CIS track & field championship preview

Calgary women, Guelph men look to repeat in Edmonton

OTTAWA (CIS) – The University of Calgary women and University of Guelph men will look to defend the team banners later this week at the 2014 CIS indoor track and field championships, in Edmonton.

CHAMPIONSHIP WEBSITE: http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/trackfield/index

The three-day event, hosted for the second straight year by the University of Alberta, gets under way Thursday at 11 a.m. Mountain Time with the season awards luncheon at Lister Hall on the U of A campus. 

The first final of the national meet, the women's weight throw, follows shortly after, at 2:30 p.m. The championships conclude Saturday afternoon with the always exciting 4x400m relays (complete schedule included below). Selected events will be webcast live daily at www.CIS-SIC.tv.

The action will take place in the University Pavilion, or Butterdome, a facility that was built for the 1983 Summer Universiade (FISU world university games) and which recently received a major upgrade when a $1.5 million Mondo floor was installed in 2010, making it one of the premier track and field facilities in Canada.

In women's competition, Calgary claimed the fourth CIS banner in program history in 2013, putting an end to a remarkable four-year championship run by the Windsor Lancers. On the men's side, Guelph was crowned for the third time, all in the past six campaigns.

The Dino women head into the national meet as the top-ranked team in the country, despite settling for second place behind the Trinity Western Spartans at the Canada West championships two weeks ago. The Spartans are the No. 3 seed this week, behind OUA champ Guelph.

In the conferences, the Laval Rouge et Or and Dalhousie Tigers claimed the team banners in the RSEQ and AUS, respectively.

In the men's rankings, defending CIS champion Guelph is tied at the top with the York Lions going in, even though both squads finished behind Windsor at the OUA championships. The Lancers are the fourth seed in Edmonton, behind the RSEQ silver medallist Sherbrooke Vert & Or.

Laval took the men's title in Quebec to complete a sweep of the conference banners, while the St. Francis Xavier X-Men captured their first-ever AUS crown.

"For our men's team to reach the podium we will need an overall strong performance from our entire team but also some big performances from our key players - Brendan Wilhelm, Jesse Drennan, Aaron Bowman, Alex Ullman and Corey Bellemore," said legendary Windsor coach Dennis Fairall.

Trinity Western head coach Laurier Primeau is impressed with the progress of his young program.

"To win a conference championship means a great deal to our athletes, who have worked so hard. I think this affirms the belief in each other, belief in self and belief in our program. Having gone from no program to finishing last to second to winning the conference title in a matter of four years is a feather in the cap of Trinity Western University and its athletic department.

"I think it's important for us to remember that we need to focus on individual performances and results and if we can do that, the team component falls into place. We are asking our athletes to focus on themselves and to search for personal bests."

While he does not see his troops cracking the top three in the team standings, Laval coach Félix-Antoine Lapointe predicts a number of podium finishes for Rouge et Or athletes.

"Winning both RSEQ banners was definitely a boost for our team confidence. Athletes like Charles Philibert-Thiboutot (1500m, 3000m, 4x800m), Marie-Colombe St-Pierre (300m, 4x400m), Philippe Jean (weight throw) and Laurence Côté (1000m, 4x400m) have led the way for us all season and I'm confident we'll see great things from them at the national championships. In the team standings, we hope to match our best-ever result on the men's side, which was sixth place, while I'd like to see our girls improve from 11^th last year and crack the top 10."

Bernie Chisholm from StFX is pleased with the improvement of his athletes this season.

"Our program is on the upswing and we are very pleased with our accomplishments so far. We do have athletes advancing on to the CIS level and we feel that over the next number of years our program will continue to grow. Our expectation at the CIS championship is not necessarily to medal in all events, but to run personal best times and set personal records."

In individual events, athletes from OUA schools have dominated in recent years at the CIS championships. After winning 22 of 34 gold medals in 2012, they managed to improve on that total last winter with an impressive 24 victories.

Standouts from the OUA are ranked No. 1 in 19 events going into the 2014 meet.

At the conference championships two weeks ago in Toronto, Guelph's Katelyn Ayers and Windsor's Alex Ullman merited the female and male top performer awards. Ayers prevailed in the 600 and 800-metre races, while Ullman was crowned in the 600, 1000 and 4x400 relay.

For the season as a whole, the OUA MVP awards went to Western's Caroline Ehrhardt (field events) and the York trio of Khamica Bingham (track), Eric Brathwaite (field) and Dontae Richards-Kwok (track).

Bingham and Richards-Kwok are both ranked first in CIS in the 60m and 300m. Richards-Kwok, who was named the most outstanding male performer in his last appearance in 2012, helped the Canadian 4x100 relay claim bronze at last summer's IAAF world championships in Moscow, finishing two spots behind the Usain Bolt-led Jamaican team.

In Canada West, athletes of the year included Calgary's Jenna Westaway (track), TWU's Sabrina Nettey (field), Victoria's Thomas Riva (track) and Lethbridge's Peter Millman (field).

Westaway also earned the female performance-of-the-meet award at the conference championships, while the men's trophy went to Regina's Jeremy Eckert. The 2013 CIS athlete of the year in track events, Westaway currently tops the rankings in the 600m (1:28.79) and the 1000m (2:39.38).

In the Maritimes, StFX teammates Eilish MacQuarrie and Bryden Tate were both double award winners this season, meriting track athlete-of-the-year honours for the campaign and MVP recognition following the AUS championships.

Dalhousie's Rebecca Haworth and Jordan Bruce were voted the season's best in field events. Bruce is the only AUS standout ranked No. 1 going into the CIS meet, in the triple jump (15.21).

Finally in the RSEQ, Sherbrooke and Laval split the top six individual awards in 2013-14. Éloise Rheault (field), Mathieu Sturkenboom (track) and Marc-Antoine Lafrenaye-Dugas (field) were the Vert & Or recipients, while Marie-Colombe St-Pierre (track / female championship MVP) and Charles Philibert-Thiboutot (male championship MVP) were the Rouge et Or winners.

Sturkenboom and Lafrenaye-Dugas are the one RSEQ stars currently ranked No. 1 in the country, in the 600m (1:17.95) and weight throw (19.60), respectively.

NOTES: The list of CIS season awards (female & male) which will be handed out at Thursday's luncheon includes: athletes of the year in track events and field events, rookies of the year, student-athlete community service awards... More individual honours will come on Saturday following the championships, including female and male meet MVPs, as well as coaches of the year in women's and men's competition... The coaches of the year receive the Sue Wise Award (women) and Bob Boucher Award (men), while the male championship MVP merits the George Gemer Award...

TOP-RANKED ATHLETES GOING INTO CIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Complete CIS individual & team rankings: http://www.trackie.com/CIS/TNF/Rankings/?lang=fr

WOMEN
60m: Khamica Bingham, York (7.23)
300m: Khamica Bingham, York (38.54)
600m: Jenna Westaway, Calgary (1:28.79)
1000m: Jenna Westaway, Calgary (2:39.38)
1500m: Carise Thompson, Guelph (4:23.85)
3000m: Sara Inglis, TWU (9:27.78)
60m Hurdles: Michelle Young, Saskatchewan (8.37)
4x200m: York (1:39.95)
4x400m: Toronto (3:42.79)
4x800m: Toronto (8:53.26)
High Jump: Emma Nuttall, TWU (1.86)
Long Jump: Sabrina Nettey, TWU (6.32)
Triple Jump: Caroline Ehrhardt, Western (12.88)
Pole Vault: Robin Bone, Western (4.15)
Shot Put: Taryn Suttie (16.05)
Weight Throw: Kayla Gallagher, Lethbridge (18.48)
Pentathlon: Rachael McIntosh (4174)

MEN
60m: Dontae Richards-Kwok, York (6.63)
300m: Dontae Richards-Kwok, York (33.90)
600m: Mathieu Sturkenboom, Sherbrooke (1:17.95)
1000m: Mohamed Souleiman, Ottawa (2:22.46)
1500m: Ross Proudfoot, Guelph (3:44.08)
3000m: Ross Proudfoot, Guelph (7:57.01)
60m Hurdles: Greg MacNeill, Toronto (7.78)
4x200m: Trinity Western (1:27.28)
4x400m: Windsor (3:17.24)
4x800m: Victoria (7:34.54)
High Jump: Jeremy Eckert, Regina (2.16)
Long Jump: Taylor Stewart, Western (7.43)
Triple Jump: Jordan Bruce, Dalhousie (15.21)
Pole Vault: David McKay, York (4.91)
Shot Put: Umar Khan, York (17.35)
Weight Throw: Marc-Antoine Lafrenaye-Dugas, Sherbrooke (19.60)
Pentathlon: James Turner, Toronto (3768)

CIS TEAM CHAMPIONS (last 10 years)

Women
2012-13 Calgary
2011-12 Windsor
2010-11 Windsor
2009-10 Windsor
2008-09 Windsor
2007-08 Guelph
2006-07 Calgary
2005-06 Windsor
2004-05 Saskatchewan
2003-04 Saskatchewan

Complete list: PAST CIS CHAMPIONS

Men
2012-13 Guelph
2011-12 Western
2010-11 Windsor
2009-10 Guelph
2008-09 Windsor
2007-08 Guelph
2006-07 Sherbrooke
2005-06 Windsor
2004-05 Saskatchewan
2003-04 Windsor

Complete list: PAST CIS CHAMPIONS

CIS CHAMPIONSHIP RECORDS

WOMEN
60m: Geneviève Thibault, Laval, 7.31 (2009)
300m: Adrienne Power, Dalhousie, 37.35 (2005)
600m: Camille Cato, York, 1:27.63 (1984)
1000m: Paula Schnurr, McMaster, 2:42.81 (1988)
1500m: Paula Schnurr, McMaster, 4:16.41 (1988)
3000m: Brenda Shackleton, Victoria, 9:04.88 (1988)
60m Hurdles: Sonia Paquette, Sherbrooke, 8.23 (1997)
High Jump: Tami Lutz, UBC, 1.87 (1986)
Long Jump: Jocelyn Adu-Gyamfi, Toronto, 6.24 (2001)
Triple Jump: Kelly Dinsmore, Windsor, 13.01 (1993)
Pole Vault: Heather Hamilton, York, 4.23 (2010)
Shot Put (4 kg): Taryn Suttie, Saskatchewan, 15.72 (2011)
Weight Throw (9.08 kg): Kate Forbes, Lethbridge, 19.66 (2005)
Pentathlon: Jessica Zelinka, Calgary, 4380 (2007)
4x200m: Toronto, 1:36.53 (2013)
4x400m: Toronto, 3:41.47 (2012)
4x800m: Victoria, 8:41.66 (1988) 

MEN
60m: Sam Effah, Calgary, 6.57 (2010)
300m: Alexandre Marchand, Sherbrooke, 33.40 (1999)
600m: Byron Goodwin, Manitoba, 1:16.10 (1995)
1000m: Tommy Lecours, Guelph, 2:22.09 (2012)
1500m: Allan Klassen, UBC, 3:46.85 (1990)
3000m: Jeff Schiebler, UBC, 7:59.29 (1996)
60m Hurdles: Mark McKoy, York, 7.83 (1984)
High Jump: Alex Zaliaskas, Toronto, 2.24 (1993)
Long Jump: Christopher Greenway, Ottawa, 7.88 (2010)
Triple Jump: Olivier Huet, Sherbrooke, 15.81 (2013)
Pole Vault: Doug Wood, York, 5.65 (1992)
Shot Put (7.26 kg): Andrew Smith, Saskatchewan, 18.48 (2011)
Weight Throw (15.88 kg): Jim Steacy, Lethbridge, 24.08 (2009)
Pentathlon: Chris Crossley, Saskatchewan, 4126 (2010)
4x200m: Ottawa, 1:25.65 (2012)
4x400m: Calgary, 3:14.12 (2008)
4x800m: Manitoba, 7:29.23 (1995)

2014 CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE (selected events webcast daily at www.CIS-SIC.tv)

Thursday, March 6
14:30   Weight Throw (W) Final
15:00   60m Hurdles (W) Pentathlon
15:15   60m Hurdles (M) Pentathlon
15:45   High Jump (W) Pentathlon
16:00   Long Jump (M) Pentathlon
17:15   Shot Put (M) Pentathlon
18:00   60m (W) Heats
18:10   60m (M) Heats
18:15   Shot Put (W) Pentathlon
18:30   High Jump (M) Pentathlon
19:00   60m (W) Final
19:10   60m (M) Final
19:30   Long Jump (W) Pentathlon
19:30   600m (W) Heats
19:45   600m (M) Heats
20:00   4x200m Relay (W) Heats
20:20   4x200m Relay (M) Heats
20:45   1000m (M) Pentathlon
21:00   800m (W) Pentathlon 

Friday, March 7
16:30   Shot Put (W) Final
16:30   60m Hurdles (W) Heats
16:45   60m Hurdles (M) Heats
17:00   Long Jump (M) Final
17:00   Pole Vault (W) Final
17:00   1000m (W) Final
17:10   1000m (M) Final
17:30   60m Hurdles (M) Final
17:40   60m Hurdles (W) Final
17:50   300m (W) Heats
18:05   300m (M) Heats
18:30   3000m (W) Final
18:50   3000m (M) Final
19:00   Weight Throw (M) Final
19:00   High Jump (M) Final
19:00   Long Jump (W) Final
19:40   300m (W) Final
19:50   300m (M) Final
20:00   4x800m Relay (W) Final
20:15   4x800m Relay (M) Final

Saturday, March 8
12:30   Triple Jump (W) Final
12:30   Pole Vault (M) Final
13:15   600m (W) Final
13:30   600m (M) Final
14:15   4x200m Relay (W) Final
14:25   4x200m Relay (M) Final
14:30   High Jump (W) Final
14:45   Triple Jump (M) Final
14:45   Shot Put (M) Final
14:45   1500m (W) Final
15:00   1500m (M) Final
16:00   4x400m Relay (W) Final
16:15   4x400m Relay (M) Final

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