(Ottawa, Canada---13 October 2017) Joe Fast of Ridgemont High School (winner) clears the hay bales at the end of the beach during the boys Junior Varsity High School Capital Challenge Cross Country Race in Ottawa, Canada. (Photo by Sean Burges / Mundo Sport Images)

Lions Top 10 OFSAA XC Performers: #8 Joe Fast (2016-2019)

by High Schoollinkinbio

Clocking at number eight on our countdown off the top ten Lions performers at the OFSAA Cross Country Championships is the most aptly named runner in the sport – Joe Fast. The recent graduate of Ridgemont High School was a always a threat to be on the podium and ended his high school career with two gold medals from the provincial championship.

Fast burst on the scene in grade nine, running his way to victory in every competition he entered that fall. After a dominating 25 second victory over club mate Zachary Meredith at the city championship, Fast entered OFSAA as a favourite to walk away with a medal. After sitting on the early race leader past the half way mark of the 4km race, Fast used his trademark kick to pull away from the field and strike out on his own. He would cruise to a comfortable 11 second victory over Meredith.

They say history has a way of repeating itself and a year later in Petawawa, the junior boys race at OFSAA certainly had a familiar feel about it. While the crowd around him was different, Fast again held in with the lead back through the bulk of the race before making his move away from the field. Although one runner did attempt to stay with him, the best he could hope for was keeping Fast in eyesight as Joe picked up his second gold in as many years, winning by 12 seconds.

It wasn’t all sunshine and lollipops for Fast though. After encountering the effects of some over training at the start of the grade 11 season, Fast and his coaches made the decision he would drastically cut back on his training. However, Fast maintained his desire to run cross country with his Ridgemont teammates. So, on his grit and speed, he helped lead his team back to OFSAA for a third straight year where he finished 49th overall.

After allowing his body to recover, Fast made one final run for the OFSAA podium last fall in Sudbury. Turns out when he got there, he may have been better prepared had he brought his skis than his spikes. Nonetheless, Fast ended his high school running career with a top five finish, 19 seconds off the podium.

Fast is currently in his first year of studies at Princeton University. While COVID-19 has meant virtual learning for the Ivy League school, we hear Fast is doing his online schooling from London where he is training with fellow Princeton Tiger Josh Zelek and Stanford’s Evan Burke in preparation for his eventual return to competition.

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.

PHOTO - Phil Hughes Ottawa Indoor Relays - Newspapers.com

Lions Top 10 OFSAA Performers: #2 Phillip Hughes (1982-1986)

by linkinbio

On the penultimate day of our Top 10 OFSAA Performers countdown, we have chosen to recognize Phillip Hughes of Earl of March Secondary School. If you’ve flipped through the OFSAA record book you will undoubtedly recognize the name. Hughes was a two time OFSAA Champion in the 400 metre hurdles and still holds the record the OFSAA and Interscholastic Record 35 years after setting the standard.

Many may be surprised that a two time champion and national record holder does not in fact possess more hardware from the high school championships, but prior to 1990 there was no opportunity for younger high school students to hone their intermediate hurdle craft in the 300 metre event. Rather it was a situation much like today’s steeplechase where the 400 metre hurdles drew participants from grades 9 through 13.

Hughes’ first step on the OFSAA podium was a big one. Lined up against two time defending champion in the event and reigning Interscholastic Record Holder Douglas Neville of Eastwood Collegiate, Hughes would best the veteran, who would finish in third, by two and a half seconds. Hughes time of 51.68 seconds was so impressive that even silver medalist Shaun McAlmont, who equaled Neville’s previous record, was over a second back of the victor.

Heading into his final OFSAA Championships, on his hometown track, Hughes was focused on gold. Unfortunately for the Carp native, an aching hamstring left him at less than full speed and forced him to pull out of the 400 metres and focus solely on the hurdles. “My hamstrings are really tight and if I ran the 400 metres and it’s a really tough race, I probably wouldn’t be able to run the 400 metre hurdles,” he told the Ottawa Citizen at the start of the Championship. “The 400 hurdles is more important to me as an athlete.”

Despite being slowed by his hamstring, Hughes still managed to come within a few tenths of his record, crossing the line in 51.96 seconds. As evidence of his dominance in the event, the silver medalist was more than two seconds back of Hughes.

In fact, in the 34 years since Hughes graduated high school, only one other runner has even broken 52 seconds at OFSAA, 2001 World Championship team member Monte Raymond, and Hughes two gold medal performances still remain the two fastest in provincial championship history.

Outside of high school, Hughes set a Canada Games Record of 51.13 seconds in the 400 metre hurdles in 1985 and followed that up four years later with a pair of silvers in the flat 400 and the 4×4. Hughes is unique in that he is the only athlete in Club history to ever participate in two Canada Summer Games, let alone medal. Hughes’ Canada Games record remains as the second best performance in Club history.

Cheryl Coker sitting web

Lions Top 10 OFSAA Performers: #3 Cheryl Coker (1980-1984)

by linkinbio

Today would have marked the start of this year’s OFSAA Track and Field Championships at Toronto’s Varsity Stadium and signifies the start of our top three countdown of OFSAA performers. At number three on our all-time list we have Carleton Place High School’s greatest javelin thrower, Cheryl Coker.

Coker kicked off her OFSAA career with a fourth place finish in the midget girls event in 1980 and would build from there with her first medal coming in her grade 11 year when she took bronze in the junior girls event at 37.78 metres.

Coker would continue to hone her craft over the next couple years, throwing a couple hours a day in the fields at the high school and venturing in to Ottawa twice a week to work with javelin guru, Bill Heikkila.

Come grade 12, the work continued to pay off as she would move up to a silver medal in her first year in the senior competition behind Fay Roblin of Prince Edward County. Coker’s improvements continued through the summer where she won the Canadian junior title and represented Canada internationally, giving a glimpse of what was in store for her final high school season.

Coker’s final year of high school competition brought along even further distances. Before even reaching the east regional competition, Coker had already disposed of the Canadian Interscholastic record with a massive toss of 51.94 metres. The mark has been one for the ages, alluding all who have followed, including the likes of Canadian senior record holder Elizabeth Gleadle. In fact, there are only four Interscholastic marks that are older.

In a 1983 interview with the Ottawa Citizen, Coker explained that it was not the distances that she was focused on, but rather the technique. “The distance will come if the technique is right,” she said. “Strength is important, but to me, how you get ready for the throw and carry through is more important.”

Coker’s technique was certainly on point as she would qualify for OFSAA with another 50+ metre throw to break the east regional record by more than five metres. A week later at OFSAA, Coker would finally gain that elusive gold medal, and with it, she added a new senior girls record of 48.28 metres. The record would stand for two years until training partner Louise Perrault (#6 on our list) would increase it to the still standing 49.48 metres, but in the past 36 years only Perrault and Valerie Tulloch (1991) have managed to throw further at OFSAA than Coker.

Following her high school career, Coker spent a year at Florida State University throwing for the Seminoles before transferring to Louisiana State University where she would win a bronze medal at the NCAA Championships and earn All-American accolades . Coker would also represent Canada internationally at the Commonwealth Games, Pan American Games, Francophone Games and World Student Games.

Following her time in Louisiana, Coker pursued graduate work at the University of Virginia where she obtained her Ph.D. She currently teaches motor learning at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire and has also authored a book on the subject. Coker was was inducted into the Lions Hall of Fame in 2016.

Purnell HS Record-1

Lions Top 10 OFSAA Performers: #4 Ashley Purnell (1998-2002)

by linkinbio

At number four on our list of the all-time OFSAA performers, we have the fastest woman in Canadian high school sports, Ashley Purnell. Running for the Lions of St. Mark, Purnell had a short but successful high school track and field career that included five OFSAA medals including two golds.

Unlike just about every other athlete on this list, Purnell’s spring focus in high school started off with touch football where she was a dominant force because of her speed. After some prodding from high school and future club mate, Sara Sowieta, Purnell joined her high school team in grade 10, but a conflict with a touch football game ended up causing Purnell to miss her 100m final at the Carleton Board meet and ended her season before it really got started.

Come grade 11, Purnell had made the decision to focus on track, joining Coach Hugh Conlin’s training group with the Lions and within months quickly became a threat at OFSAA. While it didn’t result in any medals, she was led qualifying in the 100 and 200 metres and was second across the line in the 300 metre hurdle final before a lane violation left her disqualified her.

As a first year senior in 2001, Purnell had a go at the 100/200/100 hurdle treble. Unfortunately for her she finished second in the 100 and 200 metre final to 2005 World Championship team member Toyin Olupona and also took silver in the hurdles behind 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Priscilla Lopes.

In the summer season that followed, Purnell would sweep all three races at the Canadian U20 Championships and sweep the 100 and 200 metres at the Canada Summer Games to set up a record breaking campaign during her final high school season.

The first record came during the East Regional competition where the St. Mark runner blew away the competition, breaking Angela Bailey’s 21 year old Canadian Interscholastic Record of 11.60 seconds with an 11.54 second clocking. A week later at the OFSAA Championships in Belleville, Purnell would equal the time to claim her first OFSAA gold by more than four tenths of a second.

A day later in the 200 metre final, Purnell would find a golden finish to her high school career as she crossed the line in a blistering 23.47 seconds, almost seven tenths ahead of silver. While the time surpassed the Canadian Interscholastic Record of 23.58, a trailing wind of +4.7 metres per second nullified the mark. It was the second time on the day that the wind had blown away her record attempts as Purnell had bested the OFSAA record of 24.05 with a time of 23.92 in the heats when the wind was registered a positive 2.4 m/s.

Later that summer Purnell would represent Canada at the World U20 Championships in Jamaica where she would place 8th in the 200 metre final behind the likes of Sanya Richards-Ross and Alyson Felix. She had qualified for the final after setting a Club record of 23.28 seconds in the preliminaries.

That fall, Purnell would head west to Stanford University where she would compete for the Cardinal. During her time in Palo Alto she broke the school’s indoor 400m record and earned All-American honours in the 4×400 metre relay. After graduating from Stanford, Purnell returned home to complete doctoral work in neuroscience at the University of Ottawa before completing a second doctorate in exercise physiology from the University of Nantes. She recently founded her own company in Ottawa, Neurovine, which helps concussion patients recover.

Toronto, Ontario ---05/06/09--- Segun Makinde of Colonel By Secondary School wins the senior boys 110 meter hurdles at the 2009 OFSAA Track and Field Championships at the University of Toronto, June 4, 2009..GEOFF ROBINS Mundo Sport Images

Lions Top 10 OFSAA Performers: #5 Olwuasegun Makinde (2006-2009)

by linkinbio

At number five on our list of all-time OFSAA performers is sprinter and hurdler, Oluwasegun Makinde. The Colonel By graduate was a force to be recokoned with during his four years wearing the blue and white of the Cougars, cementing himself as one of the best high school 200 metre racers the country has ever known.

In total, Makinde took home eight medals from the OFSAA Track and Field Championships, led by four golds. After a bronze at 200 metres in grade nine, Makinde took home his first title in front of a home crowd at Terry Fox Athletics Facility in grade 10, winning the 200 in a new OFSAA junior boys record of 21.74 seconds. Finishing on his heels was Philip Hayle who had taken the 100 metre crown the day before, one spot ahead of Makinde. That OFSAA Championships was the beginning of a great battle between the two athletes over the next three years.

The battle at 200 metres reversed itself a year later with Hayle (21.70) taking victory over Makinde’s (21.84) silver as the pair battled through a strong headwind. Makinde’s grade 11 year was also where we saw him make his debut in the hurdles. In just his first year in the event, the Colonel By student captured bronze behind clubmate Sekou Kaba’s gold and narrowly (0.01 seconds) ahead of future Olympic high jump champion Derek Drouin.

Makinde ended his high school career with a bang, capturing three gold medals at OFSAA despite not competing in one of his best events, the 100 metres. At the East Regional Championships, Makinde made a serious run at the then 25 year old Canadian Interscholastic 100 metre record (10.41 seconds) with his victory in 10.47 seconds. Scratching the event at OFSAA, allowed him to focus on the 200 metres, hurdles and 4×100 relay.

Makinde’s first medal of his final Championship came in the 110 metre hurdles, where he became the third Lion to take hold of the Canadian Interscholastic Record in the event, although this was the first time it was over the shorter 36 inch hurdles. Makinde’s time of 13.36 seconds was less than a tenth ahead of World Youth medalist in the event, Gregory MacNeil, who would over take the record a year later.

A couple hours after his hurdles gold, Makinde helped his Cougar teammates claim gold in the 4×100 metre relay, the first for an Ottawa school in decades, as they edged out Hayle’s Sir Edmund Campion team. Also on the team were Makinde’s brother Toluwalope, Gurvir Khosa and Cameron Smithers, all Lions members.

Makinde capped off his high school career with a performance for the ages, becoming the first athlete to eclipse the 21 second barrier for 200 metres, crossing the line in 20.99 seconds, and taking more than a third of a second off of Atlee Mahorn’s 35 year old OFSAA record. The performance also fell just four hundredths short of Mahorn’s Canadian High School Record of 20.95.

Since leaving high school, Makinde has twice been a member of the Canadian Olympic 4x100m Relay Team and has also represented the nation at a variety of other international events, including taking gold in the 200 metres at the 2013 Francophone Games in France. In addition to his international success on the track, Makinde is a graduate of the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa. During his time as a Gee Gee he captured six medals at the USports Championships including a record in the 4×200 metre relay.

Currently Makinde is training for his third Olympic team where he hopes to represent Canada in the 110 metre hurdles.

Louise Perrault Header

Lions Top 10 OFSAA Performers: #6 Louise Perrault (1983-1987)

by linkinbio

At number six on our all-time list we stay with the throwing events and Arnprior District High School’s Louise Perrault who was a dominant force in the javelin during the mid-80’s. Perrault had a near perfect OFSAA performance record garnering four gold and one record during her five year career.

Perrault’S first OFSAA victory came in grade nine with her throw of 36.96 metres, winning by a 1.56 metre margin. What’s notable about this is that it would be the narrowest margin of victory for the Arnprior native during her OFSAA career. A year later that margin would expand to nearly three meters with Perrault improving by nearly seven metres to 43.34 metres.

The following year was the only blip on Perrault’s near perfect OFSAA record. After arriving again at the OFSAA Championships as the odds on favourite for gold, Perrault’s three preliminary throws were met with the one word that frustrates javelin throwers like no other, “flat!”. Without a valid mark in either of her three throws, Perrault would be forced to watch someone else take OFSAA gold home. “It was a tough pill to swallow at the time,” she said via email.

Come her grade 12 year, Perrault was ready to let loose at OFSAA. Of course it helped she would be performing in front of a friendly Ottawa crowd. By the end of the competition, Perrault had certainly given them something to cheer about out on the west field as she launched the javelin out to 49.48 metres to take the OFSAA senior girls record away from long time training partner Cheryl Coker and win by a massive 4.24 metres. The record still stands today, 34 years later.

Later that summer in 1986, Louise competed at the inaugural IAAF World U20 Championships in Athens, placing 10th globally.

While Perrault did not extend the record during her final year of high school, she did cap off her OFSAA career with a fourth gold, winning with a toss of 46.86m.

What stands out most about Perrault’s OFSAA career is the level of dominance she exerted in the event. In her four titles, her average margin of victory was 2.80 metres which translates to throwing 6.6% better than her competition. To put that in perspective, over 1500 metres, if the silver medalist ran 4 minutes even, the victor would need to run 3:45.07 to equal Perrault’s margin.

Following high school, Perrault accepted a scholarship to the University of Arizona where she set the school record at 59.30 metres and had a best placing of 5th at the NCAA Championships. Today she lives in Ithaca, NY where she serves as the Director of Hockey Operations for the Cornell women’s hockey team.

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.