Toronto, ON - The Mustangs Track and Field team officially entered the championship season this past weekend at the OUA championship at York University. Across the two days of competition, the Mustangs had outstanding performances across both the field and track events, coming away in the silver medal position on both the men's and women's sides.

"I am extremely proud of our team's performance this weekend." said Mustangs Head Coach Caroline Ehrhardt. "On day 1, it became apparent almost immediately that this was not going to be a smooth meet for us. Multiple fluky injuries and tough breaks made for a lot of heartbreak. A lot of things were not going our way and I was just hoping for some type of momentum shift so we could get off the ground. We certainly had some incredible performances but overall we were definitely feeling a bit defeated."

Western wasted no time making its presence felt on the opening day. The distance crew set the tone early as Maria Linton captured OUA gold in the women's 3000m (9:25.25) with a dominant performance, clearing the second-place finisher by over 12 seconds.

On the track, Aaron Thompson stormed to victory in the men's 300m (34.30), claiming the conference title in commanding fashion. In the hurdles, David Adeleye earned silver in the men's 60m hurdles (7.89), while Rachel Watson secured bronze in the women's 60m hurdles (8.54).

In the field, Western continued to climb the podium. Jackson Mackay delivered under pressure in the men's long jump, winning OUA gold with a leap of 7.31m in the final round of the competition. Teammate Zach Courtney followed suit with a sixth-round jump of 7.25m, claiming bronze and completing a double podium finish. In the throws, Liv Sands dominated the women's shot put, capturing gold with a massive throw of 17.42m. Julia King rounded out day one field medals with a bronze finish in the women's pole vault (3.85m). On the track, Sophie Coutts added silver in the women's 1000m (2:47.04) to cap a strong opening day.

Momentum carried into day two as the Mustangs continued to add to their medal count. Hallee Knelsen earned bronze in the women's 600m (1:31.07), while Maya Chande secured bronze in a competitive women's 60m final (7.54).
In the women's 1500m, Sophie Coutts returned to the podium, claiming bronze with a strong finish in 4:26.47, marking her second medal of the championship.

The throws circle saw another standout performance from Liv Sands, who added silver in the women's weight throw (18.09m) to complement her shot put title. In the jumps, Jackson Mackay continued his strong championship showing with a silver medal in the men's pole vault (4.85m), while Brianna Rand secured silver in the women's triple jump with a lifetime best of 12.15m.

"Day 2 we came out swinging and the resilience, grit and teammate support was on full display. Those who were injured on day 1 and unable to compete became the ultimate support crew. We had to scratch and claw for every last point. A couple clutch performances got things rolling and in the end we finished what we were ranked - but certainly had to take the long way to do it. These were very hard-earned silver medals and I am truly can't imagine feeling any prouder than I do." said Ehrhardt.

The Mustangs will travel to Manitoba and compete at the U SPORTS championship from March 5^th to the 7^th and close out their championship season.

"The way the weekend played out felt similar to U SPORTS in Manitoba 2 years ago when we went in with a shot for the title but very quickly, things unraveled. I think this weekend was a good reminder for the team that they are made of the tough stuff, and we are ready for whatever comes our way as we head back to Manitoba." said Ehrhardt.

MUSTANGS MEDAL BREAKDOWN

DAY ONE
GOLD - Maria Linton (Women's 3000m), Aaron Thompson (Men's 300m), Jackson McKay (Men's Long Jump), Liv Sands (Women's Shot Put).
SILVER - Sophie Coutts (Women's 1000m), David Adeleye (M 60mH).
BRONZE- Rachel Watson (W 60mH), Julia King (W Pole Vault), Zach Courtney (Men's Long Jump), Women's 4x800m relays.

DAY TWO
SILVER - Liv Sands (Women's Weight Throw), Leo Wallner (Heptathlon), Brianna Rand (Women's Triple Jump)
BRONZE - Maya Chande (Women's 60m), Hallee Knellsen (Women's 600m), Jackson McKay (Men's Pole Vault), Sophie Coutts (Women's 1500m)

MEN'S FINAL CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Guelph Gryphons – 132
Western Mustangs – 105
York Lions – 100
Toronto Varsity Blues – 95
Windsor Lancers – 95
McMaster Marauders – 31
Ottawa Gee-Gees – 30
Brock Badgers – 21
Queen's Gaels – 18
Laurier Golden Hawks – 12
Waterloo Warriors – 10
Laurentian Voyageurs – 3
Lakehead Thunderwolves – 3

WOMEN'S FINAL CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Guelph Gryphons – 185
Western Mustangs – 133
Windsor Lancers – 126
Toronto Varsity Blues – 85
York Lions – 49
Queen's Gaels – 23
Brock Badgers – 18
McMaster Marauders – 15
Ottawa Gee-Gees – 11
Laurier Golden Hawks – 10
Waterloo Warriors – 7

CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDS
Hec Phillips Trophy – A.J. Stanat (Windsor)
Dr. Wendy Jerome Trophy – Rebecca Parker (Guelph)
Bob Vigars Coach of the Year – Jason Kerr (Guelph)
Sue Wise Coach of the Year – Jason Kerr (Guelph)