WINDSOR, Ont. – The Western Mustangs track and field team got 2013 off to a good start this past weekend, competing at the 32nd Annual Can Am Track Classic in Windsor. Western brought home 14 medals from the event along with 35 additional top eight finishes.
 
The Mustangs women led the medal haul, picking up two gold, four silver, three bronze and had 22 additional top eight performances. The women were led by outstanding performances from first year pole vaulter Robin Bone and fourth year runner Brenna Thompson.
 
On Friday night Bone broke Tanya Krynen's 10-year-old Western pole vault record by 22cm with a vault of 3.92m to not only win the event and to move into the number one spot in the CIS.
 
Thomson lead off in the 4 X 200m relay with a 24.9 second split time before handing off to teammates Cassandra McCaig, Sarah Clancy and Lauren Clancy. The team won gold with a time of 1:41.38 and now sits on top in the CIS rankings.  On Saturday Thomson went on to take the silver and run a personal best of 39.49 seconds in the 300m, posting the best time of any CIS competitor at the meet and now leads the CIS in this event.
 
Other medals won on the women’s side included Caroline Ehrhardt taking silver in both the long jump (5.54m) and triple jump (12.11m). The women's 4 X 400m team of Rachael Muma, Katie Bell, Jen Barbon and Jordan Stapleford won silver with a time of 4:03.91. Bronze medals were won by Jen Pitman in the high jump 1.65m, Mila Simulik in the triple jump 11.80m and the 4 X 800m team of Bell, Sarah Emilio, Amanda Truelove and Justine Horne.
 
The men’s team also put in a strong performance in Windsor, coming home with a gold, silver, and three bronze medals to go along with 13 other top eight results.
 
Taylor Stewart jumped 7.46m to take gold in the long jump, coming just 2cm off of the Western record set by Trevino Betty's in 1994.  Stewart was also a member of the 4 X 200m relay team along with Saeb Omer, Rajiv Naidoo, and Ike Omoruna that won silver. Showing a gutsy effort for the team, Stewart fell at the tail end of his portion and then dove to get the baton into the next runner’s hand. Omer also almost fell during the last 50m but held on to finish second and maintain the team’s spot on the podium.
 
Alex Kopacz's 16.28m in the shot put was a personal best and good enough to take the bronze, as well as putting him fourth in the CIS.  Other bronze medal winners were Matt Diston in the pole vault (4.60m) and Chris Cauley in the high jump (1.96m).     
 
As strong as the team’s performance in Windsor was a number of men’s team members were unable to compete due to injury, and their return in the coming weeks will only strengthen the roster.
 
The Mustangs are back in action this coming weekend, hosting the 30th Annual Don Wright Team Challenge on Saturday, January 19.