Recap: Guelph Gryphons claim double banner at Day 3 of the 2024 Track & Field Championships

WINNIPEG – The Guelph Gryphons continued their run of dominance at the national level in track and field on Saturday, winning their seventh consecutive men's banner and sixth consecutive women's title at the James Daly Fieldhouse.

The Gryphons also received Coach of the Year honours on the men's side with Jason Kerr, while Max Davies was the Male Athlete of the Year with three golds during competition. Calgary swept the women's honours, with triple gold medalist Sienna Macdonald earning Athlete of the Year, while Jessica Zelinka was named Coach of the Year.

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Another U SPORTS record on the men's side from Davies, this time in the 1500, along with a fourth-place finish in the 4x200 and points in the pole vault helped the Gryphons hold off the host Manitoba Bisons, as the two schools finished with 89.5 and 82 points respectively in one of the closest competitions in recent memory.

Manitoba's silver is their best finish since 1996, when they won the third of three straight national titles.

Laval finished third with 56.5 points, thanks in part to a silver medal finish by Jean Simon- Desgagnés in the 1500, one of four athletes in the event to shatter the previous U SPORTS record of 3:46.85, held since 1990.

In a speedy final, it was Davies who closed out a phenomenal race, out-lasting Desgagnés during the final lap to finish in 3:44. Jonathan Podbielski of Regina and Jude Wheeler-Dee also reached the finish line ahead of the prior U SPORTS record.

"All of our PBs were under the record," said Davies.

"I did know the points were going to be important. I wanted to contribute as much as I could. I did my part today and the whole meet. I love it here. We all support each other, everything about this program is great."

Manitoba picked up big points in the 600, as well as the triple jump and 4x400, winning the first two, while earning silver in the 4x400.

Tristan Allen and Dawson Mann were automatic in the 600, finishing first and third. Dalhousie's Zach James earned silver.

Allen's time of 1:17.96 was the fourth fastest in the discipline in school history, and he became the first Bison since Canadian record holder Byron Goodwin in 1997 to win the event.

"I don't remember the last lap at all. The last 20 metres I realized nobody was there and I was like holy crap. I still can't believe it. Don't pinch me," smiled Allen, who's had to balance a demanding schedule in law school in his final year as a Bison.

"It means more than I can put into words. I think a lot of people forgot about me. I was flying under the radar for most of the year. I pictured that more times than I can count."

Allen, well known for his elite closing speed, led coming into the final turn and was not going to be denied. It was sweet redemption after a collision in the final last year cost him a top result, a season where he ran sub 1:18 for the first time.

He and Mann have now combined for 24 medals over the last two years at the conference and national championships.

"Last year, that was the year. If anything was going to happen, I thought it would be last year. It broke my heart when I fell. I've been sitting with that for a full year. It hasn't fully hit me yet," added Allen.

"I knew I wasn't quite in shape this year, I had a lot of stuff going on off the track, so track wasn't really a priority. To be mentioned in that conversation [with Goodwin], it's a little bit of imposter syndrome, but it's special."

Meanwhile, Turner secured his first national gold in the triple, entering play as the three-time Canada West champ. He broke the school record along the way, hitting 15.82 on his third attempt in an event he led from start to finish.

On the women's side, the Gryphons broke away from Calgary, who were tied with Guelph in points entering the final day.

The national powerhouse finished the competition with 115 points, while Western (102 points) surged ahead of the Dinos (87 points) for second, thanks in part to a massive showing in the triple jump.

Guelph earned major points in several events on Saturday, including the 4x200 relay (ten), high jump (eight) and the 4x400 relay (eight), capping the season in style after the Mustangs had previously edged them out for the OUA title.

Guelph's 4x200 team of Nicole McKenzie, Gabrielle Cole, Maria Ulysse and Adenike Abiodun secured a critical gold, finishing just off the U SPORTS record, with a time of 1:36.90.

"I'm surrounded by so many talented athletes," said McKenzie. "We uplift each other, we have a phenomenal coach, and everybody wants it. Everybody is hungy. It makes you want to be better. It's the place to be!"

The Mustangs and Dinos picked up key points early in the day in the 600, while Western earned 17 in the triple jump, including gold from Chloe Knox.

The fastest runner in the 600, Favour Okpali of Western continued her record-breaking season, setting a new OUA mark with a time of 1:28.64. This comes mere weeks after she set a then-OUA best time of 1:29.19 at the conference championships.

Second-ranked Avery Pearson of Saskatchewan earned silver in 1:29.39, while Emma Dagenais won bronze for Laval at 1:29.45. Picking up five key points was Tatum Wade of Calgary in 1:29.63, as the top four in the country lived up to the hype.

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS

 WOMEN:

1. Guelph, 115;
2. Western, 102;
3. Calgary, 87;
4. Saskatchewan, 86;
5. Laval, 59;
6. Alberta, 30;
7. (tie) Toronto and Dalhousie, 21;
8. -
9. Windsor, 20;
10. (tie) Manitoba and York, 18;
11. -
12. Waterloo, 15;
13. Sherbrooke, 14;
14. Montréal, 12;
15. Regina, 9;
16. McGill, 8;
17. Trinity Western, 7;
18. Victoria, 6;
19. Carleton, 4;
20. UPEI, 3;
21. (tie) Lakehead, Ottawa, UNB, 2;
22. -
23. -
24. Brock, 1.

MEN:

1. Guelph, 89.5;
2. Manitoba, 82;
3. Laval, 56.5;
4. Western, 55;
5. Alberta, 48;
6. Windsor, 42;
7. Toronto, 31;
8. Trinity Western. 30.5;
9. Calgary, 29;
10. Regina, 28;
11. Montréal, 24;
12. (tie) Dalhousie and Saskatchewan, 22;
13. -
14. McGill, 17;
15. UNB, 15;
16. (tie) Moncton and Queen's, 10;
17. -
18. Sherbrooke, 9.5;
19. York, 9;
20. (tie) UQAM, Brock and Waterloo, 7;
21. -
22. -
23. Lethbridge, 5;
24. Carleton, 3;
25. Victoria, 1.

RECORDS SET: 

Men's 1500 run:Max Davies, Guelph, 3:44.0. (Previous record was 3:46.85 by Allan Klassen of UBC, 1990)

TOP THREE RESULTS FROM DAY THREE (WOMEN)

600M :

1. Favour Okpali, Western (1:28.64),
2. Avery Pearson, Sask (1:29.39),
3. Emma Dagenais, Laval (1:29.45)

4x200 :

1. Guelph (1:36.90)
2. Laval (1:37.26)
3. Calgary (1:38.01)

4x400 :

1. Sask (3:45.37)
2. Guelph (3:45.81),
3. Laval (3:47.77)

1500M :

1. Cameron Ormond, Guelph (4:23.57)
2. Olivia Cooper, Alberta (4:24.55)
3. Julia Agostinelli, Guelph (4:24.97)

TRIPLE JUMP :

1. Chloe Knox, Western (12.72m)
2. Mandy Brunet, Windsor (12.57)
3. Olamide Olaloku, Sask (12.23)

HIGH JUMP :

1. Lara Denbow, Manitoba (1.78)
2. Celia Markovinovic, Waterloo (1.75)
3. Chloe Zaraska, Guelph, (1.72)

DAY THREE MEN

600M :

1. Tristan Allen, Manitoba (1:17.96)
2. Zach James, Dalhousie (1:18.30)
3. Dawson Mann, Manitoba (1:18.44)

4x200 :

1. Western (1:27.11)
2. Windsor (1:27.75)
3. Alberta (1:27.87)

4x400 :

1. Alberta (3:16.83)
2. Manitoba (3:17.22)
3. Windsor (3:19.03)

1500 :

1. Max Davies, Guelph (3:44)
2. Jean Simon Desgagnes (3:44.76)
3. Jonathan Podbielski (3:45.18)

SHOT PUT :

1. Samuel Bourque, Moncton (17.40m)
2. AJ Stanat, Windsor (16.85)
3. Seth Edwards, Western (16.53)

POLE VAULT :

1. Nicolas Martin Huerta, Trinity Western (4.90m)
2. Evann Mangue, Montreal (4.85)
3. Michael Ivanov, Brock (4.75)

TRIPLE JUMP :

1. Daxx Turner, Manitoba (15.82m)
2. Kenneth West, Western (15.38)
3. Tegra Jan-King, Alberta (15.27)

MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Max Davies, Guelph

MALE COACH OF THE YEAR

Jason Kerr, Guelph

FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Sienna Macdonald, Calgary

MALE COACH OF THE YEAR

Jessica Zelinka, Calgary