Sean Kaley Brookfield Track

Lions Top 10 OFSAA XC Performers: #9 Sean Kaley (1989-1993)

by High Schoollinkinbio

At number nine on our list of the top ten all-time Lions performers at the OFSAA Cross Country Championships we have Brookfield’s Sean Kaley. After spending his first two years running for Lo Ellen Park High School in Sudbury, Kaley’s family moved south to Ottawa and he joined the Blues of Brookfield.

It didn’t take the 16 year old Kaley long to make a name for himself as he bested Club mate and defending midget boys OFSAA Champion Chris McGregor by 0.62 seconds in the first elimination race of the 1991 season to capture the junior boy’s title at the Ottawa Board Championship. Kaley would capture his first OFSAA medal less than three weeks later, finishing second to Alex Hutchinson to take silver.

A year later in grade 12, Kaley was again engaged in a close battle with a local runner on the path to OFSAA. This time it was Club mate Kevin Lee of St. Paul’s who put up the fight and relegated Kaley to silver at the National Capital championship. A week later at OFSAA, Kaley was bested again by Lee (who took bronze) but did manage to finish 10th in a strong field topped by Kevin Sullivan.

In his final year of high school competition, Kaley again kicked the season off with another narrow victory over Chris McGregor at the Ottawa Board championship before besting him again a week later at the National Capital championships to secure his OFSAA berth. A week later in Woodbridge, Kaley would again find himself on the OFSAA podium taking bronze, a mere one second behind silver.

Following high school, Kaley would accept a scholarship to attend the University of Arkansas where he would earn All-American honours three times in cross country and help the Razorbacks to two NCAA team Championships. While Kaley would represent Canada six times at the World Cross Country Championships, he is best known for his exploits on the track where he is the Club record holder at both 5,000 and 10,000 metres and was a member of Team Canada at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Kaley currently resides in Arkansas where he is a practicing psychiatrist. He was inducted into the Lions Hall of Fame in 2013.

Claire Smith of Glebe CI competes at the OFSAA Cross Country Championships in Waterloo Ontario, Saturday, November 1, 2014. Mundo Sport Images/ Geoff Robins

Lions Top 10 OFSAA XC Performers: #10 Claire Smith (2011-2014)

by High Schoollinkinbio

Ten days from now high school runners from across the province were supposed to be toeing the line at the OFSAA Cross Country Championships in London. However, with this year’s championship cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Club has decided to put together a top ten list of the best OFSAA harriers in Club history. Since its inception, Lions athletes have captured more than 50 medals from one of the most competitive championships in North America.

Kicking off our list at number ten is Claire Smith of Glebe Collegiate Institute, who ran for the Gryphons from 2011 to 2014. During her career at Glebe, Smith was the top scorer on her team all four years, leading them to team titles in the junior and senior girls’ races and never finishing worse than fourth overall.

Smith opened her high school career with a modest 19th place finish in her first year of competitive running. However, a year older and with a year’s worth of training under her belt, we began to see what the future may hold for Smith as she ascended up to 5th on the leaderboard in the junior girls race.

As a first-year senior, Smith continued her ascension up the results with a silver medal after a tough battle with Charlotte Prouse of London Central. The pair had separated themselves from the field early on and played out a game of cat and mouse through to the finish where Smith fell nine seconds short of victory on the five-kilometre course in Sudbury.

Smith capped off her high school cross country career with an individual sixth-place finish behind multiple teammates from the Canadian U20 Cross Country team. However, she led her Gryphons to one of the most dominating performances in OFSAA cross country history as they amassed a paltry 68 points – the lowest total by a senior girl’s team in more than a decade. Furthermore, the win also set a record for the largest margin of victory in the team event as Westdale of Hamilton finished 207 points behind Glebe in second.

After graduating from Glebe, Claire Smith accepted a scholarship to study international relations and run for the Cardinals of Stanford University in California. After graduating from Stanford in 2019, pursued graduate studies in Global Governance and Diplomacy from the University of Oxford where she graduated from earlier this year.

Glebe_OFSAA_XC_CHAMPIONS

Lions Top 10 OFSAA XC Performers: #BONUS Kirk Dillabaugh

by High Schoollinkinbio

In the absence of another OFSAA Championship, we are taking the days leading into what would have been the 2020 OFSAA Cross Country Championships to have a look back on Club success on the annual championship.

Before we begin the ten day countdown of our all-time list we felt it best to recognize someone from the Lions pride for their outstanding performances at OFSAA XC – coach Kirk Dillabaugh.

Since his first day at Glebe Collegiate Institute on January 31, 2000, Coach Dillabaugh has brought an enthusiasm for physical fitness and running unrivaled in most high schools.  That enthusiasm coupled with his experience and knowledge in the sport has turned a program that had sporadic success to a perennial provincial powerhouse.

Since his arrival, Coach Dillabaugh has coached an impressive 69 teams to an appearance at the provincial championship – 38 girls teams and 31 boys teams. While he had teams finish in the top 10, it was not until the Championship returned to Ottawa in 2011 when things really hit their stride. That year’s midget girls became the first under Dillabaugh’s tenure to breach the top five with a fourth-place finish and combined with Yves Sikubwabo’s senior boy’s individual gold served as a catalyst for the success that has continued for the Gryphons the last nine years.

In the eight seasons that have followed, Glebe has qualified an impressive 41 teams to OFSAA with more than 65 percent of them cracking the top five. Of those teams, a staggering 18 reached the podium resulting in six team titles, six aggregate titles, and five individual medals including two OFSAA champions. While not officially awarded any longer, Glebe has also captured the grand aggregate title (boys and girls combined) at each of those eight championships.

Dillabaugh summed up the mentality of his Glebe Gryphons quite well in an interview with Ottawa Sports Page last season saying, “It’s always exciting to have the hard work you’ve put in rewarded, but what’s really fulfilling for us is we’re there competing for that overall title every single year now.”

Graduation Clip Art

Congratulations Ottawa Lions High School Graduates

by High Schoollinkinbio

The past four months have altered nearly every portion of our day to day lives. Schools were closed, office space moved to the kitchen table, competitions were cancelled and training moved into homes. Our new reality still remains fluid and we are all learning how to adjust to our new environment.

The final year of high school and lead up towards the next stage of academia is period in life where many young adults establish and mold their future. As many adults can attest it can also be one of the most enjoyable periods of your teens. Wrapping up secondary school with childhood friends, putting everything on the line to make OFSAA (for some that even includes putting off Prom), making mom & dad proud walking across the stage to receive your diploma and the excitement leading up to starting at a new school and a world of new experiences.

This is not the ideal sendoff but the Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club wish all the best to our graduating high school athletes as they prepare to begin their post-secondary education. Many of these talented athletes have developed through our club’s youth, foundation and aspire programs before making their mark in the National Capital Region as a competitive athlete. Competitively the graduating class earned nearly 200 regional, Provincial and National medals since the fall of 2016, we can only imagine what was in store for this talented group this spring and summer.

While your competitive drive will be bottled up until they dawn the team kits of your respective post-secondary institution. The Ottawa Lions congratulate you and offer encouragement as you continue to navigate the extraordinary circumstances that have already transformed the way schools operate across all levels.

David Adelye – University of Toronto
Roselynn Barrett – McMaster University
Zachary Bryant – Algonquin College
Hervey Chateau – Algonquin College
Kate Collings – Dalhousie University
Carter Demars – University of Ottawa
Joe Fast – Princeton University
Colby Frost – University of Ottawa
Jeremy Fourtier – University of Ottawa
Vanessa Lu Langley – McGill University
Shea McHale – Algonquin College
Erin McInerney – University of Ottawa
Zachary Meredith – University of Ottawa
Katie Newlove – University of British Columbia
Fabrice Nonez – University of Ottawa
Nelson Odutola – Western University
Doyin Ogunremi – University of Ottawa
Coralie Ostertag – University of Ottawa
Skye Pellerin – University of Ottawa
Thomas Pollok – University of Ottawa
Paulina Procyk – University of Toronto
Jackson Roy – University of Ottawa
Mathieu Rustom – University of Ottawa
Adam Sanger – McGill University
Callum Saravabmuttoo – University of British Columbia
Yared Tareke – St. Francis Xavier University

Greg Jack Header

Lions Top 10 OFSAA Performers: #7 Greg Jack (1990-1994)

by High Schoollinkinbio

At number seven on our list of the top 10 all-time OFSAA performers, we make our first foray into the field events with thrower extraordinaire Greg Jack. The Eganville native collected an impressive 11 OFSAA medals during his five year career split between Opeongo High School and St. Pius X. Among the 11 medals Jack amassed were six golds, which is made even more impressive when you consider he was battling the likes of three time Olympians and future Canadian and Interscholastic record holders Jason Tunks and Brad Snyder.

Right from his start in grade nine, Jack proved he would be a force to be reckoned with throughout his high school days as he was the class of the midget boys shot put field, heaving the four kilogram ball out to 16.12 metres, more than a meter further beyond his competitors, including Mr. Tunks. However, in Tunks’ specialty, the discus, he got the upper hand, and Greg took home a bronze for his efforts with a very respectable 46.73 metres.

Owing to a late birthday, Jack returned to the midget category in grade 10 and made quick work of the competition, adding two more gold medals as well as his first silver. Making his first foray in to the javelin, Jack was dominant against the provincial field, dropping the 600 gram spear nearly four metres further than the silver medalist. In the other two throws, Jack defended his shot put gold and upgraded to silver in the discus.

After a solitary shot put silver grade 11, Jack swept all three throws events in grade 12, narrowly defeating Brad Snyder in both the shot put and discus. It was also the first season Jack was competing for the X-Men of St. Pius. In the javelin, Jack was again the class of the field with a best throw of 52.90 metres – five and a half metres clear of his nearest competitor.

Jack completed his high school career with a pair of bronze medals in the discus and javelin before embarking on a collegiate career at Florida State University. After his time in Tallahassee, Jack headed north to Pittsburgh to pursue a graduate degree and begin coaching. Following Pitt, Jack spent 16 years as throws and eventually Associate Head Coach at Virgina Tech University where he coached former Lion thrower Brian MacPhee, and guided his athletes to 67 All-American recognitions and 13 NCAA titles.

Most recently, Jack has formed his own company, Track and Field Strategies, where he works to bridge the information gap between aspiring student athletes and opportunities in the the United States post secondary system.

Murray Link Header

Lions Top 10 OFSAA Performers: #8 Murray Link (1992-1996)

by High Schoollinkinbio

On day three of our countdown of the Club’s best OFSAA track and field competitors of all-time, we turn to the distance events and North Dundas’ Murray Link at number 8. The Winchester product was a dominating force during his high school career, capturing an impressive 10 OFSAA medals including 4 gold over his five yer high school career.

The medal haul was on from the word “go” for Link who burst on the scene with a trio of medals in his grade nine year, including pulling off the 1500/3000 metre double. In addition to his longer distance prowess, Link also showed his range his he collected a bronze in the 800m in a swift 2:01.

This would mark the only year where Link would attempt the distance triple. Those familiar with the OFSAA schedule understand the difficulty that presents with 1500 metre races on Thursday and Friday followed by heats and finals for the 800 metres and a 3000 metre final on the Saturday.

Grade 10 added two more medals to Link’s collection and was also the first example of the tri-battle that would play out over the coming years between himself and other future national team members Jay Cantin and Matt Kerr. The trio all broke the four minutue barrier for 1500 metres with Link taking bronze. A day later, Link was able to move up a spot over 800 metres, taking silver behind Cantin in 1:58.68.

A year later, Link would get back on top of the podium with a return to the 3000 metres, winning a tight fought battle over Rob Krar and Kevin Peirobon in 8:44.20. However, at 1500 metres Cantin had the upper hand, winning 3:55.07 to 3:57.16 over Link to complete the 8/15 double.

After another bronze at 800 in grade 12, Link returned for his OAC year to capture his third gold at 3000 metres, winning by over three seconds in 8:22.32. At 1500 metres, it was another battle between Cantin and Link, with the St. Claire Secondary School student coming out on top again with Link winning silver in 3:49.79, two seconds behind the victor.

After a standout high school career, Link accepted an athletic scholarship to the University of Arkansas where he would help the Razorbacks capture nine NCAA team titles. In addition to his team success in Fayetteville, Link was also seven-time All-American in Cross Country, Indoor, and Outdoor Track, capturing three NCAA medals along the way.

Despite retiring from competitive running following his collegiate career in 2001, Link’s performances still rank among the Club’s top ten all-time at 1000, 3000, 5000, and 10,000 metres. While he’s not running, you can still find Murray around the track as his son Jack runs with the Aspire Program.

We’ll be back again tomorrow with number seven on our list. Stay tuned.

Keira High School2

Lions Top 10 OFSAA Performers: #9 Keira Christie-Galloway (2014-2017)

by High Schoollinkinbio

At number nine on our all-time list, we stay within the sprint hurdle family and go with Canadian under-20 record holder Keira-Christie Galloway. The hurdling superstar represented both the Tigers of St. Matthews and the Gryphons from the Glebe during a high school career that included a six medal haul at the provincial high school championships.

While she is best known for her prowess in the hurdles, Christie-Galloway actually captured her first OFSAA medal in the long jump. As a grade nine student at St. Matthews, the 15 year old had found her way to the top of the standings after her fifth round jump, leading on a count back. Unfortunately, the athlete she had just leap frogged would immediately respond with a leap that stretched the measuring tape out two centimetres further to leave Christie-Galloway with silver.

While she looked poised to add another medal to the haul later that same day in the 80 metre hurdles, a trip over one of the final sticks left Keira out of the medals in seventh. However, that occasion would mark the last time she would lose a high school hurdles competition.

Returning to OFSAA in grade ten, Christie-Galloway came back with a vengeance, repeating her silver in the long jump, and taking out Jessica Zelinka’s 17 year old OFSAA record in the junior girls 80 metre hurdles with an impressive time of 11.24 seconds. Christie-Galloway’s gold medal run was so dominating that she crossed the line more than a half second clear of her nearest competitor.

The record breaking would continue again in grade 11 as Keira erased another Canadian track icon’s name from the record books. This time it was former World Champion Perdita Felicien’s OFSAA senior girls record of 13.41 seconds set in 1998 that would fall. Kristie-Galloway made quick of the record, taking it down in the heats by crossing the line in 13.33 seconds. In the final, a headwind helped keep the record from falling again, but Keira was still golden on the day, winning in 13.57 seconds of Brittany Stennekes of Dundas Valley. Stennekes would get revenge the next day by taking the long jump title and relegating Christie-Galloway to her third straight silver in the event.

For her grade 12 year, Christie-Galloway had switched schools to Glebe Collegiate where she focused her efforts solely on the hurdles at OFSAA despite qualifying in both the 100 and 200 metre events as well. Despite a tight battle with future national team teammate Kendra Leger, Christie-Galloway finished her high school career with a third straight sprint hurdles title, winning in a time of 13.53 seconds.

Since graduating from Glebe, Keira has continued to improve and flourish in the hurdles, including breaking a 30 year old Canadian U20 record, earning All-American honours, and donning the red and white at two global championships and the Pan Am Games. Prior to the global shut down stemming from COVID-19, Christie-Galloway was studying at Arizona State University in Tempe and preparing for a run at the Olympic Games.

Check back in again tomorrow as we announce number eight on our list of the Top 10 OFSAA Performers in Club history.

(Kitchener, Canada---07 June 1996) Left to right, Jeff Keays (2nd) and J Hollingsworth (1st) racing in the junior boys 110m hurdles at the 1996 OFSAA Ontario High School Track and Field Championships. Photo 1996 Copyright Sean Burges / Mundo Sport Images.

Lions Top 10 OFSAA Peformers: #10 Jeff Keays (1993-97)

by High Schoollinkinbio

Today would have marked the start of the OFSAA East Regional competition where athletes from across Eastern Ontario battle for a top four spot and a berth in the OFSAA Track and Field Championships. In light of the cancelled high school season, we thought it would be fun to construct our own Top 10 list of OFSAA competitors from Club History. Since current coach, Leslie Estwick, captured the Club’s first OFSAA medal with junior high jump bronze in 1978, Lions’ athletes have gone on to capture more than 500 medals and numerous records at the high school championship.

Kicking off our list at number ten is Jeff Keays who competed in high school for both Thousand Islands Secondary School in Brockville and Smiths Falls District Collegiate Institute between 1993 and 1997. After not medaling in either grades nine or ten, Keays began ratcheting up the performances in grade 11 as he took silver in the junior boys 110 metre hurdles while at TISS. A year later, and running for SFDCI, Keays again found himself in the junior boys 110m hurdle final. Looking to avenge the previous year’s result, Keays crossed the line in 14.13 seconds to break the previous OFSAA record. Unfortunately for Keays, he was lined up beside Parkside Collegiate’s Jamie Hollingsworth, who also beat the previous mark in 14.10 seconds, and left Keays with a second silver.

In Keays’ final year of competition, he got his revenge on Hollingsworth and broke some records in the process. At the East Regional competition in Ottawa, Keays became the first Canadian high schooler to crack the 14 second barrier in the 110 metre hurdles, clinching his spot at OFSAA with a time of 13.95 seconds. The Interscholastic Record had previously belonged to former Lion Steve Yorsten. It is worthwhile to note that at that time, the senior aged athletes were competing over the 39 inch hurdles.

A week later at the OFSAA Championships in Kitchener, Keays appeared primed to lower his new Canadian record even further, but unfortunately Mother Nature was less than agreeable. In the heats, Keays dominated the field, running a new OFSAA record of 13.99 seconds into a nasty 4.1 m/s headwind. The conditions didn’t improve much in the final either as Keays battled a massive 7.1 m/s headwind to win in 14.15 seconds. To give perspective to the condition Keays was in, he came back at the Twilight meet the next Wednesday and ran a legal 13.77 seconds.

Following high school, Keays attended Washington State University on a scholarship and briefly gave bobsled a go in Calgary. He currently reisdes in Victoria where he volunteers as a coach with one of the local track clubs.

Our countdown of the Lions all-time OFSAA competitors continues tomorrow with number nine. We will reveal number one on the list on June 6 to coincide with what would have been the final day of this year’s OFSAA competition.

If you are in search of more OFSAA Track and Field memories, check out @mundosportimages on Instagram where they have been highlighting some of the all-time best performers.