Ottawa Lions athletes made their mark at the U SPORTS Track and Field Championships over the weekend, highlighted by Jessica Gyamfi’s historic bronze medal in the women’s shot put. The University of Ottawa thrower became the first woman in program history to earn a field event medal at the national championship, recording a best throw of 13.32 meters to secure a place on the podium.
Gyamfi wasn’t the only Lions-affiliated thrower to post a strong performance. Carleton’s Brianna Asiamah competed in her final university meet, capping off her fourth U SPORTS appearance with a fifth-place finish in the shot put. She heaved the 4-kilogram ball 13.29 meters, just three centimeters shy of the podium.
On the men’s side, Connor Fraser of Carleton and Liam Davis of Guelph both came up short of seasonal bests in the shot put. Fraser recorded a best of 14.70 metres for 10th, while Davis reached 13.24 metres for 11th.
Continuing in the throws, Gyamfi also competed in the women’s weight throw, placing ninth with a best of 15.52 meters—the second-best throw of her career. On the men’s side, Davis finished 10th in the weight throw, launching the 35-pound ball 16.06 meters, marking the third-best throw of his career.
In the jumps, Carleton’s Joshua Foster bettered his own school record in the triple jump, bounding his way out to 14.72 meters to finish fifth. His performance bettered the previous record of 14.60 meters, which he set in January. Foster also came close to another school record in the long jump, finishing sixth with a 7.19-meter effort, just four centimeters short of his school record.
Two weeks removed from setting a University of Ottawa triple jump record, Liz Moreland narrowly missed qualifying for the final, finishing ninth with a best of 11.59 meters, just one centimeter shy of advancing.
The relays produced a number of standout performances from Lions athletes. Cora McQuinn played a key role in Western’s U SPORTS bronze medal in the women’s 4x400m relay, leading off with an impressive 56.4-second leg as the Mustangs finished in 3:42.76. The medal cemented Western’s national team title, as they amassed 119 points, finishing 34 points ahead of the Guelph Gryphons.
Earlier in the competition, McQuinn anchored Western’s 4x200m relay team to a fifth-place finish in 1:39.10, splitting an impressive 24.5 seconds on the final leg.
Meanwhile, Queen’s University’s Lizzy Vroom played a pivotal role in the Gaels’ 4x800m relay performance, running anchor in 2:14.99, the fastest split on the team. Vroom crossed the finish line in 9:03.56, securing an 8th-place finish and a new school record for Queen’s.
The University of Ottawa’s men’s 4x400m team—featuring Joel Gurnsey, Safwan El Mansari, William Harris, and David Moulongou—placed sixth in 3:20.33. McGill’s 4x400m squad, with Luca Nicoletti leading off and Williams Sanders anchoring, finished seventh in 3:21.18.
Nicoletti and Sanders also contributed to McGill’s 10th-place finish in the 4x200m relay, while individually, Nicoletti placed 11th in the 300 meters, clocking 35.36 seconds.
With two national medals, multiple top-five finishes, and several personal and school records, Lions athletes once again demonstrated their strength on the country’s biggest collegiate stage.
