Ottawa Lions athletes put on a commanding display at the NCSSAA East Conference Track and Field Championships on Wednesday, combining record-breaking performances with provincial-leading marks. With over 80 Lions finishing among the top eight athletes in their respective event, they earned their place at next week’s NCSSAA Championships at Terry Fox Athletic Facility, and for many of them, qualification was just the beginning.
One of the top performances of the day came from Stephan Balson, who broke a 14-year-old meet record in the senior boys’ 400 metres. The Lisgar Collegiate standout stopped the clock in 47.49 seconds, eclipsing the 2010 mark of 48.98 set by former national U20 team member Devin Bicocchi. Balson also won the 200m in 21.73—just shy of Olympian Oluwasegun Makinde’s record of 21.62—and the 100m in 10.75, narrowly missing both his personal best (10.71) and the 1997 meet record of 10.65.
After missing last year’s high school season after switching schools, Jorai Oppong-Nketiah delivered yet another impressive showing – winning the senior girls’ 100m, clocking 11.96 (+0.2). Jorai’s performance bettered the previous meet record of 12.02 set by Louis-Riel alumna Kayla Vieux in 2019.
In the field, Mallea McMullin launched a meet-record throw of 39.87 metres in the junior girls’ javelin, breaking a 50-year-old record set in 1974 by Cathy Knight (38.08m). McMullin, the defending Canadian U16 girls champion, now owns the farthest throw in Ontario this spring among junior girls—more than four metres ahead of the next-best mark.
Ellie McGregor of Immaculata was in dominant form in the junior girls’ middle distances. She broke the 20-year-old meet record in the 800m with a winning time of 2:13.85, surpassing the previous mark of 2:17.97 held by Lion alum Danelle Woods. McGregor also cruised to victory in the 400m, clocking 59.88 to win by three seconds.
In the novice boys division, Maxime Cazabon sprinted to a meet-record 11.20 (+1.9) in the 100m heats. Though a tight hamstring slowed him in the final, he still managed to take top spot and better the previous record of 11.57 again – crossing in 11.33. Cazabon also advanced in the high jump, clearing 1.60 metres to finish in a tie for second.
Charlie Mortimer picked up the win in the open boys 2000m steeplechase, pulling away from Colonel By’s Owen Siderius to win by nearly five seconds. His time of 6:15.76 not only ranks ninth all-time among U18 Lions but also stood as the third-fastest in Ontario this season as of Wednesday night. Mortimer later added a strong fourth-place finish in the senior boys’ 3000m.
In that 3000m final, Daniel Cova showed the form that made him the OFSAA cross country champion. The Louis-Riel senior dominated the race, pulling away from training partner Saul Taler to win by nearly 20 seconds. Cova will look to end his high school career on a high note before heading to Iona University this fall. Taler, meanwhile, got the better of Cova in their earlier head-to-head, winning a tactical senior boys’ 1500m in 4:11.21 to Cova’s 4:12.69—a modest pace for two of the region’s most accomplished distance runners.
Other notable club performances came from Taisei Tan and Matilda Edwards, who both added to the Lions’ medal haul. Tan claimed victory in the senior boys’ 110m hurdles, clocking 14.49 (+0.5) to move into fifth place on the Club’s all-time U18 rankings. Edwards placed fifth in the open girls’ 2000m steeplechase with a time of 9:14.05, the 10th fastest ever by a U16 Lion. She also showcased her range by winning the novice girls’ triple jump, closing out a strong day across multiple disciplines..
With momentum building and top performances across the board, the Lions head into the NCSSAA Championships next week with eyes on OFSAA qualification—and perhaps more history to be made.
Full results are available on our website.
