Saskatoon, SK - The Track and Field team traveled to Saskatchewan last week to compete at the U SPORTS National Championship, with the women's and men's teams bringing home 2nd and 4th place finishes respectively.
Western walked away with a total of 8 individual medals, with two gold in both Men's Triple Jump and in the Heptathlon.
"[I'm] extremely happy as this was realistically the best our women's team could have finished," said head coach Vickie Croley on the women's 2nd place team finish. "The Guelph Gryphons Championship team was the strongest in U SPORTS history. The battle for silver and bronze came down to the 4x400m which was the last event where we needed to beat Laval and stay within two places of Saskatchewan and they did! That is a really exciting finish after three days of competition."
The women scored points in 11 events, highlighting the well-roundedness of Western's squad. Margarita Belova kicked things off on day one with a season's best throw of 17.21m in the weight throw for a bronze medal finish. Liv Sands secured a bronze of her own on day two with an indoor personal best throw of 13.54 in shot put.
Four women competed in the triple jump, scoring 10 points for the team. Ayasha Horner led the way with a bronze medal and 37cm personal best of 12.28m. Hanna Jodin came in 6th with 12.14m, while Rofiat Agboola rounded things out in 8th.
In the sprinting events, the women's 4x400m relay ran a season's best performance and captured the bronze medal on day three. The team consisted of Favour Okpali, Hallee Knelsen, Chloe Coutts, and Tieghan Wallace, who ran for a time of 3:48.84.
In the 4x800, Okpali, Coutts, Sophie Coutts, and Knelsen ran 8:53.50 for another bronze. Sophie Coutts had a quick turnaround to compete in this event, as she ran the 3000m, where she won the silver medal, just prior.
"I only had about an hour and 20 minutes between races," said Coutts. "It was definitely challenging because I was feeling quite ill after the 3000m. I started to feel a bit better right before the race but it was a grind. My legs were so dead for the relay. I just did my best to put the team in a good position to medal."
"Outstanding performance for a second year athlete to medal at US PORTS," said distance running coach Guy Schultz on Coutts. "A confident run, tactically smart, and then to recover quickly and contribute to a 4x800m relay not long after was terrific."
And while her performance did help the team medal, Coutts can't ignore how important the individual silver medal is to her as well.
"It's a great feeling to finish the season on the podium at U SPORTS," said Coutts. "It was definitely my goal all season. It is especially sweet because I've had some bad luck this indoors with sickness and minor injuries, so just getting to the line in one piece was a win. It was great running against the best girls in the country. I didn't focus too much on who I was racing and just tried to be confident in my ability knowing I could beat anyone on any given day. To finish silver was great, I have so much respect for my competitors."
The women ultimately finished the competition with a team total of 66 points for a second place finish, just one point ahead of the third place Saskatchewan Huskies. Guelph won with 166 points.
"It's amazing to finish second," said Coutts. "We were only one point ahead of third so we had to fight for every point. There were a lot of amazing performances and I'm so proud of all the women that competed."
The men's team had two individual medalists of their own, both claiming first place finishes.
Brampton native Kenneth West not only secured a gold in triple jump, but his 16.24m now puts him in the record books with a U SPORTS record.
"Kenneth broke the decade old record by 43cm as well has his own Western record and personal best by 82cm," said Horizontal Jumps coach Caroline Ehrhardt. "This is also the 3rd furthest indoor triple jump in Canadian history. Kenneth sustained a foot injury at the end of December which has really limited the amount of triple jump specific training he has been able to do. He has done a really good job being adaptable and optimistic through some less than ideal circumstances. His accomplishment speaks to how talented and determined he is. There is certainly more to come from him."
"It honestly feels unreal, in one of the deepest triple jump competitions of all time, to come out on top really means a lot," said West on his win. "It felt amazing to have all the hard work pay off when it mattered the most. I couldn't have asked for a better ending to the season. Moments like these deepen my love for the sport, and push me to keep striving for more. I can't wait to carry this momentum into the outdoor season."
His winning jump of 16.24 was his first attempt, thereby making an immediate impact.
"Everything really came together at the perfect time. My coach and I knew I was capable of putting a big one out there, and dealing with a minor foot injury, the plan was to get it done as early as possible," said West. "It's always great to be able to jump far early in the competition so you can have some fun with the rest of the rounds. It was the ideal scenario for me, and I'm really grateful to have it play out that way. It exceeded my own expectations."
Ehrhardt, West's coach, was recognized as Assistant Coach of the Year prior to the championship.
"I think the thing that sets her apart the most is her experience as a jumper and her empathy towards us. As a highly experienced and decorated triple jumper, she is able to bring all that she has learned first person throughout the sport and impart that wisdom onto us, whether it be through technical aspects or mental fortitude," said West. "Not to mention, she is currently training and competing as a high level athlete herself right now, so we are able to relate on a much higher level. We experience the highs and lows of being an athlete together and I feel like that's extremely special. On top of that she is incredibly hard working and puts 110% of effort into doing the best she can for us. Her character and love for us all is something that cannot be matched. She is an inspiration to all of us and we are extremely grateful to have her."
Jared Hendricks-Polack was the other gold medal winner for the Mustangs, claiming top spot in the Heptathlon. Croley acknowledges the Heptathlon as one of the toughest events both physically and mentally, due to the combination of six technical events, power, speed, strength and endurance, that also requires the athlete to move to the next event without focusing on the last.
"It was quite incredible," said Croley on Jared's performance. "Jared started off the meet with a personal best in the 60m running sub 7 seconds for the first time ever. Next he went onto the long jump and went over 7 metres for the first time with a jump of 7.04m. He finished the day with a solid shot put and high jump."
Heading into the final event, the men still had a chance at bringing home a team medal. However, Manitoba came up big and upset the top three ranked teams to win the 4x400 and the team bronze. Western finished the competition in fourth with 46.5 points. Manitoba claimed third with 55 points, the Varsity Blues claimed second with 55.5, and Guelph topped the leaderboard with 123 points.
Congratulations to the Mustangs on an excellent season!
RESULTS SUMMARY
WESTERN'S INDIVIDUAL MEDALISTS
1st Kenneth West - Men's Triple Jump - U SPORTS Record (16.24m)
1st Jared Hendricks-Polack – Heptathlon
2nd Sophie Coutts - 3000m
3rd Ayasha Horner - Triple Jump (12.28m)
3rd Women's 4x400 - Favour Okpali, Hallee Knelsen, Chloe Coutts, Tieghan Wallace (3:48.84)
3rd Liv Sands - Shot Put
3rd Women's 4x800 - Favour Okpali, Sophie Coutts, Hallee Knelsen, Chloe Coutts (8:53.50)
3rd Margarita Belova Women's Weight Throw
WOMEN'S TEAM RESULTS
1st Guelph Gryphons - 166pts
2nd Western Mustangs - 66pts
3rd Saskatchewan Huskies - 65pts
MEN'S TEAM RESULTS
1st Guelph Gryphons - 123pts
2nd Toronto Varsity Blues - 55.5pts
3rd Manitoba Bisons - 55pts
4th Western Mustangs - 46.5pts
