(Langley, British Columbia ---25 June 2022) Tommy Nedow competing on day four of the Canadian Track and Field Championships at McLeod Athletic Park. Photograph 2022 Copyright Miles Ryan Rowat / Mundo Sport Images

Lions finish Canada Games Trials with strong results

by linkinbioProvincial

Lions athletes wrapped up the two day Canada Games Trials in Toronto on Sunday with strong performances that put them in line for a place on Team Ontario. Leading the way were thrower Tommy Nedow, sprint hurdler David Adeleye, and decathlete Leo Wallner.

Coming off a silver medal at the Canadian Championships, Tommy Nedow was the favourite in the discus and he did not disappoint. The 24-year-old won the competition with his opening round throw of 50.71 metres, outdistancing second place by 77 centimetres. With his victory, Nedow guaranteed himself a spot on the provincial team that will compete this August in St. Catherines. 

Also ensuring his spot in St. Catherines was David Adeleye as the University of Toronto student captured the gold medal in the 110 metre hurdles. Adeleye ran his way to a personal best time of 14.31 seconds in the hurdles final, shaving three hundredths off his previous best set at the recent Canadian Championships.

Leo Wallner will join Adeleye and Nedow at the Canada games by virtue of his victory in the decathlon. The recent high school graduate showed up and showed out during the two day event, amassing a personal best 5689 points with the senior heights and implements. Wallner’s second day got off to a great start as he was the fastest in the 110 metre hurdles, putting down a personal best of 15.54 seconds over the 42” barriers. While he struggled in the throws, Wallner posted a conservative mark in the 1500 metres to secure his nearly 200 point victory. 

Fellow combined event athlete Audrey Goddard finished up the two day heptathlon with solid marks in the long jump, javelin, and 800 metres as she amassed a wind aided total of 4658 points. The 18-year-old’s marks on day two were nearly identical to those reached the week before at the Canadian Championships, as Goddard placed second to Dallyssa Huggins – six years her senior. 

While her second place finish in the heptathlon will leave Goddard off the athletics team at the Canada Summer Games, she still has a chance to make Team Ontario after recently being shortlisted for the volleyball team. She’ll find out if she makes the team later this month. 

For full results from the Canada Games Trials, please visit our results page.

(Langley, British Columbia ---23 June 2022) Doyin Ogunremi competing on day two of the Canadian Track and Field Championships at McLeod Athletic Park. Photograph 2022 Copyright Miles Ryan Rowat / Mundo Sport Images ******* EDITORIAL USE ONLY ******* ******* EDITORIAL USE ONLY ******* ******* EDITORIAL USE ONLY *******

Evans nears record; Lions earn spots for Canada Summer Games

by InternationallinkinbioProvincial

While it may be Canada Day weekend here in Ottawa, middle distance runner Stephen Evans decided to do some celebrating at the Stars and Stripes Classic in Marietta, GA Saturday night. The number two 800 metre runner in Club history inched a little closer to the record book at the American Track League stop as he placed sixth in a time of one minute and 47.30 seconds. 

Evans, who had a disappointing Canadian Championship last weekend where he failed to make the final, has made great strides in his running this season – knocking 98 hundredths of a second off his personal best. His time from Saturday night is six hundredths behind one of the longest standing records in the Club – Richard Brant’s mark of 1:47.24 from 1987. 

Closer to home, the Canada Summer Games Trials are underway at the Toronto Track and Field Centre at York University. Day one of action saw a few Lions book their spot on Team Ontario in addition to another pair of Canadian Records for Bianca Borgella. 

By virtue of victories in their respective events, David Moulongou and Doyin Ogunremi secured their spots on Team Ontario for the Canada Summer Games set for the Niagara Region in August. 

Moulongou had the race of his life in the opening event of the day, as he was first across the line in the 400 metre hurdles to win in 54.78 seconds. The University of Ottawa student trimmed more than a quarter of a second off his previous best set last week at the Canadian U20 Championships as he narrowly edged out teammate Luca Nicoletti who was second in 54.83 seconds. 

You would think that it would be hard to follow up on a Canadian Championship performance that included a personal best and an even speedier lead off leg for the Lions’ Canadian Club Record setting 4×400 metre relay, but Doyin Ogunremi said “Just watch me “ at the Ontario Trials event. The University of Ottawa slashed nearly a second and a half off her week old best as she took home top spot in the 400 metres with a time of 55.18 seconds. 

The 20-year-old Ogunremi has now cut a full two seconds off her 400 metre best this season and moves to eighth on the Club’s all-time U23 list. 

Finally, Bianca Borgella re-wrote a couple of week old Canadian T13 records with new lifetime bests at 100 and 400 metres Saturday. The visually impaired athlete lowered her mark in the 100 metres to 12.37 from the Canadian Championship winning run of 12.43 last week. As well, Borgella put up a 1:00.84 second clocking for 400 metres that cuts 1.35 seconds off her other week old record.

Also wrapping day one, Audrey Goddard is on a personal best pace in her second heptathlon in as many weeks. She sits in second place with 2964 points. As well, Leo Wallner is having the decathlon of his life, finishing first or second in four of the five events on day one and holding the overnight lead at 3275 points. 

For live results, visit: https://athleticsontario.ca/statistics/results/live/2022/0702-team-o-trials/index.htm

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President’s Corner – June 2022

by adminlinkinbio

Hi everyone!

It’s time for the next edition of our President’s Corner. As always, the goal of our President’s Corner is to give you a glimpse of what’s happening within the Club and behind the scenes, to inform you about what our Board of Directors is working on, and share what we discuss at our monthly meetings.

Athlete Success

At the June meeting of the Board of Directors, our Executive Director and Head Coach Richard Johnston highlighted the success of our high school athletes at OFSAA this year. There were some stellar performances and personal bests, and athletes captured 14 medals, including 4 gold!

Our athletes carried their success into the Ontario Championships in Toronto, capturing over two dozen medals across the U20 and open categories. Congratulations to all! We look forward to seeing their successes continue at the Canadian Track & Field Championships on June 22-26 in Langley, B.C.

Don’t forget that our Twilight meets are happening this summer! We look forward to seeing our athletes and their fans at our Twilight meets this summer, every Wednesday this summer until August 10th!

Safe Sport

As you might have read in our April President’s Corner, in May our President, Jenn Dumoulin, participated as a panelist at the Sport for Life Summit (Ottawa Summit). The focus of the panel, and really an entire day of the conference, was Safe Sport. Jenn provided a summary of her participation and reflected on the Summit during the Board meeting:

  • The first thing that we need to think about when we talk about Safe Sport is… what exactly do we mean by “Safe Sport”? The definition of Safe Sport is evolving as our understanding of safety in sport deepens. Until recently, for example, it may not have included or emphasized PPE, but with the COVID-19 pandemic, that became really important.
  • When is sport safe? At its most basic level, sport is safe when it is free from BAHD behaviours (Bullying, Abuse, Harassment, and Discrimination). But this is not enough to ensure safety in sport. Sport is safe when it takes place in properly maintained facilities, using the proper equipment and when it is overseen by trained coaches and officials. Safety is sport is also a social and economic issue; sport should be inclusive and welcoming to athletes, coaches and volunteers from diverse backgrounds.
  • There is no single solution to achieve safety in sport and it cannot be achieved by one person alone. We all have a responsibility to make sport safer.

Putting Lessons Learned into Action

Our Club and Board are committed to encouraging a supportive sport environment and respectful workplace that is free of all forms of harassment, abuse and sexual misconduct. This is articulated in our Vision, Mission, and Values and our Statement of Expectations.

We would like to acknowledge media coverage in May of a historical complaint by a former Ottawa Lions’ athlete against their former coach. We understand that this can be very difficult for our members and alumni. Should they be needed, a list of local mental health resources can be found on our website.

We firmly believe in the work that we are doing as a Club and as a Board to ensure that our athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers and all of our staff have a positive sport experience. We’ve come a long way together, although, of course, there is more work to do.

A few initiatives that we’re working on at the moment include:

That’s it for this month! Please reach out to share your ideas or let us know if you are interested in helping out with the Club.

Jennifer Dumoulin

President, Board of Directors

Ottawa Lions Track & Field Club

president@ottawalions.com

(prepared jointly with Zeena Rashid, Secretary, Ottawa Lions Board of Directors)

(Langley, British Columbia ---26 June 2022) (l-r) Helena Jovic, Mary Ollier, Alexandra Telford, and Sydney Smith competing on day five of the Canadian Track and Field Championships at McLeod Athletic Park. Photograph 2022 Copyright Miles Ryan Rowat / Mundo Sport Images

Lions add 10 medals on final day of Canadian Championship

by linkinbioNational

At any championship over the past twenty years there has always been one thing the Ottawa Lions could be known for – relay running. As the 2022 Canadian Championships wrapped up Sunday that was on full display with the Lions adding nine medals in the relays – highlighted by a new Canadian Club Record.

The quartet of Doyin Ogunremi, Sydney Smith, Alexandra Telford, and Lauren Gale had their eyes set on the Club record of 3:44.58 as they took to the start line, but were rewarded with an even bigger prize. The four women combined to move the baton around the McLeod Athletic Park oval four times in a blistering 3:35.46 to break the previous Canadian Club Record of 3:40.08 set by the former Speed River Track Club in 2019.  

Doyin Ogunremi started strong with a 55.7 second opening leg, going even faster than her two day old personal best in the event. Each progressive leg got even faster with Smith dropping a 53.9 second leg, followed by Telford’s 53.2 penultimate leg. 

By the time Telford had handed the baton off to Gale for the anchor run, she had amassed a significant 30 metre lead. Running solo, Gale still put the hammer down, closing in 52.0 seconds to win by a near 100 metre margin.

The senior men’s 4×400 metre team of Leewinchell Jean, Stephen Evans, Saj Alhaddad, and Bertwin Ben-Smith also laid down an impressive time of their own. The quartet took bronze in a time of 3:12.92 – the third fastest time in Club history. 

Following two Canadian record performances in the T13 100 and 400 metres, Bianca Borgella anchored the U20 4×100 metre team to her third gold of the Championship. The team of Emma Martins, Katie Manor, Emily Brennan, and Borgella won in 48.25 seconds.

The final individual medal of the championship went to Luca Nicoletti in the U20 400 metre hurdles. The recent Paul-Desmarais graduate ran a personal best time of 53.94 seconds in the final to grab a bronze. Nicoletti’s time was the ninth fastest by a junior in Club history. 

Other relay medals from the final day of competition were as follows:

U20 Women’s 4×400 metre relay – Bronze (Emily Brennan, Elizabeth Vroom, Amelia Van Brabant, Louise Stonham)

Open Women’s 4×100 metre relay – Silver (Coralie Ostertag, Brooklyn McCormick, Sia Mahajan, Emma Dobson-Takoff)

U20 Men’s 4×100 metre relay – Silver (Seiyf Gebara, Luca Nicoletti, David Moulongou, Zachary Sikka)

U20 Men’s 4×400 metre relay – Bronze (David Moulongou, Seiyf Gebara, Zachary Sikka, Luca Nicoletti)

Open Men 4×100 metre relay – Bronze (Zach Bryant, Bertwin Ben-Smith, Michael Pinnock, David Adeleye)

Bianca-Borgella-2022-CDN-100m-Champ

Lions add three more medals on day three of Canadian Championships

by linkinbioNational

With temperatures in Langley soaring above 30 degrees centigrade in the first heat wave of the BC summer, the Ottawa Lions raised their game to meet the scorching temperatures on the track. The Lions amassed three more medals on day three of competition at the Canadian Track and Field Championships to bring their total to nine. 

When Bianca Borgella started her track career in earnest, a little more than a year ago, the personal bests and Canadian records came fast and furious for the T13 visually impaired athlete. It seemed almost as though she would run a new record every week in 100 metres at one point. Then the records stopped, but that all changed Saturday night at the Canadian Track and Field Championships. 

Powered by a quicker than normal start, Borgella ran away from a field that included Paralympic bronze medalist Marissa Papaconstantinou and burst through the finish line in a time of 12.43 seconds. The performance trimmed a full tenth of a second off her previous best, and Canadian T13 record, set last August at the final Twilight Meet of the season. 

The victory moved Borgella’s record to a perfect 2-0 at the Championship after she had won the ambulatory 400 metres the night before – also in a T13 Canadian Record time. 

For Lauren Gale, she learned a valuable lesson Saturday night in the 400 metre final – better to trip out of the blocks than at the end of the race. Despite a stumble out of the blocks, the Olympian regained her stride and sprinted her way to a silver medal in a time of 51.61 seconds. 

“It’s close to a personal best,” Gale noted positively about her race. “I’m happy to come second at Canadian nationals. I’m excited.”

The next stop for the 22-year-old will be the start line in Eugene, OR for the World Championships, which begin July 15. Gale, who bettered the World Athletics standard, is expected to be formally announced as a member of Team Canada this coming week. 

Out in the field, Tommy Nedow found the perfect time to launch the best throw of his season. The Brockville native whirled the two kilogram platter out to 53.07 metres on his third throw to secure the silver medal. 

Saturday’s silver medal was Nedow’s second medal in the senior discus competition, having captured the bronze three years ago in Montreal. 

MRR_20220624_CTFC22_314

Vroom and Stonham lead medal haul on day two of Canadian Championships

by linkinbioNational

On the second day of the Canadian Track and Field Championships in Langley, BC the Lions added five medals to their haul, including the first two golds.

The day ended with bang as the duo of Elizabeth Vroom and Louise Stonham ran their way to the top two spots on the medal podium. Vroom continued her unbeaten streak in the steeplechase this year, taking the 3000 metre race in a personal best time of 10:40.33 – making her the 16th fastest Canadian U20 runner in history. 

Stonham wasn’t far behind her teammate, as she dipped under 11 minutes for the first time, crossing the line in 10:58.66 for silver.

The ladies made it three straight Canadian U20 Championships where the Lions placed two runners on a steeplechase podium. Kevin Robertson and Will Cox went 1-3 at the 2019 Championships, while Jonathan Rioux and Andre Alie-Lamarche placed 2-3 in 2018. 

Bianca Borgella nabbed the other gold medal on day two, as she dominated the field in the para ambulatory 400 metres. The 19-year-old Borgella took off like a bolt of lightning out of the blocks, blowing past the competition to win in a time of 1:02.19. The performance bettered her own Canadian T13 record by more than a second and a half.

“Tired. Lactic,” were the first two words out of Audrey Goodard’s mouth following the final event of the two day U20 heptathlon. After a personal best in the event, 2:34.05, Goddard had amassed 4480 points to share the silver with London Western’s Robin Selkirk. 

The seven event competition was a learning experience for the future Western University student. “I have a lot more left than I think,” explained Goddard. “When I think that I don’t, I can push.”

Goddard’s medal was the first for a U20 heptathlete from the Lions since Olivia Leon’s silver in 2016. Her point total was also the third highest for a U20 athlete in Club history. 

Picking up his second medal of the championship was Josh Cassidy as he won a bronze in the para wheelchair 1500 metres. The Paralympian, who finished in a time of 3:26.62, will now refocus his efforts to the marathon, which he will compete in at the Commonwealth Games in August before taking on some fall marathon races. 

(Langley, British Columbia ---23 June 2022) Josh Cassidy competing on day two of the Canadian Track and Field Championships at McLeod Athletic Park. Photograph 2022 Copyright Miles Ryan Rowat / Mundo Sport Images

Cassidy takes silver in 800m; Goddard second after day one of heptathlon

by linkinbioNational

The first day of competition at the 2022 Canadian Track and Field Championships featured only one final for Lions athletes, but it was enough to produce the first medal of the championship. Josh Cassidy took home the silver medal in the wheelchair 800 metres Thursday with a time of one minute and 42.31 seconds.

The defending champion in the event, from 2019, pushed the pace early while battling strong headwinds on the home stretch. Cassidy had a firm hold on the lead through about 550 metres before veteran Alexandre Dupoint used the wind at their backs to swing past him as they entered the final 200. Cassidy tried to respond, but could not find a way past Dupont on the homestretch.

He will try to get back on top of the podium today with the wheelchair 1500 metre final set to go at 4:40 pm Pacific. 

Day one also brought about the start of the heptathlon with Audrey Goddard and Brooklyn McCormick contesting the U20 and open competitions respectively. 

Goddard got off to a strong start in the 100 metre hurdles, her forte,and kept things rolling from there to a day one score of 2770 points to sit in second place after day one. 

The recent Merivale high school graduate was succinct in her characterization of her first heptathlon experience. “It was good.” 

Goddard had a consistent day one with marks of 14.70 seconds in the hurdles, 1.54 metres in high jump, 8.50 metres in shot put and 26.08 in the 200 metres.  “Nothing was amazing for me,” she said of her performances. But everything was “ok”.

McCormick, also competing in her first heptathlon, sits in 14th place after day one with 2137 points. 

The heptathlon finishes today with the long jump, javelin, and 800 metres starting at 9:30 am local time. 

OTTAWA, ON -- 08 July 2018: Saj Alhaddad racing in the 400m hurdles final at the 2018 Athletics Canada National Track and Field Championships held at the Terry Fox Athletics Facility in Ottawa, Canada. (Photo by Sean Burges / Mundo Sport Images).

Lions ready to take on nation in Langley

by linkinbioNational

Over the Rockies to the lower mainland we go. Since Monday, Lions athletes have been making their way to the city Langley, a suburb on the far outskirts of Vancoucver to fight for national medals. It’s a first for many of these athletes, as the U20 contingent have been left without a championship since 2019. While a select number of athletes had the pleasure of competing at last year’s Olympic Trials, this is also the first taste of national level competition for many since before the pandemic. 

In total, 37Lions athletes will be fighting for a spot on the podium this weekend at McLeod Athletic Park, where action gets going today. Among the favourites are Lauren Gale and Josh Cassidy. Both athletes have already been named to Team Canada for this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, UK. It is anticipated Gale will also be named to the World Championship team, having bettered the 400 metre standard of 51.35 last month at the Mountain West Conference Championships. Gale, will also be among the medal favourites in the 200 metres, as she enters the competition with a season’s best and Club record of 22.82 seconds. 

Cassidy, a veteran of two Paralympic Games, will be looking to add to his large collection of national medals as he contests both the T54 800 and 1500 metres this week. Bouncing back from the Notwill Grand Prix in May where he failed to complete a race, Cassidy will be looking to find the form that saw him capture a trio of gold medals (800m/1500m/5000m) three years ago in Montreal.

Looking to find his way back on the national podium will be Saj Alhaddad in the 400 metres hurdles. The 30-year old has been a fixture in the national final for the past decade and enters the competition with the third fastest seed time. With already four Canadian medals to his name, look for Alhaddad to challenge his season’s best of 51.92 seconds set just two weeks ago at the Ontario Championships, where he ran to a silver medal. 

A triple medalist at the Ontario Championships, Tommy Nedow, will drop the hammer throw and focus his efforts on the shot put and discus this weekend in Langley. With a seed performance of 52.35 metres this season, Nedow is in a tight race to reclaim the bronze he won in 2019. In the shot put, the Southeastern Louisiana graduate will find himself in a tough battle for a medal in the shot put. Tommy enters the competition ranked 4th, but seeds three through six are all within 71  centimetres of each other. 

With Lions record holder Melissa Bishop-Nriagu not competing this season as she is pregnant with her second child, the women’s 800 metre gold is wide open. Hoping to find herself in the final mix is Sydney Smith. The University of Ottawa graduate student is coming off a new personal best of 2:05.35 set at the recent Ontario Championships and will be looking to secure herself a spot in the final where anything can happen. 

The men’s 800 metres will see Stephen Evans go after his first national medal. The former USports champion has found himself in multiple national finals in the past, but is still looking to make the breakthrough to that podium appearance. Evans appears primed for the task having set personal bests both indoors and out this season, was victorious in both Montreal and Guelph stops on the National Track Tour, the later included Evans’ first sub 1:48 run. 

A strong contingent of women will lead the U20 Lions into Langley. Elizabeth Vroom is the top seed entering the 3000 metre steeplechase following her Ontario Championship victory. Vroom, whose mark of 10:58.23  is nearly 15 seconds faster than the next entry, will be joined in the final by teammate Louise Stonham, who could also find herself on the podium. 

Training partners Amelia Van Brabant and Maddie Seaby will continue their season’s long duel at 3000 metres. The pair will enter the competition with the fourth and fifth fastest time respectively – an impressive feat for the two 17 year olds. . 

Finally, sprinter Katie Manor will look to turn a pair of provincial medals into national ones. . Manor produced a silver (100m) and gold (200m) and appears ready to elevate her running even further. Entering with personal bests of 11.94 seconds (100m) and 24.75 seconds (200m), the University of Ottawa student is ranked 6th and 9th respectively. 

Competition Schedule (All times in PST)

Thursday, June 23

09h30 U20 Heptathlon 100H Audrey Goddard
09h35 Open Heptathlon 100H Brooklyn McCormick
09h55 Open Women 400m Qualifying Helena Jovic/Doyin Ogunremi
10h55 U20 Men 100m Qualifying Seiyf Gebara/Luca Nicoletti
11h00 U20 Heptathlon High Jump Audrey Goddard
11h00 Open Heptathlon High Jump Brooklyn McCormick
11h10 Open Women 100m Qualifying Coralie Ostertag
11h25 Open Men 100m Qualifying Bertwin Ben-Smith/Michael Pinnock/Zach Bryant/Denzel Martineau
12h15 U20 Women 200m Qualifying Emma Martin
12h25 Open Women 200m Qualifying Doyin Ogunremi/Coralie Ostertag
12h45 Open Men 200m Qualifying Bertwin Ben-Smith/Michael Pinnock/Zach Bryant/Denzel Martineau
14h30 U20 Heptathlon Shot Put Audrey Goddard
14h30 Open Heptathlon Shot Put Brooklyn McCormick
16h45 Para Wheelchair 800m Final Josh Cassidy
17h00 U20 Heptathlon 200m Audrey Goddard
17h05 Open Heptathlon 200m Brooklyn McCormick

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Lions clinch U20 provincial title; hold narrow lead in Open Championship

by linkinbioProvincial

With a locked up U20 team title and a hand on the Open crown, the Ontario Championships would have to be considered a success for the Lions. A success that included For the second year in a row the Lions left the Ontario Championship with a U20 title with some hardware in tow, as they clinched the team title with an impressive 33 medals, including 12 gold. 

The U20 Lions clinched their second straight provincial title by amassing 208.5 points over the three day competition, nearly double last year’s winning score. While the U20 Championship will officially end late July with the hosting of the Combined Events Championship, the Lions’ 92 point lead over London Western is mathematically impossible to overcome. 

For the Open Championship, the Lions were able to put 166.5 points on the board to hold a 10.5 point lead over Royal City Athletics Club. However, it is London Western with 140.5 that poses the greatest threat to the Lions title hopes with multiple athletes likely to contest the Combined Events Championship. 

Setting the tone for the weekend were a trio of teenage steeplers in Gillian Porter, Zachary Sikka, and Elizabeth Vroom. Porter and Sikka each won their respective U20 events by more than 10 seconds, while Vroom moved up to the open 3000m steeple event to take silver in 10:58.23 – the second fastest time ever by a junior in Club history. 

Taking home an impressive three individual medals was thrower Tommy Nedow. The Brockville native produced gold medal efforts in both the discus (49.30m) and hammer throw (52.87m). 

Nedow’s gold in the discus completed a full set of medals in the open discus after bronze in 2018 and silver in 2019. As well, his hammer throw victory was the first by a male Lion since James Fahie’s victory in 1994 – four years before Nedow was born. 

Rounding out the medal haul on the weekend was a bronze in the shot put for Nedow, who produced a best throw of 15.49 metres on his final effort. 

Sprinter Katie Manor had a big weekend on the track that included three personal best performances, a silver medal, and her first provincial title. The University of Ottawa student started the championship off right by producing the fastest time in the U20 women’s 100 metre qualifying – a personal best of 11.94 seconds. She followed it up with a similarly fast 11.96 clocking in the final to place second.

Over 200 metres, Manor continued her strong running, clipping nearly four tenths off her personal best in the heats with a time of 24.90 seconds to lead qualifying. Not to be outdone, she followed it up in the finals with an impressive 24.75 second showing and a gold medal. So far this season, Manor has erased 1.3 seconds off her personal best.

Audrey Goddard added to the gold medal count with her victory in the U20 women’s 100 metre hurdles on Saturday. The 18 year old produced back-to-back personal bests in the heats and finals en-route to a narrow victory over Robyn Larkan of Toronto Racers (14.34  to 14.39). Goddard’s winning time moved her to eighth on the Club’s U20 all-time list. 

The final individual gold came from Sydney Smith in the open women’s 800 metres on Sunday. Competing in her first 800 of the season, Smith appeared well seasoned as she bided her time before a well timed kick for home in the final 100 metres sealed the victory for her. Smith’s winning time of 2:05.35 was a massive improvement over her previous best of 2:12.88 and moves her to seventh on the Club’s all-time list. 

Below is a complete list of medal winners from the weekend:

Gillian Porer – Gold (U20 Women 2000m Steeplechase)
Zachary Sikka – Gold (U20 Men 3000m Steeplechase)
Audrey Goddard – Gold (U20 Women 100m Hurdles)
Tommy Nedow – Gold (Open Men Discus)
Tommy Nedow – Gold (Open Men Hammer Throw)
Katie Manor – Gold (U20 Women 200m)
Sydney Smith – Gold (Open Women 800m)
Vanessa Lu Langley, Doyin Ogunremi, Paulina Procyk, Maria Okwechime – Gold (Open Women 4x100m)
Elizabeth Vroom, Gillian, Porter, Lauren Alexander, Freya Hurst – Gold (U20 Women 4x800m)
Brooklyn McCormick, Grace Munro, Olivia Baggley, Charlotte Murchison – Gold (Open Women 4x800m)
Helena Jovic, Alexandra Telford, Sydney Smith, Doyin Ogunremi – Gold (Open Women’s 4x400m)
Luca Nicoletti, Nolan Legare, Thomas Kukla-Colby, David Moulongou – Gold (U20 Men’s 4x400m)
Elizabeth Vroom – Silver (Open Women 3000m Steeplechase)
Maria Okwechime – Silver (Open Women Long Jump)
Katie Manor – Silver (U20 Women 100m)
Olivia Baggley – Silver (U20 Women 3000m)
Saj Alhaddad – Silver (Open Men 400m Hurdles)
Luca Nicoletti – Silver (U20 Men 200m)
Audrey Goddard, Mattson Strickler, Cora McQuinn, Bianca Borgella – Silver (U20 Women 4x100m)
Seiyf Gebara, Luca Nicoletti, David Moulongou, Leo Wallner – Silver (U20 Men 4x100m)
Fabrice Nonez, Saj Alhaddad, André Alie-Lamarche, Leewinchell Jean – Silver (Open Men’s 4x400m)
Coralie Ostertag, Kelly Brennan, Audrey Gilmour, Emily Brennan – Silver (Open Women’s 4x100m)
Mattson Strickler – Bronze (U20 Women 400m)
Alexandra Telford – Bronze (Open Women 400m)
Alexandra Telford – Bronze (Open Women 400m Hurdles)
Tommy Nedow – Bronze (Open Men Shot Put)
Emily Brennan – Bronze (U20 Women 400m Hurdles)
David Moulongoou – Bronze (U20 Men 400m Hurdles)
Elizabeth Moreland – Bronze (U20 Women Triple Jump)
Stephen Evans – Bronze (Open Men 800m)
Zachary Sikka, Jack Link, Kyle Porter, Nolan Legare – Bronze (U20 Men 4x800m)
Audrey Gilmour, Emily Brennan, Grace Munro, Mattson Stickler – Bronze (U20 Women 4x400m)
Brooklyn McCormick, Stephanie Leask, Sia Mahajan, Kelly Brennan – Bronze (Open Women’s 4x400m)

(York, Canada — 3 June 2022) L-R, William Bigler of Appleby College - Oakville, William Sanders of Mother Teresa - Ottawa, Chris Jackson of St. Mary's - Kitchener competing in the junior boys 400m final at the 2022 OFSAA Ontario High School Track and Field Championships held at the Toronto Track and Field Centre at York University. 2022 Copyright Sean Burges / Mundo Sport Images.

Lions take home 14 medals from OFSAA Championships

by High SchoollinkinbioProvincial

For the high school athletes of the Ottawa Lions, it was a long two year hiatus, but they returned to the OFSAA Championships this past weekend in Toronto without missing a beat. In total, the athletes amassed 14 medals, including four golds, and one Canadian Interscholastic Record. 

The national record went to Elizabeth Vroom in the 2000 metre steeplechase as the grade 12 student won the event in a blistering six minutes and 52.19 seconds. Teammate Gillian Porter took home the silver in 7:01.47, while Louise Stonham placed 5th in 7:14.90.

The aptly named Vroom is a relative newcomer to the sport, having only joined the Club this past winter. The Sir Wilfred Laurier student has translated her successful playing time on the pitch with the Ottawa South United Soccer Club to the track quite well, setting meet records at every competition in the lead up to the OFSAA Championships. 

Vroom’s run now ranks as the second fastest U20 performance in Club history behind former Canadian record holder Danelle Woods.  

Also running to the top of the OFSAA podium this weekend were Vroom’s training partners Amelia Van Brabant and Maddie Seaby. The pair swept the top two spots in the women’s 3000m. Amelia Van Brabant took home the gold in a personal best nine minutes and 47.94 seconds, while Seaby followed behind in 9:55.43 – also a personal best. 

Vroom just missed a second OFSAA medal in the 3000, taking fourth in a personal best 10:03.51. Louise Stonham rounded out the group with her sixth place finish in a lifetime best of 10:09.13.

Mother Teresa student William Sanders continued his dominance of the junior boys 400 metres on Friday afternoon, capturing his first OFSAA gold medal in a personal best time of 51.51 seconds. Sanders, who had won every race prior to the provincial championships by nearly two seconds or more, took a hold of the lead at the 200 metre mark, and withstood the late charges from William Bigler to win by nearly a quarter of a second. 

Off the track, Kai Gibson captured the only other gold medal of the weekend in the novice boys high jump. The grade nine student from Longfields-Davidson Secondary School cleared 1.80 metres to claim top spot. Second place finisher Jeramiah Zomerman of Chatham Christian also cleared 1.80 metres, but Gibson took top spot by virtue of his first attempt clearance of the height. 

A complete list of all the medal winners from this year’s OFSAA Championship are included below.

Novice BoysKai GibsonLongfields-DavidsonHigh JumpGOLD – 1.80m
Junior BoysDustin ColdreyColonel ByShot PutBRONZE – 14.01m
Senior BoysConnor FraserImmaculataDiscusSILVER – 47.71m
Open GirlsElizabeth VroomSir Wilfred Laurier2000m SteeplechaseGOLD – 6:52.19
Open GirlsGillian PorterFrano-Cité2000m SteeplechaseSILVER – 7:01.47
Senior GirlsAudrey GoddardMerivale100m HurdlesSILVER – 13.99
Novice GirlsQuinn CoughlinOpeongo400mSILVER – 57.88
Senior BoysLuca NicolettiPaul-Desmarais110m HurdlesBRONZE – 14.14
Junior BoysWilliam SandersMother Teresa400mGOLD – 51.51
Novice BoysWill BatleyWest Carleton100mBRONZE – 11.38
Senior GirlsAmelia Van BrabantEarl of March3000mGOLD – 9:47.94
Senior GirlsMaddie SeabyCarleton Place3000mSILVER – 9:55.43
Senior BoysLuca NicolettiPaul-Desmarais400m HurdlesSILVER – 54.62
Novice GirlsQuinn CoughlinOpeongo800mSILVER – 2:18.14