Montreal, QC – The X-Men and X-Women track & field teams competed at the 24th annual McGill Team Challenge at the Richard Tomlinson Fieldhouse on Friday and Saturday. The competition is billed as the largest indoor meet in the country, featuring 659 athletes and 20 university teams.
The X-Men placed fifth overall amidst 15 teams, compiling 53 points over the two days of events. With 26 points, the X-Women placed ninth amongst 15 teams. The Guelph Gryphons won both men's and women's team titles at the meet.
In individual results, StFX athletes had several top 10 performances. Veteran fifth year X-Women sprinter Allie Flower (Lunenburg, NS) was seventh overall and fourth amongst U SPORTS runners in the 300m dash, clocking with a time of 40.37. Flower also had a good showing in the 600m race, coming eighth overall and sixth in university runners with a 1:36.12 result.
Teammate Jane Hergett, a second year runner from Port Williams, NS was the fourth overall finisher in the 600m with a time of 1:34.36. Hergett also ran a strong 1000m race, finishing at 2:52.10, good enough for seventh overall in sixth in U SPORTS racers.
In the 60m hurdles, Megan Graham (Trenton, NS) was ninth overall and seventh in U SPORTS with a 9.54 result. Catherine Kennedy (Antigonish, NS) was ninth at 9.67.
The X-Women competed in a single relay event, the 4x200m, and they placed fourth overall amongst nine teams, finishing at 1:45.13. Relay team members included Samantha Taylor (Canterbury, NB), graham, Kennedy and Flower.
In the jumping events, StFX's Lani Deakin (Dubai, UAE) was 13th overall in the high jump, but ninth in U SPORTS, as he jumped a 1.50m. She was seventh amongst university competitors in the long jump with a 5.01m result.
On the men's side, fifth year sprinter Tim Brennan (Beechville, NB) came fifth overall and fourth in U SPORTS runners in the 600m race as he clocked in at 1:20.05.
Fourth year distance runner and 2018 U SPORTS national champion in the 3000m Angus Rawling (Calgary, AB) ran strong races in both the 3000m and 1500m events. His time of 8:10.60 was the second fastest university result behind Russell Pennock (8:08.35) of Calgary. Rawling ran a 3:51.69 in the 1500m, good enough for fifth overall and fourth amongst U SPORTS runners.
In the 60m hurdles, Taylor Leger (Lion's Bay, BC) came eighth overall and sixth in U SPORTS with a 9.71 finish.
The X-Men competed in both the 4x200m and 4x400m relay races. Amongst nine teams in the 4x200m, StFX came out in second spot, clocking in at 1:30.73 behind Guelph (1:28.22). Team members included Brad Barclay (Coldwater, ON), Brennan, Eric Sutton (Peterborough, ON), Adrian Kinney (Bristol, NB). The same four sprinters placed fifth in the 4x400m relay with a time of 3:23.10.
In the jumping events, third year jumper Kirishnia Cooper (Nassau, Bahamas) came fifth in university jumpers with a 6.40M result. He was third in U SPORTS jumpers in the triple jump with a 13.04m jump.
The X-Men were represented by three competitors in the throwing events. Riley Jennings (Debert, NS), Aidan McMann (Ottawa, ON) and Sam Gan (London, ON) all competed in the shot put and weight throw. Jennings was third in the shot put (13.12m) and seventh in the weight throw (13.26m), McMann was seventh in the shot put (12.07m) and ninth in the weight throw (10.08m), while Gan placed ninth in the shot put (11.71m) and 11th in the weight throw (9.76m). All results reflect results from university competitors.
The meet was good preparation for the upcoming AUS Championship, which just over three weeks away. The team will compete in the AUS Relays meet on February 8th and the SMU Open on Feb. 10th, before the AUS Championship which is slated for February 22-23 at the Universite de Moncton.
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Courtesy StFX Sports Information