X-Men, X-Women shooting for podium spots, U SPORTS berths
By Corey LeBlanc
Antigonish, NS - Runners with the STFX program are primed to race away with podium finishes this weekend at the 2022 Subway Atlantic University Sport (AUS) Track and Field Championships.
The two-day meet – hosted by the Université de Moncton – is scheduled for Friday, March 18 and Saturday, March 19, at CEPS (Louis-J.-Robichaud) on the school's campus.
"We are really excited," runner Jacob Benoit (Windsor, NS) says of his team having the opportunity to compete at the championship.
He notes that – for X student-athletes from not only this year, but also last one – it will be their debut on the AUS championship stage.
"We want them to soak it up and enjoy the experience," the accomplished veteran – both in track and cross country – adds.
His teammate – freshman sensation Siona Chisholm, who raced to the 2021 AUS individual women's cross-country title last fall – agrees.
"Everyone is really looking forward to it," the Antigonish native says. "I am really excited to see how our teams performs."
Chisholm notes that the team is looking forward to having the chance to compete on the indoor track at the conference championships, which is a great way to show how their training – in all sorts of weather – has paid off.
"The teams are ready to race hard this weekend," STFX head coach Eric Gillis says, noting that the Université de Moncton, "Always hosts a great conference championship meet for athletes and fans."
Pursuing the podium
When it comes to making the podium, Gillis agrees his X-Women program will be in the hunt and that, "I believe we have a shot."
The Antigonish native and three-time Canadian Olympian notes that the front-runners for topping the podium – the Dalhousie Tigers and UNB Reds – field "full programs and are really deep."
Nevertheless, he adds, "I think that we have a shot [at a top-three finish]."
As for the X-Men, the goal is a top-four spot. "We may even be able to sneak onto the podium," Gillis says.
Considering the challenges faced during an interrupted and abbreviated season – due to the continuing effects of the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic – Gillis describes having a conference championship meet as a "bonus."
"We weren't even sure if we were going to have a season," he says.
Gillis explains that his student-athletes had to deal with not only an unprecedented campaign, but also the "constant nervousness," when it comes to contracting COVID-19.
"A number of athletes got it," he says, while several other X-Women and X-Men had to go through the contact isolation process.
Gillis agrees that it certainly made it difficult to focus on athletics.
He adds that, most importantly, none of his student-athletes diagnosed with COVID-19 are dealing with long-term effects.
All things considered, Gillis offers, "Everything worked out OK."
Season summary
STFX wrapped up the shortened regular season with a strong performance earlier this month at the Athletics Nova Scotia (ANS) Indoor Open.
"We moved from a 'C' meet into an 'A' meet," Gillis offers of their results in Halifax, compared to those coming at the UNB Invitational in mid-February.
Although the team "raced hard" in Saint John, he says that they "really sharpened up" on the Canada Games Centre track in Halifax.
At the ANS Indoor Open, 50 per cent of the X student-athletes who raced set personal best times.
Allie Sandluck (10:11.07) – one of six X-Women in the 14-athlete field in the 3,000-metre race – led the White and Blue contingent with a second-place finish.
On the men's side – in the same discipline – Benoit (8:31.16) topped the podium, besting his closest competitor by just less than 30 seconds.
"It was a really deep race," Gillis said, in crediting Benoit for shaving 12 seconds off his previous personal best time.
He believes Benoit has a "great shot" at earning a spot on the national championship stage with his performance at the AUS championships.
"Strong and deep fields," the X student-athlete – who will also run the relays – offers of the 3,000 and 1,500-metre races this weekend.
In the 1,500 metres at the ANS Indoor Open, X-Men Luc Gallant (4:03.54) and Aidan Doherty (4:11.88) placed second and third, respectively.
In the Halifax meet, on the women's side, Chisholm clocked a 4:28.44, which not only captured first place, but also bettered Jane Hergett's STFX record set at the 2020 national championships.
"I believe she can," Gillis offers of the Antigonish native – who already has earned a berth in the 3,000 – being able to punch her ticket to nationals in the 1,500 metres.
Chisholm says, "I have the same goal for each race [1,500 and 3,000] – I want to push myself and give a strong performance," which she hopes will lead to that coveted spot in the 3,000 metres at nationals.
Because it is her first AUS championships, she also wants to soak up the experience, including competing against the best runners in the conference.
With a 4:39.85, Aidan MacDonald garnered second place in the 1,500 metres at the ANS meet.
In the 600 metres, Brynn Hebert (1:39.45) raced to third place – the best finish for the X-Women.
"We have progressed a lot," Benoit says, noting – like Gillis – that the X program improvement greatly from the first to second competition.
When it comes to their performance in that first one – the UNB-hosted meet at Irving Oil Field House – the venue for the national championships later this month, the Sandluck sisters, Allie and Breanna, finished first (10:32.63) and third (10:52.29), respectively, in the 3,000 metres.
On the men's side, in a field of 21 racers, Gallant raced to third place with an indoor personal best of 8:47.25.
With a time of 8:25.20, the X-Men team of Benoit, Yared Tareke, Tyler Baker and Jack Wierzbicki finished third in the 4x800-metre relay.
The X-Women quartet of Chisholm, MacDonald, Hebert and Natasha Chojnacki – in 9:24.14 – garnered second place in the same discipline.
MacDonald also captured first place in the 1,000-metre (3:04.61) and one-mile (5:08.11) races.
In the men's 1,000 metres, Wierzbicki (2:37.63) fashioned a third-place finish.
Closer to home
For the first time, an AUS school – the UNB Reds – will host the Canadian university national meet, with the aforementioned Saint John's Irving Oil Field House serving as the venue for the 2022 U SPORTS Track and Field Championships – presented by Saint John LNG – on Thursday, March 31, Friday, April 1 and Saturday, April 2.
"It will certainly provide a little bit of an incentive," Benoit offers of vying for a spot in nationals, with the closer-to-home venue making it easier for family, friends and X supporters to attend and cheer on the White and Blue.
Gillis – a former national university champion – describes having the event in Atlantic Canada for the first time as "exciting."
"I think it is going to be fantastic," he says.
For the upcoming AUS Championship, fans can tune in via live webcast and live stats at https://www.atlanticuniversitysport.com/sports/mtrack/2019-20/championship/index.
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