The road to OFSAA rolled through the nation’s capital this week, with more than 100 Ottawa Lions athletes booking their place at next week’s East Regionals following standout performances at the NCSSAA Track and Field Championships, held Wednesday and Thursday at Terry Fox Athletic Facility.
The top five in each event earned the right to advance to the OFSAA East Regional Championships, set for May 29–30 back in Ottawa, with the ultimate goal being a berth at the OFSAA Championships in Toronto this June. And for the Lions contingent, the city championships served up no shortage of excellence—complete with record-breaking marks, dominant displays, and a preview of what could be in store for the provincial stage.
Jeggo Repeats with Record Run
Zachary Jeggo led the charge for the Lions, reclaiming his senior boys 400m title in emphatic fashion by breaking his own meet record with a time of 47.50 seconds. Running in cool, rainy conditions, Jeggo surged past teammate Stephan Balson in the final 40 metres to edge the Lisgar standout and reigning East Conference champion, whose 47.49 remains the fastest time this season in the region. Jeggo, last year’s Canadian U18 champion, also cruised to victory in the 400m hurdles in 54.69, finishing more than a second clear of clubmate Kyle London.
London Leaves His Mark
While Jeggo claimed gold, Kyle London impressed with his versatility. The budding combined events athlete—silver medalist in the heptathlon at the Canadian U20 Indoor Championships—qualified for Regionals in all three of his events. He finished fourth in both the 400m (49.95) and shot put (12.73m), in addition to his silver in the 400m hurdles.
McGregor and McMullin Rewrite the Record Books
Two more Lions etched their names into NCSSAA history this week. In the junior girls 800m, Ellie McGregor broke the meet record for the second week in a row. Her time of 2:15.67 narrowly eclipsed the 2013 mark set by former Lion Emma Galbraith. McGregor’s dominance was undeniable, finishing nearly 17 seconds ahead of the field. She also captured gold in the 400m with a swift 58.33 clocking.
In the throwing fields, Mallea McMullin continued her reign as one of the top young talents in the country. The defending Canadian U16 champion launched the javelin 39.44m—just shy of her personal best but enough to surpass Madison McLean’s 2017 meet record of 38.64m. McMullin also secured gold in the discus with a mark of 26.12m, more than three metres ahead of her nearest challenger.
Cova Eyes History
One of the week’s most anticipated races came in the senior boys’ 3000m, where Louis-Riel’s Daniel Cova took aim at a meet record that has stood for over three decades. While he didn’t quite reach Sean Kaley’s 1994 standard of 8:26.15, Cova delivered a commanding win in 8:28.57. A month removed from his 8:20.89 personal best, the Lions distance runner also took gold in the 1500m, outkicking training partner Saul Taler in 4:01.14.
Taler, representing Glebe, added a bronze in the 3000m and edged fellow Lion and schoolmate Russell Heins in a tight 800m duel, 1:57.11 to 1:57.32.
Harris Dominates Novice Division
Grade 9 standout Alexandra Harris swept the novice girls’ distance events in impressive fashion, capturing gold in the 800m (2:26.56) and 1500m (4:59.41) — both personal bests. The John McCrae student narrowly missed her personal best over 3000m, but her winning time of 10:56.50 left her more than 18 seconds clear of her nearest competitor.
Lebel’s Distance Triple
Colonel By’s Laila Lebel also made her presence felt in the junior girls division, earning silver medals in the 800m and 1500m before claiming gold in the 3000m to cap her championship triple.
With the spotlight now shifting to next week’s East Regionals, Lions athletes are one step closer to representing Ottawa on the provincial stage.
Full results available on our website.
Updated Club rankings available at https://milesrowat.shinyapps.io/ottl_rankings/