The StFX track and field team ran to an impressive showing at the 2013 Subway AUS championship in Moncton, NB. The women’s team took home four gold, four silver and three bronze medals, while the men’s team won seven gold and one silver. The 11 total gold medals was the best ever showing for the StFX team, improving upon the seven gold won in 2012.

Head coach Bernie Chisholm commented, “This has been our best showing at these championships and I think over the next few years our program is only going to get better.”

“Our athletes gave everything we asked of them this weekend and the results proved that, as we won 11 gold medals on the track, more than any other team at the championship".

Both teams placed second overall in the team standings, next to the Dalhousie Tigers.

Connor McGuire, Mackenzie Munroe and Melissa Hardy were all double gold medalists in individual events, while each also picked up a third medal as part of a relay team. Eilish MacQuarrie racked up an impressive point total with an individual gold, relay gold and silver and individual bronze medals.

McGuire, a fourth year distance runner from Summerside, PEI was named the AUS male track athlete of the year, another accolade this season for the 2012 AUS cross country runner of the year. He won gold in the 1500m and 3000m races, running 3:58.53 in the 1500m and 8.32.67 in the 3000m. He claimed a third gold medal as a member of the 4x800m relay team. They finished with a time of 8:13.5, ahead of Dalhousie (8:20.8) and Moncton (8:41.8). Joining McGuire on the relay team were Stephen Deering, Bryden Tate and Gabe Quenneville.  

Also claiming three gold medals on the weekend was first year runner Mackenzie Munroe from Yarmouth, N.S. Munroe won the 300m and 600m races and was a member of the men’s AUS record breaking 4x400m relay team. With a time of 3:31.38, the relay team broke a 20 year old AUS meet record. Joining Munroe on that team were Andre Peach, Hayden Peters and Max Maund. In an exciting race that came down to the wire, the X-Men edged out Dalhousie who clocked 3:31.89. Moncton was third at 3:37.97.

In his individual races, Munroe ran 36.44 in the 300m final and 1:25.09 in the 600m final. He picked up a fourth medal of the weekend in the 4x200m relay race as the X-Men placed second (1:34.20) to Dalhousie (1:33.40). Along with Munroe, Peters, Maund and Demetrius Ferguson ran the relay event for StFX.

Ferguson, a first year sprinter from Nassau, Bahamas rounded out the gold medals for the X-Men with a 7.01 performance in one of the most exciting events on the meet schedule, the men’s 60m dash. Also a member of the X-Men football team this past season, Ferguson beat out 34 sprinters to claim the top honor and his second medal of the championship.

On the women’s side, both Eilish MacQuarrie and Melissa Hardy took home a medal haul for the X-Women.

MacQuarrie, a second year sprinter from Antigonish, N.S., won individual gold in the 300m race with a time of 41.1, and picked up a second gold medal as a member of the 4x400m relay team. Heidi Stirling, Sarah Deveau and Bridget Brennan rounded out the 4x400m team who crossed the finish line at 4:05.60, ahead of Dalhousie (4:06.16) and UNB (4:07.62).

MacQuarrie won silver with the 4x200m relay team, accompanied by Stirling, Brennan and Nadine Otten. Their time of 1:48.73 was second to Dalhousie at 1:45.30. MacQuarrie’s fourth medal of the weekend came in the 600m race as she won bronze with a time of 1:38.62. She also had a sixth place showing in the 60m dash (8.11).

Teammate Heidi Stirling, a fourth year sprinter from Wolfville, N.S. also had a four-medal weekend. In addition to the two relay medals, Stirling also took home silver in the 600m (1:38.09) and bronze in the 300m (42.1).

AUS cross country all-star Melissa Hardy was a double gold medalist for the X-Women, claiming top honors in both the 1500m and 3000m races and winning a third medal on the weekend, silver with the 4x800m relay team. The fourth year distance runner from Deer Lake, NF (in her second year eligibility) clocked in at 4:50.00 in the 1500m and 10:26.46 in the 3000m race.

Teammate Natalie Kannenberg (Guelph, Ont.) was right behind her in the 3000m race at 10:27.16, taking home the silver medal for StFX. Hardy was joined by Kathryn Tuck, Sarah Deveau and Liz O’Connell on the 4x800m relay team who ran to a 9:56.7 silver medal finish behind the Dalhousie Tigers at 9:49.7.

Rounding out the medal tally for StFX was first year sprinter Nadine Otten from Clinton, Ont. who won bronze in the 60m hurdles, posting a time of 9.72.

Complete results for all X-Women and X-Men competitors in all events is available by clicking here.

The CIS national championship is scheduled for March 7-10 at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.