day for athletes was marked by an impressive haul of 25 individual gold medals by Ottawa Lions athletes. 

Picking right where he left off in the last high school season, Zachary Jeggo took top spot in the senior boys 400 metres and 400 metre hurdle events in convincing fashion. In both events, the grade 11 student at Louis-Riel laid down the third fastest performances of his life with times of 48.73 seconds and 56.32 seconds respectively. 

Topping the individual gold tally was Shannon Dewar of St. Francis Xavier. The grade 10 student earned top spot in the 200 and 400-metre events as well as the 300-metre hurdles. Among Dewar’s triple triumph came a new lifetime best of 58.88 seconds over 400 metres.

Glebe’s Lauren Alexander swept the senior girls middle distance events. The grade 12 student topped the 800-metre field in 2 minutes and 25.48 seconds and was first across the line at 1500 metres with a run of 4:55.38.

Charlie Mortimer of Hillcrest also completed a distance double – taking top spot in both the junior boys 1500 and 3000 metre events. Mortimer edged out Colonel By’s Owen Siderus over 3000 metres, winning 9:43.01 to 9:43.78. In contrast, he finished six and a half seconds ahead of the field at 1500 metres, crossing the line in a time of 4 minutes and 14.96 seconds. 

Béatrice-Desloges’ Taisei Tan was very impressive in the hurdle events. Tan took top spot in both the junior 100-metre and 300-metre events with times of 14.58 seconds and 41.66 seconds respectively.

In field events, Salome Kuemmerle of Brookfield topped the junior high jump with a clearance of 1.45 metres, while Deborah Bwana of Mer Bleue took first in the junior shot put with a throw of 9.88 metres. Senior competitor Katie Purves from Franco-Cite excelled in both the shot put and javelin throw, achieving distances of 9.87 metres and 26.55 metres, respectively en route to double gold.

High school action resumes this week with the NCSSAA Championships on May 22nd and 23rd at Terry Fox Athletic Facility. The top five athletes each event this week will earn a spot at the East Regional High School Championships the following week in Brockville

(Ottawa, Canada---10 June 2023) Grace Streek of Peak Centre Academy - Ottawa competing in the 3000m at the 2023 OFSAA Ontario High School Track and Field Championships. Photograph Copyright 2023 Miles Ryan Rowat / Mundo Sport Images. If posting to social media please tag @mundosportimages

Lions captured 28 individual titles at NCSSAA West Conference Championships

by High Schoollinkinbio

The Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club athletes put on an outstanding display at the NCSSAA West Conference Championships last Wednesday. In total, Lions athletes amassed 28 individual titles on the day as the road to OFSAA began in earnest. 

In the women’s novice division, Dahlia Loreti of Pierre Savard made a strong debut, winning both the 800-metre and 1500-metre runs with times of 2:37.98 and 5:19.74, respectively. Céline Léger from Franco-Ouest also made her mark, securing first place in the 400-metre dash with a time of 1:03.60. Roxy Gardiner of Sir Robert Borden shone in the field events, triumphing in both the high jump and triple jump with performances of 1.50 metres and 10.28 metres respectively.

In the women’s junior division, Jamie Harris from Longfields-Davidson Heights captured the 100-metre dash title with a time of 13.38 seconds, while Maya Allibon of John McCrae won the 1500-metre run, finishing in 5:18.25.

Senior competitors delivered equally impressive performances. Grace Streek from Peak Centre Academy dominated the distance events, sweeping the 1500-metre run, 3000-metre run, and 2000-metre steeplechase.

While Streek won the 1500 by five seconds in 4:49.04, it was the longer distances where she truly dominated the fields. At 3000m, the OFSAA medalist’s time of 10:40.06 was nearly 30 seconds ahead of second place Alison Soler. Over the steeple barriers, the grade 11 student was even more dominant, winning by 46 seconds – crossing in 7:20.25.

Kaiya Woodcock of Sacred Heart excelled in sprints and jumps, winning the 100-metre dash in 12.35 seconds and the long jump with a distance of 5.35 metres. Isabelle Martel from Nepean High secured first place in the 400-metre dash with a time of 1:04.04, while her teammate Stella Humeniuk won the 100-metre hurdles in 17.09 seconds. Sadie Gilbert of Paul-Desmarais also took top spot in the senior girls shot put.

In the men’s novice division, Luke Van Brabant of Earl of March showed his middle-distance prowess by winning both the 800-metre and 1500-metre runs with times of 2:12.88 and 4:40.13.

Ange-Mathis Kramo from Esc Paul-Desmarais stood out in the junior division, clinching victories in the 100-metre dash, 200-metre dash, and 400-metre dash with times of 11.25 seconds, 22.98 seconds, and 52.13 seconds, respectively. Eli Mordel of Sir Robert Borden was dominant in the hurdles, winning the 100-metre hurdles in 14.66 seconds and the 300-metre hurdles in 43.18 seconds.

Senior athlete William Sanders of Mother Teresa took first place in the 400-metre dash with a time of 50.45 seconds, while Kai Guevara-Gibson from Longfields-Davidson Heights won the long jump with a distance of 6.20 metres. James Fee of Nepean High rounded out the senior performances by winning the 2000-metre steeplechase in 6:52.09.

22WIC_Lauren_Gale

May’s Athletic Triumphs: Canadian Records, High School Stars, and Exciting Competitions

by High SchoolInternationallinkinbioLocal

The month of May burst into action with remarkable performances from Lions athletes across three countries.

World Relay Championships: Lauren Gale led Canada to a new national record in the mixed 4×400 meter relay during the World Relay Championships in The Bahamas over the weekend. Gale and her team secured third place in their heat, clocking in at an impressive 3 minutes and 14.66 seconds. Although they narrowly missed the top two spots required for automatic Olympic qualification, their performance bested the previous national mark of 3:15.20 set at last year’s Canadian Championships.

Trials of Miles Friday Night Lights: André Alie-Lamarche showcased his talent by finishing fifth in the 1500 meters event at the Trials of Miles Friday Night Lights event in New York’s Icahn Stadium. Crossing the finish line in 3 minutes and 48.85 seconds, Alie-Lamarche delivered his second-best performance of the year.

Run Ottawa’s Run to Empower: In Ottawa, two Lions athletes made their mark at Run Ottawa’s Run to Empower event. Adriano Padoin-Castillo claimed victory in the open 5-kilometer race, clocking in at an impressive 16 minutes and 44 seconds. Saoirse Kealey secured a top-10 finish in the Ottawa’s Fastest Woman 5km section, crossing the line in 18 minutes and 54 seconds.

uOttawa High School Invite: The uOttawa High School Invite saw a significant turnout over both days, with outstanding performances. Stephan Balson of Lisgar dominated the senior boys’ events, setting a personal best of 10.89 seconds in the 100 meters and finishing second with a time of 21.96 seconds in the 200 meters.

Ange Mathis-Kramo from Paul-Desmarais School made an impressive start to the season by clinching victories in both the junior boys’ 100 and 200 meter events. His time of 11.09 seconds in the 100 meters set a new meet record, while his 200 meter performance of 22.42 seconds showcased his dominance in the field.

Jorai Oppong-Nketiah continued her stellar form from last season by sweeping the 100 and 200 meter events, setting new records in both categories. Her windy 100 meter time of 11.99 seconds broke a 13-year-old record, while her 200 meter victory in 25.34 seconds shaved off an impressive 2.5 seconds from the previous record set in 2023.

Looking ahead, the high school action continues with the National Capital Classic, and the outdoor season kicks off with the Spring Kick Start meet on Friday and Saturday.

For updated club rankings, visit this link.

2023_Glebe_OFSAA_XC_SB_Gold_web

Lions help Glebe to OFSAA senior boys title

by High Schoollinkinbio

Cross country running may commonly be thought of as individual effort, but the team atmosphere is very strong in this sport. For the Glebe Gryphons senior boys, the team effort meant an OFSAA gold medal Saturday afternoon. The quartet of Lions runners Saul Taler, Russell Heins, Derek Strachan, and Keifer Melinz-Dupuis put up a modest 193 points to best London Central by 22 points. 

Taler was the top finisher for Glebe as the grade 11 student cracked the top-10 with his 7th place finish. Heins would follow in 29th, while Strachan and Melinz-Dupuis rounded out the scoring in 73rd and 84th respectively. 

The win by Glebe was the school’s 20th team medal and 7th team title under the tutelage of head coach Kirk Dillabaugh, who also coaches all four boys with the Lions. 

City champion Daniel Cova of Louis-Riel placed 13th overall in the six-kilometre race in 19:08.39.

Ottawa’s only other team to make the medal podium in Etobicoke was the Colonel By Cougars junior boys team, which took home OFSAA silver for the second year in a row. The Lions’ Austin Walker was the Cougars second scorer, finishing 26th overall in a time of 15 minutes and 45.18 seconds over the five-kilometre course. 

Hillcrest’s Charlie Mortimer ninth place finish, was the best among Ottawa area athletes in the junior boy’s race. 

The senior girls race featured four Lions among the top-20 finishers, led by 2022 junior girls bronze medalist Grace Streek. In her first year competing at the senior level, Streek placed 12th overall on the six-kilometre course in a time of 22 minutes and 35.80 seconds. Club training partners Lauren Alexander of Glebe (14th) and Jocelyn Giannotti of Holy Trinity (15th) finished closely behind. Ashbury’s Kate Johntson-Zemek rounded out the group in 20th. 


Also cracking the top were Laila Lebel in the novice girls and Kyra Lauter in the junior girls race. Lebel, a student at Colonel By, placed 12th while Lauter, running for Franco Cité was 17th. 

Luke Van Brabant was the top Lion in the novice boy’s race, placing 32nd.

Below is a full break down of the Lions results:

Novice Girls (4km)
Laila Lebel (Colonel By) 12th – 15:03.44
Riley Daniels (The Element) 26th – 15:34.53
Dahlia Loreti (Pierre Savard) 28th – 15:35.89

Novice Boys (4km)
Luke Van Brabant (Earl of March) 32nd – 13:48.79
Yusuf Elmasry (John McCrae) 98th – 14:40.38

Junior Girls (5km)
Kyra Lauter (Franco Cité) 17th – 18:15.00
Sofia Lefaivre (Louis-Riel) 58th – 19:16.38
Maya Allibon (John McCrae) 66th – 19:24.08

Junior Boys (5km)
Charlie Mortimer (Hillcrest) 9th – 15:15.20
Austin Walker (Colonel By) 26th – 15:45.18 (Team Silver)
Conlin Burnett (Lisgar) 78th – 16:41.23

Senior Girls
Grace Streek (Peak Academy) 12th – 22:35.80
Lauren Alexander (Glebe) 14th – 22:38.38
Jocelyn Giannotti (Holy Trinity) 15th – 22:47.67
Kate Johnston-Zemek (Ashbury) 20th – 23:05.86
Waverley Lyons (Glebe) 101th – 25:13.54
Quinn Coughlin (Opeongo) 144th – 26:23.58

Senior Boys
Saul Taler (Glebe) 7th – 18:52.88 (Team Gold)
Daniel Cova (Louis-Riel) 13th – 19:08.39
Russell Heins (Glebe) 29th – 19:38.13 (Team Gold)
Noah Smith (Immaculata) 47th – 20:02.75
Derek Strachen (Glebe) 73rd – 20:29.71 (Team Gold)
Kiefer Melinz-Dupuis (Glebe) 84th – 20:37.69 (Team Gold)
Barrett Goold (Sir Robert Borden) 87th – 20:40.89
Cohen Kaye (Louis-Riel) 98th – 20:50.17
Matteo Padoin-Castillo (Immaculata) 105th – 20:58.74

Full results from OFSAA XC can be found here.

Copyright Geoff Robins / Mundo Sport Images, 2023 www.mundosportimages.com

26 Lions qualify for OFSAA Cross Country Championships

by High Schoollinkinbio

A pride of 26 Lions are headed off to the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association Cross Country Championships in Etobicoke after their performances at the National Capital and Eastern Ontario Championships last week. In Total, Lions athletes captured 9 of the available 18 individual medals, including 4 golds at the Ottawa Championships. 

Lions senior athletes dominated the podiums of both the boys and girls races at the Hornet’s Nest in Gloucester last Thursday – sweeping both podiums. 

On the boy’s side, Daniel Cova of Louis-Riel captured top spot over the six-kilometre course with a time of 20 minutes and 27.7 seconds. Defending OFSAA junior boy’s champion, Saul Taler was second across the line, 22.5 seconds behind Cova. 

Taler led a tremendous team performance from Glebe that saw the Gryphons amass a meagre 15 points to take the team title. Derek Strachan, also of Glebe rounded out the podium at 21:26.8. Kiefer Melinz-Dupuis was Glebe’s fourth scorer in sixth place.

Glebe also took the senior girls team title led by Lauren Alexander and her gold medal winning effort of 24 minutes and 10.2 seconds. Holy Trinity’s Jocelyn Giannoti placed second in 24:19.3 while last year’s OFSAA junior girls bronze medalist Grace Streek was third across the line in 24:41.0. A step behind Streek in fourth was Ashbury’s Kate Johnston-Zemek who helped the Colts to a team silver and OFSAA berth.

Grade 10 students Kyra Lauter and Charlie Mortimer each took top spot in their respective junior races. Lauter enjoyed a comfortable 21.7 second margin victory in the girls race, finishing the five-kilometre course in 21:20.0. Mortimer found himself in a much tighter race, narrowly edging out Colonel By’s Owen Siderius by 3.4 seconds in 17:41.2.

Cameron Allard and Austin Walker of Colonel By teammed with Siderius for junior boy’s team gold.

Dahlia Loreti of Pierre Savard was second across the line in the novice girls four-kilometre race in 16:26.2, while Isla Bilcock took home team gold running for Nepean. 

While just missing the novice boy’s podium in fourth, Luke Van Brabant led Earl of March to the team title with his 15:07.7 run.

At the EOSSAA Championships on Kingston’s Fort Henry hill, Quinn Coughlin placed fifth in the senior girls race with a time of 24 minutes and 38.06 seconds to earn her spot at OFSAA. Malachi Kenny just missed out on qualifying in the senior boys race with his sixth place finish with 20:29.18 clocking. 

The full list of qualifiers for OFSAA XC are included below:

Novice Girls
Dahlia Loreti (Pierre Savard)
Riley Daniels (The Element)
Isla Bilcock (Nepean)

Novice Boys
Luke Van Brabant (Earl of March)
Yusuf Elmasry (John McCrae)

Junior Girls
Kyra Lauter (Franco Cité)
Sofia Lefaivre (Louis-Riel)
Maya Allibon (John McCrae)

Junior Boys
Charlie Mortimer (Hillcrest)
Conlin Burnett (Lisgar)
Austin Walker (Colonel By)
Cameron Allard (Colonel By)

Senior Girls
Lauren Alexander (Glebe)
Jocelyn Giannotti (Holy Trinity)
Grace Streek (Peak Academy)
Kate Johnston-Zemek (Ashbury)
Waverley Lyons (Glebe)
Quinn Coughlin (Opeongo)

Senior Boys
Daniel Cova (Louis-Riel)
Saul Taler (Glebe)
Derek Strachen (Glebe)
Noah Smith (Immaculata)
Kiefer Melinz-Dupuis (Glebe)
Barrett Goold (Sir Robert Borden)
Cohen Kaye (Louis-Riel)
Matteo Padoin-Castillo (Immaculata)

Full results from the NCSSAA XC Championships are available on our website.

Full results from the EOSSAA XC Championships are available at https://sites.google.com/limestone.on.ca/xctf/2023/eossaa-xc

(Ottawa, Canada---30 September 2023) Nina Gunther (546) of the Ottawa Lions races at the 2023 Capital XC Challenge at Mooney’s Bay Park in Ottawa. Photograph Copyright 2023 Sean Burges / Mundo Sport Images. If posting to social media please tag @mundosportimages

Günther tops field at Capital XC

by High SchoollinkinbioLocalUniversity

A week after a second place finish in New York, Nina Günther moved up a spot to take the win yesterday in the open women’s race at the Capital XC Challenge. The former Gee-Gee runner kept the visiting Queen’s Gaels from a complete sweep of the podium with her victory. Günther bested  Lauren Lowther by more than six seconds to win in a time of 23 minutes and 13.45 seconds on the six kilometre course. 

Running for Queen’s, Elizabeth Vroom placed fourth in the 36 runner field with a time of 23:55.11. The top runner for the Gee-Gees was Melina Hamel in 21st, while Bryn Reyonds was first across the line for the Carleton Ravens in 26th. 

Like Günther, the Gee-Gee’s André Alie-Lamarche found his way back on the podium as well this week. Following his win at St. Lawrence, Alie-Lamarche placed third behind the Queen’s Gaels’ duo of Miles Brackenbury and Jude Wheeler-Dee. André crossed the finish line of the six kilometre course in a time of 18 minutes and 52.45 seconds, about just a few strides back of silver. 

David Birinberg of the Ravens was his team’s top finisher, crossing in 21:05.29 for 22nd place. 

Friday’s high school section saw a number of Lions ascend the podium. Joceyln Giannotti and Grace Streek finished second and third respectively in the varsity girls four kilometre race. Kyra Lauter took top spot in  the junior varsity race. 

On the boy’s side, it was a clean sweep in the varsity section with Noah Smith of Immaculata taking top spot. Following next were training partners Matteo Padoin-Castillo and Cohen Kaye. Charlie Mortimer was the boys junior varsity champion. 

Elsewhere in cross country action, Maddie Seaby made her NCAA debut for the Louisville Cardinals as she placed 73rd in the Live in Lou XC Classic. At the North Carolina Open/Masters XC Championships, Gilles Frenette placed second in the 45-49 category and tenth overall.

Full results from the Capital XC Challenge and a link to photos are available at https://ottawalions.com/results/2023-results/