OTTAWA - July 14, 2021: Stephen Evans competing at Ottawa Summer Twilight #11 at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility.

Evans leads record breaking showing for Lions in Boston

by linkinbioUniversity

The Track and Tennis Center on the campus of Boston University has become synonymous with fast running and breaking records. Living up to the moniker, the venue was the site of 20 new lifetime bests by Club athletes this past weekend at the annual Valentine Invitational. 

Headlining the list of performances was Stephen Evans as he ran his way into the record books with a new Club standard in the 1000 metres. The 26 year old Evans finished second in Saturday’s race in a time of 2 minutes and 21.39 seconds, more than a full second ahead of the previous Club best set by Mohamed Souleiman in 2014. Evans had narrowly missed the record by 0.13 seconds last month at McGill, when he won in 2:22.59.

Elizabeth Vroom ran her way to ninth on the Club’s all-time mile list Friday night as the first year Queen’s University student won her heat in a time of 4 minutes and 53.30 seconds. Vroom’s performance also ranks as the third fastest U20 performance at the distance for the Lions. 

Also in the mile, the University of Ottawa’s Nina Gunther continued her string of personal bests by running 4:56.54 – a near 20 second lifetime best. Gunther’s time moved her ahead of former USports medallist Madison Clarke and into second on the Gee-Gees all-time list. 

On the men’s side, Kevin Robertson improved his time in the mile with a 4:06.28 effort, while André Alie-Lamarche trimmed nearly six seconds off his previous best, running 4:15.14 to set a new Gee-Gee’s record.

The high jump produced another Gee-Gee record as second year student Thomas Senechal-Becker cleared 2.09 metres in a jump off to win in Boston. His clearance added one centimetre to the previous record set by the late Steve Nkusi in 2016. Senechal-Becker is currently ranked second within USports.

A final school record came from Carleton’s Adam Nuraddeen who bettered his own mark in the triple jump. The fourth-year psychology student bounded out to 13.42 metres to place 10th overall. 

(Canton, United States---03 December 2022) Sydney Smith competing in the 2022 St Lawrence University Saints Holiday Relays. Photograph Copyright 2022 Miles Ryan / Mundo Sport Images. If posting to social media please tag @mundosportimages

Fast times in Boston; Masters rake in medals at provincial championship

by linkinbioProvincialUniversity

Just two weeks removed from the second fastest 1000 metre performance in Club history, Stephen Evans returned to his favourite indoor venue to lay down his fastest indoor 800 metre time ever. Evans took top spot at the Bruce Lehane Scarlet and White Invitational on the notoriously fast Boston University track in a blistering time of 1 minute and 48.31 seconds.  

It was a bit of a come from behind effort for Evans who spent the first three laps of the 200 metre track back in fourth place. Entering the bell lap, the University of Ottawa graduate was able to maintain his pace over the final 200 metres and turn an eight tenths of a second deficit into a nearly two tenths of a second margin of victory.

Like Evans, Sydney Smith also produced an indoor career best 800 as she took third in her heat with a time of 2 minutes and 6.59 seconds. The performance ranks third for Smith regardless of venue and was good enough for 13th place overall in the field of 66.

At the Jud Logan Giver Open in Ashland, Ohio, Leewinchell Jean gave’r as he ran his way to a personal best of 8.22 seconds in the 60 metre hurdles to place fourth in the final. With the performance, the University of Windsor student sits in ninth place on the Club’s U23 rankings and 12th overall. Jean also posted an indoor best of 50.15 seconds in the 400 metres to place 16th. 

The York Open in Toronto featured three Lions in combined events action. In the women’s pentathlon, Audrey Goddard (Western) placed second with a score of 3379 points while Charlotte Murchison (York) scored a personal best of 2804 points for fifth. Murchison’s score moves her to eighth on the Club’s U20 list. 

On the men’s side, Leo Wallner appeared poised to set a new personal best in the heptathlon before he was forced to pull out during the final event – the 1000 metres. Before withdrawing, the first year Western University student did manage a new best of 3.70 metres in the pole vault.

Finally, the weekend wrapped up with the Ontario Masters Indoor Championships where Lions athletes captured a total eight medals including six gold. The ageless leaper, Stan Seitz picked up gold and silver respectively in the M75 pole vault and high jump. The medals bump up Stan’s career take from the Championship to 12. 

The middle distance crew put on an impressive performance as well, pulling in four golds at 800 metres followed by a gold and silver at 1500. The 800 metre victors were Fritzlor Auguste (M30), Michael Conway (M35), Gilles Frenette (M45), and Kimberley Howitt (W35). At 1500 metres, Jay Sneddon (M30) won in his masters debut, while Mike McInerney took silver in the M55 race.

To view updated Club rankings and medal totals, visit https://milesrowat.shinyapps.io/ottl_rankings/

(Ottawa, Canada---08 June 2022) David Adeleye racing in the 110m hurdles competing at Ottawa Summer Twilight Series Meet Three. 2022 Copyright Sean Burges / Mundo Sport Images

Adeleye’s U23 Club record highlights 17 medal haul at Kane Invite

by linkinbioUniversity

Along David Adeleye’s relatively short career as hurdler, his progression has been marked by continuous small improvements – the kind more likely to be found in the hundredths rather than the tenths of a second. The third year student at the University of Toronto knocked a few more hundredths of a second off his 60 metre hurdles best Saturday afternoon on his way to setting a new Club Under-23 record . 

Racing at the Kane Invitational in Ithaca, New York, Adeleye bested the field with a 7.91 second clocking to edge past the previous standard of 7.92 seconds set by Sekou Kaba in 2012 when he won the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (now USports) Championship. Now sitting third on the Club’s all-time list, David will undoubtedly turn his attention towards Kaba’s 7.77 second best and Charles Allen’s Club record of 7.70.

Adeleye’s victory was 1 of 17 medals on the day for the Lions family, including four other golds. Gee-Gee athletes were responsible for the remaining victories.

David Moulongou took top spot in the 600 metres with a time of 1:22.85. The second year student was joined on the podium by teammate Lucas Zanetti who finished a half second back to take third. 

High jumper Thomas Senechal-Becker continued his strong season, picking up his third victory. The Canada Games silver medalist cleared 2.06 metres for the second week in a row as he was unchallenged by second place finisher Smith Charles of Cornell who finished 14 centimetres back. 

It was a sweep for both the men’s and women’s 4×400 metre relays teams on Saturday. The men’s quartet of Fabrice Nonez, Thomas Kukla-Colby, Lucas Zanetti, and David Moulongou enjoyed a comfortable 14 second margin of victory, finishing in a time of 3:26.17 – their second fastest time of the season.  The women’s team of Sia Mahajan, Brooklyn McCormik, Doyin Oguremi, and Kennedy Banton-Lindsay enjoyed a similar dominating performance as the won in 4:04.44 – exactly 13 seconds ahead of second place Binghamton. 

Below is a full list of the remaining medalists from the Kane Invitational.

Silver

Paulina Procyk (UofT) – 200m (26.04)
Doyin Ogunemi – 300m (40.60)
Brooklyn McCormik – 600m (1:38.50 PB)
Vienna Courteau – Long Jump (5.41m PB)

Bronze

Laura Cross – 600m (1:42.62 PB)
Pippa Norman – 3000m (10:49.22 PB)
Paulina Procyk (UofT) – 60m Hurdles (8.81)
Elizabeth Moreland – High Jump (1.48m)
Ella Lalonde – High Jump (1.48m)
Michael Pinnock – 300m (36.21)
Jackson Colquhoun – Triple Jump (13.57m PB)

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Evans moves to #2 on all-time list at McGill

by linkinbioUniversity

Thirteen hundredths of a second. That’s how close Stephen Evans was to setting a new Club record Friday night at the McGill Team Challenge in Montreal. A two lap specialist, Evans recorded a personal best time of 2 minutes and 22.59 seconds as he was narrowly edged at the line by Queen’s University’s Jude Wheeler-Dee in the 1000 metre contest. Evans now ranks second in Club history for both the 800 and 1000 metre events and third in the 600. 

Evans’ performance was just one of 13 medals and 36 personal bests set by Club athletes in Montreal. Among the medalists was his training partner, Sydney Smith who took top spot in Friday’s 1000 metres (2:48.59) and followed up with a silver at 600 (1:31.87) the following day.

Also reaching the top of the podium was the University of Ottawa’s Thomas Senechal-Becker. The second year student took top place in the high jump with a clearance of 2.06 metres. The mark surpassed the USports qualifying standard and also moved him into third on the Gee-Gees’ all-time list. 

Staying in the field, Elizabeth Moreland picked up a pair of medals in the high jump and triple jump. The second year University of Ottawa student set a new lifetime best Friday in the triple jump as she bounded out to a distance of 10.99 metres to place second in the competition. She followed that up Saturday with a clearance of 1.55 metres and a share of the bronze medal. 

Over at the women’s shot put, Brianna Asiamah and Jessica Gyamfi placed second and third respectively. Asiamah pushed the four kilogram ball out to 11.96 metres while Gyamfi was a metre back at 10.90.

For Vienna Courteau, Friday’s pentathlon was the first of her career, but that didn’t stop the second year Gee-Gee from putting forward a podium performance. Vie, as she is affectionately known, produced lifetime bests in both the high jump and shot put enroute to a score of 3021 points and a bronze medal finish. 

Back on the track, Lizzie Vroom produced the fastest 1500 metres of her life as she ran her way to bronze. The first year Queen’s University student was visibly excited as she crossed the line in 4 minutes and 36.18 seconds – trimming nearly four seconds off her previous best. 

Other medals in Montreal came from Alexandra Telford (300m silver), Fabrice Nonez (60m Hurdle bronze), and the quartet of Fabrice Nonez, David Moulongou, Lucas Zanetti, and Andre Alie Lamarche (4x400m bronze).

To see full results and photos from McGill, visit https://ottawalions.com/results/2023-results

To view updated all-time lists and athlete profiles, please visit:

Ottawa Lions – https://milesrowat.shinyapps.io/ottl_rankings/

Ottawa Gee-Gees – https://milesrowat.shinyapps.io/uottawatf_rankings/

Carleton Ravens – https://milesrowat.shinyapps.io/ravenstf_rankings/

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

Gale and Manor set records at Winter Classic

by linkinbioLocalUniversity

This past weekend the Lions hosted the Ottawa Winter Classic – the first indoor track and field meet in the City since February 29, 2020. After the nearly three year wait, the athletes did not disappoint with a number of exciting performances – including a staggering 113 personal bests.

Heading the list of performances was undoubtedly Lauren Gale and her pair of wins in both the 60 and 300 metre events. Gale started the day with successive lifetime bests in the heats and final of the 60 metre, trimming more than a tenth from her previous standard as she won in 7.55 seconds. 

The 23-year-old then followed it up with a dominating victory at 300 metres as she crossed the line in a time of 37.19 seconds – nearly a full second ahead of 2022 World Championship teammate Aiyanna Brigite Stiverne. Gale’s time broke the previous Dome record of 37.49 set by Amonn Nelson in 2010 and also moved her up one spot into second on the Club’s all-time list.

Finishing second to Gale in the 60 metres, Katie Manor also managed to etch her name in the record books Saturday. The second year psychology student at the University of Ottawa posted a time of 7.57 seconds in the final to best the previous Gee-Gees record jointly held by Christianne Lela and Charifa Labarang at 7.61 seconds. Manor also ran her way to a new lifetime best of 40.07 seconds for 300 metres.

Sydney Smith took a step into the Club’s all-time top 10 list in the 1000 metres with her victory on Saturday. Smith out-kicked former Lion Emma Galbraith over the final 200 metres to win in a personal best time of 2 minutes and 47.60 seconds. The performance moved Smith to equal number seven in the Club with her former Colonel By Secondary School coach, Nathalie Coté.

On the men’s side, David Moulongou took top spot in the 600 metres with a personal best time of 1:20.06. The second year University of Ottawa student led virtually from wire to wire as he outpaced teammate Lucas Zanetti, who finished a second and a half back in second.  Moulongou’s performance also moves the 19-year-old to number eight on the Club’s all-time U23 list.

Other notable performances included Nina Gunther and Noémie Beareguard’s victories at 1500 and 3000 metres respectively. The two Gee-Gees each won in personal best times and Gunther’s time of 4:38.38 moved her into the USports top-12.

For full results, please visit: https://ottawalions.com/2023-results/2023-university-of-ottawa-winter-classic/

To view updated Club and Varsity Program Rankings, please visit:

Club: https://milesrowat.shinyapps.io/ottl_rankings/

University of Ottawa: https://milesrowat.shinyapps.io/uottawatf_rankings/

Carleton University: https://milesrowat.shinyapps.io/ravenstf_rankings/

(Canton, United States---03 December 2022) Nina Günther competing in the 2022 St Lawrence University Saints Holiday Relays. Photograph Copyright 2022 Miles Ryan / Mundo Sport Images. If posting to social media please tag @mundosportimages

Gee-Gees and Ravens set 29 personal bests in Sherbrooke

by linkinbioUniversity

The varsity programs at both the University of Ottawa and Carleton University kicked off the 2023 calendar this past weekend – competing at l‘Université de Sherbrooke Vert et Or Invitation. While most athletes had only just completed their first full week of training following the holidays, that did not stop the 43 athletes competing from setting 29 new personal bests during the competition. 

A pair of Gee-Gee athletes took home gold medals from Saturday’s trip to Quebec. On the track, Nina Gunther broke the three minute barrier for the first time in the 1000 metres, winning in 2 minutes and 57.39 seconds. The graduate student in Sport Management has had a strong season for the Gee-Gees after previously competing for the Carabins de l‘Université de Montréal as an undergraduate. Gunther had also opened the season with a victory in the mile at the Saints Holiday Relays before Christmas. 

Brianna Asiamah was the other Gee-Gee to ascend to podium Saturday, taking top spot in her speciality – the shot put. The third-year social work student pushed the 4 kilogram shot out to a distance of 12.53 metres to leave herself 22 centimetres clear of silver. The Holy Trinity graduate’s winning throw also surpassed her previous best of 12.51 metres set in December. 

Also picking up a medal in the shot put ring was first year Carleton student Connor Fraser. The Immaculate graduate who is more known for his success in the discus ring heaved the shot out to an impressive 13.73 metres. Fraser’s throw is a massive personal best in his first season with the senior implement and moves him to number two on the Raven’s all-time list. 

Staying with the field events, a trio of triple jumpers hopped, skipped and jumped their way on to the podium. Heather Grandy and Jackson Colquhoun took silver in the women’s and men’s competitions respectively. Grandy, who is currently pursuing a masters degree in biomedical engineering, leapt to a personal best distance of 11.14 metres, while Colquhoun’s leap of 13.39 metres was the third best of his career. Elizabeth Moreland also added a bronze in the women’s triple jump with a best of 10.47 metres.

Back on the track, Fabrice Nonez set a personal best for the second meet row enroute to a silver in the 60 metre hurdles. Nonez lowered his best to 8.64 seconds in Saturday’s heats before crossing the line in 8.65 seconds in the final.

Gee-Gee’s Sia Mahajan, Katie Manor, Courtney Cenac, and Doyin Oguremi teammed up for bronze in the 4×400 metre relay. The quartet finished in a time of 4 minutes and 9.45 seconds.

Saturday’s competition also featured a masters section to complement the University/Open races. Michael Conway took top spot in the 600 metres with a winning time of 1:31.13. Teammate Gilles Frenette finished 10 seconds back in second. Mike McInerney was the top finisher in the 1000 metres with a time of 3:14.97

For full results from Saturday’s competition, please visit ottawalions.com/results/2023-results

(Ottawa, Canada---08 June 2022) David Adeleye racing in the 110m hurdles competing at Ottawa Summer Twilight Series Meet Three. 2022 Copyright Sean Burges / Mundo Sport Images

Adeleye and Procyk run to podium in Toronto

by linkinbioUniversity

With the new year just nine days old, the first competition of the season is already in the rear view mirror. Saturday’s Sharon Anderson Memorial at the University of Toronto was an opportunity to bust some rust after the holidays for a small contingent of Lions athletes attending university in the GTA. 

Hurdler David Adeleye continued the strong running we saw from him before the holidays as he topped the 60 metre hurdles in a speedy 8.00 seconds. The third year kinesiology student was the class of the field winning by more than three tenths over University of Toronto teammate Adam Exley. 

Without the hurdles in his way Adeleye put up a personal best performance in the flat 60. David was first across the line in the “B” final in a time of 7.06 seconds as he placed ninth overall. His previous best of 7.10 seconds was set in January 2020. 

Paulina Procyk, also running in the blue and white of Toronto, had two of the speediest performances of her life Saturday. Coming off a personal best of 7.78 seconds in the flat 60 at the Greg Page Relays in December, Procyk laid down a 7.82 second clocking in the heats before finishing ninth in the final with a time of 7.89. 

Over the 60 metre hurdles, Procyk placed third in a time of 9.07 seconds – just shy of her lifetime best of 9.00. Millie Cameron, who attends York University, finished 12th overall in a time of 10.93. 

The return to competition will be back in full swing this coming weekend as the both varsity programs and the Lions head to Sherbrooke for the Vert et Or Invitational. 

(Langley, British Columbia ---23 June 2022) Audrey Goddard 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 *******

Goddard and Adeleye open season with a bang

by linkinbioUniversity

What better way to kick off your university career than with a personal best and the fifth best performance in Club history. That’s exactly how first year Western University student Audrey Goddard started things off Friday at the Saginaw Valley State Holiday Open as she led the Mustangs to a sweep of the podium in the pentathlon with an impressive 3526 points total. 

Goddard’s new Club U20 record was fuelled by a pair of victories in both the 60 metres hurdles (8.77) and long jump (5.34m). In fact, the Merivale High School graduate never finished lower than third in the other three events – high jump, shot put, 800 metres – producing four individual bests in total.

However, Goddard was not the only Lion storming out the gate on the opening weekend of the indoor season. David Adeleye, who took home Canada Games silver in the 110 metre hurdles last we saw, broke through the 8 second barrier in the 60 metre hurdles at the Greg Page Relays in Ithaca, New York. A third year kinesiology student at the University of Toronto, Adeleye set a new best of 8.05 seconds before finding another gear in the final and crossing the line in 7.98 seconds. Adeleye was second behind Syracuse’s Anthony Vazquez in 7.95.

The Ashbury College graduate is currently ranked first among USports 60 metre hurdlers, and moves to third in Club history. The only two men in the Club to run faster are 2004 Olympic finalist Charles Allen and 2016 Olympian Sekou Kaba. 

Other notable performances from the weekend included Joe Fast opening his season with a victory at 1000 metres in New York City. The third year Princeton student posted a 2:32.06 opener to take The College of New Jersey Winter Open by 10 seconds. At the Clemson Opener in South Carolina, Keira Christie-Galloway started her season with a 8.39 second clocking to take top spot in the 60 metre hurdles. Christie-Galloway is competing for Grand Canyon University where she is pursuing a Master in Business Administration degree after graduating from Arizona State earlier this year. 

For updated Club rankings and stats following the first week of indoor competition, please visit ottawalions.com/awards-and-records.

(Canton, United States---03 December 2022) David Moulongou competing in the 2022 St Lawrence University Saints Holiday Relays. Photograph Copyright 2022 Miles Ryan / Mundo Sport Images. If posting to social media please tag @mundosportimages

Lions athletes break records at season opener in New York

by ClublinkinbioUniversity

Arriving on the campus of St. Lawrence University Saturday morning the unseasonably warm weather may have had a few people wondering if they were competing outdoors, but the Lions and both varsity programs were in town to kick off the 2022-23 indoor campaign. This was the first time making the familiar drive down the 416 and across the border to our Northern New York neighbours since 2019 and the athletes were eager to make up for lost time as they set six meet records, including two facility records. 

University of Ottawa sophomore David Moulongou was the first to etch their name into the record books as he ran away from teammate Lucas Zanetti in the final lap of the 600 metres to win in 1 minute and 25.26 seconds. Zanetti held a near 10 metre lead as the pair heard the bell for the final lap before Moulongou shifted into another gear and ran his way to victory over the final 200 metres. The previous meet and facility record of 1:25.42 belonged to Lion Zachary Meredith and were set in 2019. 

Fellow second year uOttawa student Bianca Borgella was next to rewrite the record books with her 60 metre winning time of 7.78 seconds equalling the mark of Gee-Gee alum Sarah de Carufel from 2014. Borgella dominated the field, opening an eight metre gap by the halfway point and winning by a half second over teammate Kennedy Banton-Lindsay. Borgella’s mark time moves her to 12th on Club’s U20 list and she is 9th in the early season USports rankings. 

Training partners Sydney Smith and Stephen Evans each produced dominating results in their respective 1000 metre events. Evans went first, trimming more than a second off his own meet record with his winning time of 2:28.20. While Evan’s margin of victory was sizable (15.78 seconds), Smith’s complete domination of the women’s field took it to another level as she lapped all but one runner to win in a new facility record of 2:49.80. The reigning Ontario 800 metre champion bested the 18 year old facility record by more than two and a half seconds and moved to number 16 on the Club’s all-time list. 

The 300 metres also produced a pair of meet records for Club athletes. The University of Ottawa’s Doyin Ogunremi took down her old standard by nearly half a second with her winning time of 41.70 seconds. Jay Yetman shaved 14 hundredths off the three year old meet record with his winning time of 36.01 seconds. The performance was also a new personal best for the grade 12 student at Glebe Collegiate.

For a full list of results from Holiday Relays as well as photos from the event, please visit our results page.

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Pedersen and Beauregard top finishers at Bayfront Open

by linkinbioProvincialUniversity

Friday marked a return to action for the Club’s harriers. Varsity runners from both the University of Ottawa and Carleton University and the Lions took to the starting line of the McMaster Bayfront Open along the shore of Burlington Bay in Hamilton. 

Running as the sole Lion in the Open 8km race, Nico Pedersen posted a top three finish in his final prep race before next month’s Ontario Championship. The 22-year-old averaged 3:17 kilometres as he crossed the line in a time of 26 minutes and 17.7 seconds – 23 seconds behind winner Brent Smalley.

It was as close to a championship field as you could get ahead of the OUA Championships with just the Windsor Lancers missing from the starting line. For the Gee-Gees, first year athlete and fourth year student, Noemie Beauregard continued to lead the team as she placed 12th in 8km race in a time of 29 minutes and 34.8 seconds. 

Teammate Nina Gunther also found a place in the top-30 with her 28th place finish in 31:08.2. The top woman for the Ravens was fourth year journalism student Pippa Norman who crossed the line in 63rd place. 

Elizabeth Vroom and Gillian Porter, both first year students at Queen’s University, placed 21st and 32nd respectively. 

On the men’s side, André Alie-Lamarche was the top Gee-Gee in 28th. Teammate Jackson Roy was 2.4 seconds back in 26:00.6 to place 31st. With three more Gee-Gees placing within the top 50, the team finished 7th with 180 points. 

Ravens rookie David Birinberg was the top finisher for Carleton, crossing the line in 29 minutes and 23.4 seconds for 106th. 

Varsity runners will return to action on the final weekend of the month with the OUA Championships set for the 29th in London and the RSEQ Championships going the day after in Rawdon, Quebec.